Christian Scholar Xu Guangqi and the Spread of Catholicism in Shanghai

Shi Xijuan

doi:10.5539/ach.v7n1p199

Abstract

Xu Guangqi, one of the first and most notable Christian scholars in the Ming Dynasty, cast a profound influence on the spread of Catholicism in Shanghai. After his conversion, Xu Guangqi successfully proselytized all of his family members by kinship and affinity, a fact that was foundational to the development of Jesuit missionary work in Shanghai. His social relationships with pupils, friends, and officials also significantly facilitated the proliferation of Catholicism in Shanghai. This paper expands the current body of literature on Chinese–Christian scholar Xu Guangqi and his role in the spread of Catholicism in Shanghai during the late Ming and early Qing. Though there are several extant studies on this topic, most of them focus on Xu’s personal achievements and neglect the areas that this paper picks up: the role of Xu’s family and social status in his proliferate evangelism, and the longevity his influence had even beyond his own time. Through this approach, this paper aims to attain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of Xu Guangqi’s influence on the dissemination and perdurance of Catholicism in Shanghai.

Highlights

Xu Guangqi, mostly remembered as a great scientist and one of the precursors who introduced Western science to China, was one of the first Christian scholars in the Ming Dynasty
Xu Guangqi successfully proselytized all of his family members by kinship and affinity, a fact that was foundational to the development of Jesuit missionary work in Shanghai
This paper expands the current body of literature on Chinese–Christian scholar Xu Guangqi and his role in the spread of Catholicism in Shanghai during the late Ming and early Qing

Summary

Introduction

Xu Guangqi, mostly remembered as a great scientist and one of the precursors who introduced Western science to China, was one of the first Christian scholars in the Ming Dynasty. Guangqi’s role in the propagation of Catholicism in Shanghai, there are still a couple of details that need to be expatiated: 1) Most prior studies concerning Xu Guangqi’s contributions to the spread of Catholicism in China focus on his personal achievements such as his intellectual contributions to the development of science (agriculture, astronomy, mathematics, etc.), failing to recognize the significant role that Xu Guangqi’s social relationships played (Note 3). I look at the development of Catholicism when the Jesuits came back to Shanghai after the Prohibition was repealed in 1844 and discuss its connection to Xu Guangqi and his family Through this approach, I aim to show the significant role that Xu Guangqi played in the propagation of Christianity and to attain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of his influence on the dissemination and perdurance of Catholicism in Shanghai

The Conversion of Xu Guangqi’s Family

The Development of Catholicism in Shanghai After 1844