Week 3: The Uncharacteristic European Acceptance of Chinese Culture

Exploration Pack 2: Foreigners

Through the many centuries that European nations were the collective powerhouses of the world, one thing was common among them: Imperialism. While the Europeans, as well as the Americans, eventually did institute some form of imperialism in China but their early relationship seems extremely different from any other interaction major European powers had with any other group of people. Looking back on the European Empires they were staunch imperialists essentially taking over whichever land or people they saw fit in their of their country, then exploiting the natural resources or the people from the territory. Within these territories, white Europeans were the “civilized” ones, doing these uncivilized people a favor by colonizing them and attempting to force upon them European culture while essentially stealing from them.

China is different, their early relationship with the Europeans is seemingly one of a kind. Most other cultures the Europeans interacted with were seen as barbaric and uncivilized in comparison to European culture and thus the Europeans would attempt to overwrite these cultures with their own. But in the case of China, the Chinese culture was fairly well regarded in the beginning, even some Europeans saying that it was equal or even greater than contemporary European culture. While China the inverse view, seeing themselves as the center of the world they saw all foreigners as barbarians.

Europeans were initially introduced to Chinese culture via Jesuit missionaries who had traveled to China to spread Christianity. They were semi-successful using more alternative methods than usual. Missionaries would often force their respective religion upon foreign people by force at the edict of the pope but because of China’s strength as a society as well as within their spirituality this was not possible. The Jesuits then seemingly came to respect the Chinese for their advanced views while the Chinese did appreciate the Jesuits for their knowledge in some academic areas such as math which earned some a place in the Imperial Court.

Overall the culture of China was not disrespected and destroyed like many cultures that Europeans encountered at the time. Some Europeans were even influenced and appreciated the culture of China on a greater scale such as some great thinkers such as Leibniz or Hegel. On a larger scale, some Europeans were influenced by the Jesuit translation of The Four Books of Confucianism, the most popular being Confucius, Philosopher of the Chinese. Some Europeans were so impressed with the Chinese culture they fully integrated themselves within the culture such as Giuseppe Castiglione, who was a Milan Jesuits artist who went to China and decided to stay. He eventually attained the highest place of any Jesuit ever in a Chinese Court at the positions of the administrator of the imperial parks and the vice-president of the six boards. The power of Chinese Culture to initially resist the power and influence of Europe is something I think is very unique and interesting and something to be investigated further.

Bibliography:

Mungello, David. “4. European Acceptance of Chinese Culture and Confucianism.” In The Great Encounter of China and The West, 1500 – 1800. Critical Issues in History. World and International History. Lanham, Md: Rowman and Littlefield, 2013.

Ehret-Kump, Matthew. “The Passion of Giuseppe Castiglione: How an 18th century Jesuit Painter Revolutionized Chinese Art”. LA Review of Books, China Channel, January 17, 2019. URL: https://chinachannel.org/2019/01/17/castiglione/

Du Halde, J.-B. The General History of China : Containing a Geographical, Historical, Chronological, Political and Physical Description of the Empire of China, Chinese-Tartary, Corea and Thibet. Done from the French of P. Du Halde. Ecco Database. London: Printed by and for John Watts, 1736.