China Current Affairs Report (1687-1692)

Author: (French) Li Ming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: The Reports on Recent Events in China, published in Paris in 1696, is a collection of letters written by the French Jesuit missionary Li Ming to officials in France during his time in China. As a personal correspondence collection from an eyewitness, the book caused a sensation in Europe after its publication, being reprinted five times within four years and translated into English, Italian, and German. Later, due to the Rites Controversy, the book became a banned work, remaining hidden for nearly three centuries before being rediscovered in 1990. This is the first time the book has been translated into Chinese. The entire collection includes fourteen letters. Li Ming, based on his personal experiences in China over seven years, provides a detailed introduction to the China of the Kangxi era, covering aspects such as climate, geology, natural resources, architecture, medicine, flora and fauna, language and writing, customs, and religion. It offers rare firsthand materials for Europeans to open their eyes to the East.