Chtl,tcri Chat4|
tt]lil CaitittttitY
ii
I:Lt\t i\si!1
Emperor Kangxi Views His World
y'2,
Kangxi, SELF-PORTRNT
ln l(r(rl a sevcn_year-olcl bol becan,c the scconcl Qing enrpcror altcr theduring
as his rcign nanrc Karrgxi' 'rlrd
*.."i a*,n.tf n" f,rther. Shtrnzhi' Hc ttxrkcrushc<l
the last vcstiges.f Ming resishe
1722,
until
ii, i""n *ior, "'nt"h lastccl
sl'stcnr'
t^".", i,t,li"A China! bortlcrs' rcvitalizecl the civil service cxarnination
cthnic Chi.
ttnex_
.",r"-rf,"
betrveco
ri"1r1r,r., of China s sch(tlar-{)fflcials' casetl tcnsiorrs
nert vigor and tlirection to the
otse and thcir Manchu c()nquerors. :rncl trrctrght
crafts_
pocts' scholars'
artiscs'
rr-ritcrs'
g()vernnrent. A genc )us supportcr of
"rnd (irnfistudiecl
Hc
of
clistinctiorl
rvritcr
antl
schttlat
lr",r, Kr,rg*i hi,.ts.tf..',rs a
srrlrr rrf
.i."i,*' r.,i,l' n,rrrsic, nrathematics' :rnr] scierrcc arxl teft behin<l a rich
lctters'
r.ririrTgs, inclu<ling pclrt, cssays' aphorisms' and
on
thcse rvritings and staterncnts
<lrcw
SJrtncc
hisrrri'.rn
,t't"
t,'t tgZ'1
Jtrnarhan
cxccrpts' rhc empenrt
firlkrrving
t'f thr: cmpcror' In thc
t,r."*pif"
a
scll-portr,rit
.*oressesl,isvicwsooiusritc'guvcrnrrlerrtrrdnrinistr.ttirln'andEuxlpcar,rs'u,irh
*h,r',
Chin.,' r.ln,i,,rrr ,r"rs'rrrr''l tlurins hi' rcigrr'
'
(pigc 9l)' thc most
;" "*",,rple Vrices ll: Asiar, Vcu s of Christianiqr'
4,
",*"a E.,rop"an visit,'rs t. China rvere mcrnbers of the &rico .f Jcsus' a
o';;;;;;".
bv imprcssL..r,"ri. ..rig,r.,. ,rrdcr, *,ho soughr t. make crxrterts r, Chrisrianiry
and
nrathcmarics
arrd
rr[ asrrurornl
.I'hcy hatl hccn rT'elcrnred ar
-*-rt. Cfri,l"* clite rvith thcir knon'lcrlgc
architects
thlir skills as cirrtogra;rhcrs' artists. and
gatb' learned C,hinese' and
,fr" i,r.p"";^f ."u., ln l3eijin3, 'vhcrc they trrrc Chirrcse
s{)ltlc 2(X) courr ofllp^ia ft,rrnr*. to the ernlxtor"'l'hev irlso nrirnaged t() c{xlvcrt
mis'i.n in
lirt., *h,, i,, k."p;ng with a grlic,v initiatecl b1'tlrc fiuncler ofthcJesuit in htxrot
ccrcmonics
n_aclitional
Chioa, Matteo l{i..i, rr'.". pcrrnittecl r() c()nrinue
Kaogxi h'ad an avid
anccstors and ol-lcr public holral;c ro Confucius
"i-J".-**f
;,...o..i"Vcstcrrrlerrrnirrg.:rntlnrl(:g2hcgrantedtheJcsrritspcr.rrrissiorrt.'
centu''v' as rnanl as -100'(X)o Chif."^.f, "",ria" Bciiing. By rhe ear:tr cightcenrh
nese
mal havc been lL;nran Catholics'
a f-atal
ln rhe earl1 t700s, hot'clcr' the Catholic nrissirxrtrv efforr expericncetl tr()nl
fresh
ortlcrs'
,ahirnr. M"-b.-r. of thc Franciscan rrn<l Donrinican religious
tht. Jesuit pllsitilrr
.h.i" ......."f.,1 rnissi.lnarl, elf<lrts in the Phil;PPifies. attackcd
XI
&)
their
Poillt ofvic'\'r' ln 1706
on Confrrcian dtcs and rvon over I'ope Clcnrerrc
not civil' ritcs and
rcligious'
ncrc
tl:t""""l;tt
,fr. f,rp" a".r""a that Conftrciarr
(ii1!lr1]tics. An rngry Kangxi rclirr
chincsc
prohi[.ricccl
t."l.r"*r, u,ould bc
ass'ault on Chrisri'rniry
sponJcd wirh a ban on Christian ptcachilrg, an<l the Qirrg
l()st their positiorr.at lleiiing'
was under war'. llnder Kanlixi's sr'rccessor rhcJestlits
..J .i. ,lni"'.,*,..e
of contact bctucen the inpcrial court anrl thc intcllcctual
n'orld o[ the Vest disaPPcared'
4q
212
AWotl
ol 7i,nsfonuariot aru{ Tratlitiorr
DEALINC WITH E( IROPEANS
'fht rdre can become commoo. as with rhe lions
and other animals thar foreign lmbassadors iike
to give LN and my childreo tre now i(cusaomed
ro;...
Vesrern skills arc a case in poinr: in the late
Ming Dyna-sry, wl'ten chc \0esrerr,ers finr brought
thc gnornon fsundiall, rhc Chincse rholtght ir a
rarc tteasure unlil they trnderstood irs use. Aod
when the Enrperor Slrunzlri got a small chiming
chck in 16)3, lTe kept ic als'ays near hinrl btrt
norv rve have learttcd to b:rlancc rhc springs and
to illjrrst rhe chirnes and fimrlly co rnake chc *lrole
clock, so that my childreo can havc teo chiming
clocks each to Irlay rvirh, iI thcy want rhem.
Siarilariy, we lcarned in a short time to make
to that mrJe in the
'West, and our lacquet would be lretter than
rheirs, too, were it noc that their wer se-a climare
gives a Lxatrr shern chan rhe dry irnd rlttsq Ohincse
,glassware rhac is superior
elio,ate evrr could. . . .
I renlizcd. too, drat \0estern nTathcm-.rcics Ilas
its uses. . I ordered rheJcsrrits Thomas, Gerbillon, ancl Bouver ro study Manclru also, anci to
compose treatiscs il rhat language oo $Uestern
arithmetic anci the geometty ofEuclid.'lo the
early l(r90's I often workctl several hours a day
wirh them. !fitlr Verbicsr I l'ud examined cach
stage of the firrgiug of cannons. and matle him
lruilJ a w.rrrr fr-,urrcain rh,rr <4'trar..l rn t'r'njun{'
iiur with an organ, and erecr a rviodmill in tlre
court; with che new group . . I worked oo
cltrks and mechdnics. Percira taught mc to play
the ttrte, "P'n-ytt-L:lt /' on the harpsichorcl and
rhe strLrcturc of the eight-nore scalc, Ptdriti
taught my sons musi(al rhcorn and Gherarclini
h. nn.irnt Gre.k oath(drati.iln *lb livl r.ound ](x)
rc r a larl dre ioundarion ti,rrhc srurL- oigd,nerr):
lone or rlic Clalsi(s, rh< un! ,l Chtttts l,vlrs ! $,ork ol
divinat;o thar tliecl on rhe anrlvsrs oI rrilrralns and
''l
'i 1,,r,,,
;s
J(rv(.] lrom tltr Aril'tr wui lA/r,,/,. ti:ng\i ir
rhrt Lhirrr hrJ .r hrng rc'tl'rn 'rt
nchi€vlmenr in {l5etJri. 8a:metrr" nrcl trigonometry datios
DYnrsY ("21)6 B.c-r.-221)( li)bd.k ar lensr d lir rs rh(
d.st wltn ht.sn:
lu;rttd i)orrraits ar the Coutt. I dso learnecl rrr
calcularc the weight and voltrme of spheres'
cul.lcs,
urd cdles, and to Deasure distances and
ul rrrrr ll'rnks' on rnsl'ctrr,rr rours
elrr 'rrr5tr
later I trsed ahese \festcrn mcthods ro show my
officids how to make nrore accurrare calculatioos
I showed
rvhen planning cl'teir rivcr rvorks. .
rhem how to calruirtc circumterences ancl assess
rhe area ol a plot r,fland, even if ics borders were
a. 1"g2-rd as J,rgs rerth. Jrrrving diagrams lirt
rhcm on ti'le.ground witll an arrowl and calculated the t-lorv of river warer thnrugh a lock gate
by multiplying the volumc rhar flowed in a fiw
seconds () ge. a tlgurc lirr the whole day . . .
Bor I was carefirl not co refcr to tl'tese \festerners as 'Great Oflicials.' . Ior eveo though
s,)mr rr'the Vr:tern mcrh<*ls .rrr ditirr.nr fi'rnr
oLrr o\vn, and may evrn be an improvcmert,
rhcre is litrle tboua rhem rhar is ne\\'. The
princlples of mltthemarics all <ierive from tl'te
Bu,k r'l' Changer.' aml thc \(/estern merho<ls arr
A-erh chu
Chinese in origin: rlris algebra
And
word."
from
dn
Eirsterll
springs
p{-erh
rhough - it was indeetl rhc \X'rstetners who
showed us some!hing our aocieot calendar
*
nanrely how to calcr,rlate
this hrrr shows
rhe angle of the northern pole
lris inat
through
thc rruth wlut Zhu Xi- arrived
cxpcrrs
did not know
vesrigation of things: rhe earrh is like the yolk
within ao egg.
On the question of rhe Clrinese Rites that miSht
be ptacticed b1'the Western oissionaries' de
Tr;urnon* rvould not spcak' though I sent mes
sages
'7-hu
ti(i
to him
re;,eareclly.
I
had agreed wirh the
Xi( ll J0-12(x) I r-I l 6mo(s .ool6entit'r o' Gn_
s, w.s Chnr.s l$irns yhilosophcr tritr rhe clrssical
iStc;nr,.J.
Tuui n { l66ri-t? ro) rerr a prynlenvov seot ro
Io.ii. ind (lhlnr ro ov$see C'lholiL m;ssnnrs' His demand
rhlr Ch,nts( Chlis(i.fls nhandon rmdirj(Dal lles wt's deePlr
(lr Prisun'
,nlinsrve ro Kanrxr' llrt cml,cror trclereJ lr;nr
whtre
he
Jic.l in
l;lo.
I
Il.!
,i
Chayte r
fbrmulation the Beiiiog lathcrs hacl drawn up in
I700: that Confucius was I'ronored by the Chinese
as !r master, bur his name lvas not invoked in
pr.ryer fot rlrr purpose of gaining hu;'1'j6g'iq.
rank, or wealth; rhat'ivorship ofancestors was an
expression of krve and filial remembrance, noc
inten<led to bring protection to the worshiPer;
and rhat there rvas no idca when an ancescral
/
Chary,e and
Cottittrtitf in East Asia
2'li
trine, yct with superficial knowledge Maigrot
discussed Clrinese sanctity- - .
.
Since I discovered on thc Southero Tour of 170i
thar tberc wcre missionaries wan.lering at rvill
over China,
I
had grown cautious and derer-
ancestor
mined co control them olore tightly: ro bunci
rhem in the larger ciries and io SrouPs rhxr in_
tltrJr.l rnrn liom sevcral drflirenr courrtrrr.. to
de Tournon didn't reply, tlTe Catholic
Bishop Maigrote did, . . . relling me tluc Heaven
catalogue their names and residences, and to lxrmit no nerv establishments withor'rt mv cxPtess
coblet rvas crected, that thc sorrl of'tlrc
dwclr in that tablec. . .
.
If
marerial ching and shoukl nor be worshiped,
aocl thar one should invoke only the namc Lrftl
of Heaven" ro sl,ow the ProPel reverence
M..rigrot wasn t merely ignor.rnr ofChinese litera_
rure, he couldn't even .ecognize the simPlesr
is a
Chinese characrers; yet he chose to discuss rhe
ralsicy o[rhr Clrirrc.;r morcl systcm . . .
Even lictle animals tnourn rheir rlead morhers
tbr many days; chese lTescerncrs who want (o
rrerr their dead with inclillerence are not even
equal to aoimals. Horv corrltl they be comPared
rvirh ChineseT \i(e venerate Confucius because of
his d<rrrines of respc(t fbr virtue, his sysrcm ot-
pelnrission.... I made all missionaries who
rvanrecl to stay on in China sign a cerrificace,
srarioll rlrat tlrey wor.rld .eorain here fbr lile and
lollorv Ricci on
tltt
Rites. Forry or fif'ty who re-
*ere uiled co Guaogzhou; de Tournoo was
sent to Macao,r" lris secrerary, Appiani, we kepc
fused
in prison io Beijing.
Despite these sterner rcstricrions, th( Westerners cortioued to cau-se me anxiery Or.rr ships
rvere being sold ovetseas: reporrs canre of iroo-
rvood fbr kcel blocks bcing shipped out of
rrion, hrs incultario'r t,t lovr for srrperi,.,rs
,rnd ancestors. \Xlestertters veneratc their own
Grrangclong; Luzoo aod Batavia'r became haveos
for Chinese outlaws; and rhe Dutch were stro[g
in tlre Soutlrero Seas. I ordered a general irrtluiry
dmong residenrs of Beiiing who lrad once lived
\arnrs brLlu\. ot rheir .r.'tions. Thcy parnt 1'rr
rures of meo wiclr rvings and say, "Tbese reprelent heaveoly spirits, swifi as if they had wings,
rhough in realiry chere are no men rvirh wings." I
.!o not t'lnd it appropriate to clispute this doc-
on rhe coasr. ancl called a conferenae of thc
, olrt.rl govrrnorr-g<ncr.rl. I ti'ar thar 'r'mc rimt
irr the firrure Clrina is Soinli co get irrto difllcultjes with these various Vestern aoLlntries"' I
said. "That is my predictior."
Lhirles Mnisrot (165.1-lri0) \lrtr th( trosroli. vi..tr ro
rrluzon s'rs thc nnjor islind of dre qranidLntled i'hil'Ppines: Brrrxvid vns rhc Durth ntme for the ishml oi Java in
"drr,
_
)h!io wd tte ttuling se(lemeor ncrr GudDgzhou
:, rm6rial ordc ll/esrern m(r(hans Ne.t F.'n;atl
whcre
to do
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