THE WESTERN MISSIONARIES AND MACAO DURING THE PERIOD OF EMPEROR KANGXI
This article examines the evolving relationship between the Qing imperial court and Western missionaries during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, emphasizing Macao’s role as the primary center for Catholic propagation in the East. Drawing on Chinese historical sources, the author analyzes the transition...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
July 2002
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40003/2681 |
| Summary: | This article examines the evolving relationship between the Qing imperial court and Western missionaries during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, emphasizing Macao’s role as the primary center for Catholic propagation in the East. Drawing on Chinese historical sources, the author analyzes the transition from the tolerant policies of the Shunzhi era to the severe religious and political challenges faced by the Jesuits during the early Kangxi regency. A primary focus is the 1664 "Calendar Case" instigated by Yang Guangxian, whose accusations of heresy and subversive collusion with the Portuguese in Macao triggered a wave of anti-Christian sentiment. The study details the subsequent legal investigations, the incarceration of prominent missionaries such as Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Ludovico Buglio, and Gabriel de Magalhães, and the systematic destruction of churches and sacred objects in Beijing and the provinces. By situating these events within the broader context of Qing administrative shifts, the article illustrates how the missionary enterprise’s success or failure was closely tied to court politics, ultimately shaping the historical trajectory of Macao as a cultural and religious gateway between China and the West. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |