Xichao Chongzheng Ji Xichao Ding'an (Three Other Works)

Author: Han Qi, Wu Min (Annotations)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-09-01
Features: This book primarily compiles five types of historical documents: Xi Chao Chong Zheng Ji (Collection of Documents from the Prosperous Era), Xi Chao Ding An (Records of the Prosperous Era), Zhao Dai Qin Chong Tian Jiao Zhi Hua Xu Lüe (Brief Account of the Veneration of Catholicism in China), Qin Ming Chuan Jiao Yue Shu (Concise Regulations on the Mission in China), and Zheng Jiao Feng Bao (Praise of the True Faith). These documents have been punctuated, annotated, and supplemented with relevant literature and essays. These works can fill the gaps in official Chinese historical records and serve as corroborating evidence alongside Western sources, making them important materials for the study of the history of Catholicism in China. Therefore, collecting and studying various versions of these documents holds significant academic value. A brief introduction to the content and versions of each document is as follows:
Xi Chao Chong Zheng Ji primarily includes memorials and inscriptions from the Wanli to the eleventh year of the Chongzhen era, mainly concerning the spread of Catholicism in China and reforms in the calendar by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. This book is based on the edition preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris (Chinois1322) for annotation.
Xi Chao Ding An mainly contains memorials, imperial edicts, inscriptions, and historical records from the Kangxi era, many of which relate to the activities of missionaries and the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. It primarily covers disputes over the calendar, the manufacture of astronomical instruments, the compilation of astronomical works, the casting of cannons, engineering projects, and the southern tour of Kangxi where he met with missionaries. The annotations for this book are based on various editions, including those from the Xujiayue Library, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris (Chinois1329-1331), the Archivo General de la Compa?ía de Jesús in Rome (Jap.Sin.II67II, Jap.Sin.II68, Jap.Sin.II73, Jap.Sin.II67.2), as well as other versions from the Vatican Library and the Biblioteca Nazionale Italiana in Rome.
Zhao Dai Qin Chong Tian Jiao Zhi Hua Xu Lüe (Brief Account of the Veneration of Catholicism in China), preserved in the Archivo General de la Compa?ía de Jesús in Rome (Jap.Sin.150: Ritus Sinici Liturgica 1622–1708, fol.454–465), was written by Catholic followers in Hangzhou such as He Wenhao, Zhang Xingyao, and Yang Da. It provides a concise account of the spread of Catholicism in China, with particular emphasis on the Ming and Qing periods, reflecting the author's experiences during the visit of a papal envoy to China. After its completion, Catholic followers in Hangzhou supplemented this work, resulting in the publication of Qin Ming Chuan Jiao Yue Shu (Concise Regulations on the Mission in China), which includes documents and inscriptions that promote Catholicism during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It particularly records the favor shown to missionaries by the Qing court in the years 1739, 1743, 1746, 1748, 1751, and 1753, making it a valuable historical source.
Zheng Jiao Feng Bao consists of two volumes, without numbered chapters, compiled by Huang Bolu of Haimen. The book is roughly arranged chronologically, starting from the Tang dynasty and ending in the Daoguang era. It primarily introduces the spread of Catholicism in China, which was celebrated in each dynasty, serving as a chronological history of Catholicism. It includes three entries for the Tang dynasty, eight for the Yuan dynasty, and detailed accounts for the Ming and Qing dynasties, with particularly thorough descriptions of the activities of missionaries in China during the Kangxi era. The earliest edition was published in the tenth year of the Guangxu era (1884). The second and third editions were published in the twelfth and twenty-third years of the Guangxu era, both printed by the Shanghai Cimutang. The current annotation is based on the third edition printed by Cimutang in the twenty-third year of the Guangxu era.