O PE. ÁLVARO SEMEDO E A SUA RELAÇÃO DA GRANDE MONARQUIA DA CHINA曾德昭神父與其“大中國志”
The article examines the figure of Father Álvaro Semedo and argues that his work, in particular the *Relação da Grande Monarquia da China*, constitutes a central landmark in the construction of European knowledge about China in the Ming period. Starting from the context of the "Sino-foreign cultural...
Saved in:
| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2007
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40024/3686 |
| Summary: | The article examines the figure of Father Álvaro Semedo and argues that his work, in particular the *Relação da Grande Monarquia da China*, constitutes a central landmark in the construction of European knowledge about China in the Ming period. Starting from the context of the "Sino-foreign cultural exchange" initiated by the Jesuit mission — frequently associated with Matteo Ricci — the author maintains that Semedo should be recognized not only as a missionary on Chinese soil, but as the first Portuguese sinologist and one of the pioneers of Western sinology, whose historiographical reception has been unjustly marginalized in favor of more frequently cited authors.
Methodologically, the text articulates historiographical framing and biographical recovery in order to situate Semedo within mission networks and the practices of language learning indispensable to evangelization and textual production. The analysis of the *Relação* is oriented toward highlighting Semedo's contribution to the dissemination of Chinese culture to a Western readership, in dialogue with the dynamics of transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The conclusion is that Semedo's work deserves greater academic attention as a historical source and as a document of cultural mediation, thereby contributing to correcting gaps in studies on the Portuguese presence in China and on the circulation of Luso-Jesuit knowledge. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |