The Cultural Exchanges Between China And Europe In Nanjing And Hangzhou During The Late Ming And Early Qing Dynasties (1583-1707)

In the research field of the cultural exchanges between China and Europe in Late Ming and Early Qing,scholars achieved fruitful and respectable results,but there are still spaces worthy of further exploring.Jiangnan area was where Chinese and European cultures first met and interacted frequently,while cities were the starting points of China for contacting foreign countries during Ming and Qing Dynasties.The Chinese and European cultural exchanges in Nanjing and Hangzhou during the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties were actually a facet of two-way communications between China and the world.This dissertation tries to discuss the Chinese and European cultural exchanges in Nanjing and Hangzhou,taking the interactions between Jesuits and Chinese scholars as main line.The discussion also generally follows another logic clue:with the continuous deepening of the cultural exchanges,the Jesuits and the Chinese scholars improved their understanding of each other.In terms of research methods,various academic theories and perspectives are included with emphasis on approaches of comparison and interaction and textual research method.In terms of resource,a large number of Chinese and foreign materials are used,especially some Portuguese materials.This dissertation includes the following chapters.Introduction.This chapter includes the research significance,the research methods,the innovation points,and literature review.Chapter 1.This chapter discusses the origin of the cultural exchanges.First,we investigate on the European writings about the cities of Nanjing and Hangzhou,involving several classic texts in history of sinology.The authors had similar perspectives,but their different identities and experiences made them have different concerns.Then we discuss the choice of Nanjing and Hangzhou as resident places for the Jesuits,and it could be found that the Chinese scholars played a key role.The interactions between the Jesuits and the Chinese scholars were the initial support for the cultural exchanges.Chapter 2.This chapter discusses the spaces of cultural exchanges.We discuss the evolution of the main Jesuit resident buildings and other places related to the Jesuits in Nanjing and Hangzhou,which were the contact zones of Chinese and European cultures and the spaces for interactions between the Jesuits and the Chinese scholars.At the end of this chapter,we discuss the issues based on the contact zone theory and space theory.Chapter 3.This chapter discusses the books,which were medium in the cultural exchanges.First we discuss two academic traditions:the Jesuit academic system,Commentarii Collegii Conimbricensis Societatis Iesu,and the Jesuit libraries in Nanjing and Hangzhou.The books were the best choice for the Jesuits and Chinese scholars to strengthen their interactions.With the collaboration of the Chinese scholars and the Jesuits,there were activities of translation and publication of Western learning in Nanjing and Hangzhou.The Jesuits and the Chinese scholars developed dialogues through the books.Chapter 4.This chapter discusses one of the contents of cultural exchanges which was the historical writings of Nanjing and Hangzhou by the Jesuits.The selected three typical cases related to the Jesuits,Catholicism,and Western learning showed the life and spirits of the Chinese scholars in Nanjing and Hangzhou.Conclusion.By reviewing the history of the cultural exchanges in Nanjing and Hangzhou,it could be found that its driving force was not the role played by the Jesuits,but the interactions between the Jesuits and the Chinese scholars.The Chinese and European cultural exchanges in Nanjing and Hangzhou by the interactions between Jesuits and Chinese scholars,were example of equal dialogue and mutual learning between different cultures.