A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China

Abstract Food-related encounters represented an important convivial and cross-cultural component in the Jesuit-led Catholic missions in China. By adopting a longue durée perspective from the end of the sixteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century, this article engages with both visual...

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Main Authors: Caro, Antonio De, Fan, Zhenxu
Format: Articles
Language:en
Published: Brill 2025-09-11
Subjects:
Online Access:https://brill.com/view/journals/jjs/12/3/article-p424_4.xml
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author Caro, Antonio De
Fan, Zhenxu
author_autocomplete Caro, Antonio De
Fan, Zhenxu
author_browse Caro, Antonio De
Fan, Zhenxu
author_facet Caro, Antonio De
Fan, Zhenxu
Caro, Antonio De
Fan, Zhenxu
author_sort Caro, Antonio De
description Abstract Food-related encounters represented an important convivial and cross-cultural component in the Jesuit-led Catholic missions in China. By adopting a longue durée perspective from the end of the sixteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century, this article engages with both visual and textual sources related to Sino-European culinary encounters in the context of the Jesuit missions in China. These encounters offer valuable insights into the daily activities of Jesuit missionaries and their interlocutors, including Chinese literati, converts, and non-Christian individuals. This article examines several case studies, ranging from early modern accounts of Chinese food practices to nineteenth-century Catholic texts and primers for children published in Shanghai, providing examples of the relevance of food practices. It also considers the broader significance of culinary practices for Catholic missionaries from different orders in China.
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spelling A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China
Abstract Food-related encounters represented an important convivial and cross-cultural component in the Jesuit-led Catholic missions in China. By adopting a longue durée perspective from the end of the sixteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century, this article engages with both visual and textual sources related to Sino-European culinary encounters in the context of the Jesuit missions in China. These encounters offer valuable insights into the daily activities of Jesuit missionaries and their interlocutors, including Chinese literati, converts, and non-Christian individuals. This article examines several case studies, ranging from early modern accounts of Chinese food practices to nineteenth-century Catholic texts and primers for children published in Shanghai, providing examples of the relevance of food practices. It also considers the broader significance of culinary practices for Catholic missionaries from different orders in China.
Brill
Articles
2025-09-11
Angelo Zottoli
Jesuit missions and cultural exchange in China
Qupi xunmeng 取譬訓蒙
Xujiahui 徐家匯
food history
Caro, Antonio De
Fan, Zhenxu
spellingShingle A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China
Caro, Antonio De
Fan, Zhenxu
Angelo Zottoli
Jesuit missions and cultural exchange in China
Qupi xunmeng 取譬訓蒙
Xujiahui 徐家匯
food history
title A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China
title_autocomplete A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China
title_full A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China
title_fullStr A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China
title_full_unstemmed A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China
title_short A Banquet of Faith: Jesuit Missionaries, Chinese Catholic Converts, and Food Practices in Pre-Modern China
title_sort a banquet of faith: jesuit missionaries, chinese catholic converts, and food practices in pre-modern china
topic Angelo Zottoli
Jesuit missions and cultural exchange in China
Qupi xunmeng 取譬訓蒙
Xujiahui 徐家匯
food history
topic_autocomplete Angelo Zottoli
Jesuit missions and cultural exchange in China
Qupi xunmeng 取譬訓蒙
Xujiahui 徐家匯
food history
topic_facet Angelo Zottoli
Jesuit missions and cultural exchange in China
Qupi xunmeng 取譬訓蒙
Xujiahui 徐家匯
food history
url https://brill.com/view/journals/jjs/12/3/article-p424_4.xml