WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯”
This article examines the spiritual and intellectual journey of Wu Li (1632–1718), a preeminent painter of the "Six Masters of the Early Qing" and a central figure in the Orthodox School of Chinese landscape painting. Born during the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty, Wu Li initially util...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
April 2004
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40010/3860 |
| _version_ | 1877196271311126528 |
|---|---|
| author | Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| author_autocomplete | Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| author_browse | Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| author_facet | Christina Miu Bing Cheng Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| author_sort | Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| container_title | Review of Culture |
| container_title_str | Review of Culture |
| container_volume | 10 |
| container_volume_str | 10 |
| description | This article examines the spiritual and intellectual journey of Wu Li (1632–1718), a preeminent painter of the "Six Masters of the Early Qing" and a central figure in the Orthodox School of Chinese landscape painting. Born during the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty, Wu Li initially utilized traditional literati arts to navigate a period of intense political censorship and cultural oppression. However, the author argues that his life was defined by an evolving quest for spiritual transcendence, metaphorically described as the search for a “Western lantern” to illuminate his inner self.
The study traces Wu Li’s religious trajectory from his early engagement with Buddhist and Daoist circles to his pivotal decision at age fifty to travel to Macao to study Christianity. By analyzing Wu Li’s literary output—specifically the poems and verses composed during his tenure at the Jesuit seminary and his subsequent years as a rural priest—the paper explores how he reconciled his syncretic background in the Three Teachings with his conversion to Catholicism. The research further situates Wu Li’s experience within the historical context of Macao as a 17th-century center for religious and cultural exchange. Ultimately, the article evaluates how Wu Li’s adoption of the "Western Tao" served as a means of achieving religious fulfillment and personal enlightenment amidst the social and political upheavals of early Qing China. |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:52Z |
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| issn | 1682-1106 |
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| latest_content_date | 2026-09-11T02:56:52Z |
| publishDate | April 2004 |
| publishDateRange | 2004 |
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| publishPlace | Macau |
| publisher | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
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| spelling | WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯” This article examines the spiritual and intellectual journey of Wu Li (1632–1718), a preeminent painter of the "Six Masters of the Early Qing" and a central figure in the Orthodox School of Chinese landscape painting. Born during the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty, Wu Li initially utilized traditional literati arts to navigate a period of intense political censorship and cultural oppression. However, the author argues that his life was defined by an evolving quest for spiritual transcendence, metaphorically described as the search for a “Western lantern” to illuminate his inner self. The study traces Wu Li’s religious trajectory from his early engagement with Buddhist and Daoist circles to his pivotal decision at age fifty to travel to Macao to study Christianity. By analyzing Wu Li’s literary output—specifically the poems and verses composed during his tenure at the Jesuit seminary and his subsequent years as a rural priest—the paper explores how he reconciled his syncretic background in the Three Teachings with his conversion to Catholicism. The research further situates Wu Li’s experience within the historical context of Macao as a 17th-century center for religious and cultural exchange. Ultimately, the article evaluates how Wu Li’s adoption of the "Western Tao" served as a means of achieving religious fulfillment and personal enlightenment amidst the social and political upheavals of early Qing China. Instituto Cultural de Macau Macau Review of Culture Articles April 2004 Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| spellingShingle | WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯” Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| title | WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯” |
| title_autocomplete | WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯” |
| title_full | WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯” |
| title_fullStr | WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯” |
| title_full_unstemmed | WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯” |
| title_short | WU LI: IN SEARCH OF THE “WESTERN LANTERN”吴歷：追尋“西灯” |
| title_sort | wu li: in search of the “western lantern”吴歷：追尋“西灯” |
| url | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40010/3860 |
| zotero_collection_key | 76L3BRGH |