"Images of China" intends to analyse the influence of China in Europe between the sixteenth and the eighteenth century as a major
European window on Chinese culture and an agent of change in the intellectual and cultural history of Europe. This project entails
four converging lines of research: a philological analysis of the Italian Jesuit Michele Ruggieri (1543-1607)and his writings on China;
an historical analysis of the information provided by Jesuit missionaries such as, among others, M. Ricci, N. Trigault, M. Martini, D.
Bartoli, and J. Bouvet and the ways in which European intellectuals used such information; an investigation of the image of China
resulting from the "Lettres edifiantes et curieuses," the most influential work produced between 1702 and 1778 by the Jesuits in
order to inform the European public of their missionary adventures; and a study of the European cartographic images of East Asia
and China from the thirteenth until the seventeenth century. The project will also provide a digital platform hosting specific
databases for the texts and images analysed in each of the lines of research.
The new literary, historiographical and cartographical knowledge generated by this project will significantly advance our
understanding of the role played by Chinese culture in the emergence of Enlightenment culture in Europe. This project will fill a
lacuna in current scholarship and foster connections with other research groups in Europe, China and Australia working on the
influence of China on European culture. While, in terms of societal benefits, it will provide tools for navigating cross-cultural relations
today, on a scholarly level, it will give valuable insights into new trends in historical and literary research. Overall this project will
advance Italy’s standing in research on Sino-European encounters and, by providing a state-of-the-art digital platform to elaborate
and present its results, in the area of digital methods for the humanities.
European window on Chinese culture and an agent of change in the intellectual and cultural history of Europe. This project entails
four converging lines of research: a philological analysis of the Italian Jesuit Michele Ruggieri (1543-1607)and his writings on China;
an historical analysis of the information provided by Jesuit missionaries such as, among others, M. Ricci, N. Trigault, M. Martini, D.
Bartoli, and J. Bouvet and the ways in which European intellectuals used such information; an investigation of the image of China
resulting from the "Lettres edifiantes et curieuses," the most influential work produced between 1702 and 1778 by the Jesuits in
order to inform the European public of their missionary adventures; and a study of the European cartographic images of East Asia
and China from the thirteenth until the seventeenth century. The project will also provide a digital platform hosting specific
databases for the texts and images analysed in each of the lines of research.
The new literary, historiographical and cartographical knowledge generated by this project will significantly advance our
understanding of the role played by Chinese culture in the emergence of Enlightenment culture in Europe. This project will fill a
lacuna in current scholarship and foster connections with other research groups in Europe, China and Australia working on the
influence of China on European culture. While, in terms of societal benefits, it will provide tools for navigating cross-cultural relations
today, on a scholarly level, it will give valuable insights into new trends in historical and literary research. Overall this project will
advance Italy’s standing in research on Sino-European encounters and, by providing a state-of-the-art digital platform to elaborate
and present its results, in the area of digital methods for the humanities.