A Study On The Image Of Hangzhou In The Eyes Of Italians Before The 18th Century

“ In heaven there is a paradise,while on the earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.” Hangzhou is a “Paradise on earth” in the hearts of Chinese people,as well as “the most noble and magnificent city in the world” in the collective imagination of Western society.The study of Hangzhou’s image in foreign countries can enrich the research on the China’s image in the West and complement the important details that may be overlooked in the study of the grand theme,and reexamine the Hangzhou’s image from the perspective of others.This thesis introduces the idea by focusing on subject research in Imagologie into the study of city image,takes the description of Hangzhou by several Italians between the 13 th to the 18 th century as the main research object,analyzes the evolution process of the image of Hangzhou in the eyes of Italians before the “Chinoiserie”,and explores the differentiated descriptions of city image by observers in different historical periods and from different social backgrounds,to dig out the deep-seated reasons for their construction of Hangzhou’s image.In addition to the background of the topic selection,the current situation and theoretical basis of research on Hangzhou’s foreign image at home and abroad,the introduction part of the thesis will also describe the theoretical and practical significance of using the theory of Imagologie to study the Hangzhou’s image.The second chapter takes the travel texts about China by Italian travelers in the late Middle Ages as the research object,analyzes the characteristics of Hangzhou’s urban space and urban residents under the gaze of travelers,and combines the historical backgrounds of China and Italy in the late Middle Ages to reveal that the utopia image of Quinsai reflects the traveler’s personal zeal for rich cities,and contains the desire for material wealth and mundane pleasures in the thoughts of Italians at that time.In the Age of Exploration,Quinsai became a dream city that adventurers were striving to find.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,Jesuits who were both missionaries and cosmologists came to Hangzhou,and finally confirmed that Hangzhou was Quinsai what Marco Polo had described.The third chapter of the dissertation combines the written records and map materials about Hangzhou from the Jesuits,and argues that the Jesuits not only paid attention to the religious status of Hangzhou,but also observed the natural space in the city with scientific knowledge such as astronomy and geography.They created a more objective and real image of Hangzhou with a scientific vision,and corrected some wrong information of Hangzhou in the collective imagination of European society.The Hangzhou image made by the Jesuits reflects their persistent missionary beliefs,and rigorous and objective scientific spirit.Those features stem from the Jesuit education system they received,and the religious and scientific development in Europe at that time.The fourth chapter briefly summarizes the influence of Hangzhou’s image of the Italians before the 18 th century.The Italian travelers and the Jesuits who came to China constructed the image of Hangzhou in the collective imagination of the Western society,which became the expecting view of the western travelers expect about Hangzhou.After the 18 th century,the Hangzhou’s foreign image became more complex and diverse.On the one hand,Hangzhou’s reputation as a “heaven on earth” has been recognized by travelers.On the other hand,in the great change of the times,Hangzhou showed a trend of decadence.The conclusion part of the thesis sorts out the previous article and summarizes the reasons for the formation of the image of Hangzhou built by the Italians before the 18 th century.In different periods,when different subjects create the city image,they are affected by the historical development of the two sides at different stages,and the cultural background,expectations and experience methods of the writing subject,and other factors.Chapter four briefly sorts out the image of Hangzhou in the West after the 18 th century.Before the “Chinoiserie” in Europe,the Italian travelers in the Middle Ages and the Jesuits who came to China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties jointly constructed the image of Hangzhou in the collective imagination of the Western society,which became the expecting view of the western travelers expecting about Hangzhou.After the 18 th century,the Hangzhou’s image in foreign countries became more complex and diverse.On the one hand,Hangzhou’s reputation as a“heaven on earth” has been recognized by travelers.On the other hand,in the great change of the times,Hangzhou showed a trend of decadence.The conclusion part of the thesis summarizes the reasons for the formation of Hangzhou’s image the eyes of Italians before the 18 th century.In different ages,when different subjects construct the city image,they are affected by factors such as the writers’ cultural and historical backgrounds,expecting view and experience ways.