The+Confucian+Tradition+and+New+Cultural+Influences;+Neo-Confucianism+and+The+Return+of+Christianity+(738-741)

= **The Confucian Tradition and New Cultural Influences; Neo-Confucianism and The Return of Christianity (738-741)** =

Neo-Confucianism and Pulp Fiction (SN) A. Confucian Education (SN) B. Popular Culture (SN) C. Popular Novels (SN)
 * Ming and Quing Dynasty looked to model off of Confucianism
 * Neo-Confucianism was made by Zhu Xi a 12-century scholar
 * European missionary came back to convert the Chinese to Christianity
 * Song dynasty scholar Zhu Xi was the most prominent architect of Neo-Confucianism.
 * Combined moral, ethical and political values of Confucious with the logical rigor and speculative power of Buddhist Philosophy.
 * Confucian education was supported by Ming and Qing emperors because it emphasized obedience to established rulers.
 * Ming and Qing Emperors funded the Hanlin Academy (research institute) for Confucian scholars in Beiging
 * The Ming Emperor, Yongle, sponsored the Yongle Encyclopedia which was a vast collection of Chinese philosophy, liturature, and history the filled about 23.000 scrolls.
 * The Quang Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong both produced similar books
 * Kangxi's Collection of Books became the most influential even though it was the smallest as it was printed and distributed the widest
 * Qianlong's Complete Library of the Four Treasuries ran to 93,556 pamphlet-size volumes, it was distributed to seven libraries throughout China
 * Imperial Courts promoted Confucianism
 * Most urban residents had no advanced education and didn't know about Confucius or Zhu Xi
 * Most were literate merchants but preferred entertainment which was more engaging
 * Popular novels met their needs.
 * Scholars looked down on novels as crude fiction
 * Printing made publishing books cheap
 * Most novels had literary merit, but tales of conflict, horror, wonder, excitement, and sometimes unconcealed pornography appealed to readers.
 * Also romance novels appealed to the people
 * Some novels reflected upon human affairs such as:
 * The Romance of the Three Kingdoms which explored the political intrigue after the Han Dynasty (CL)
 * The Dream of the Red Chamber shed light on the dynamics of the wealthy families (CL)
 * Journey to the West promoted Buddhism in China(CL)

A. The Return of Christianity to China (SN) B. Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), an Italian Jesuit in the Ming court (SN) C. Confucianism and Christianity (SN) D. End of the Jesuit Missionary (CL)
 * Christians established churches in China as early as the 7th century
 * Roman Catholic communities were prominent in Chinese commercial centers during the Yuan dynasty.
 * Christianity disappeared form China after the epidemic plague outbreak.
 * Missionaries came bad in the 16th century and had to start from scratch.
 * learned man who mastered written and oral Chinese
 * Impressed Chinese with European science and mathematics
 * Popular mechanical devices were glass prisms, harpsichords, clocks
 * Ricci corrected Chinese calenders and solar eclipses
 * Made maps of the world with China place diplomatically at the center
 * Jesuits main goal was to obtain converts
 * Portrayed christianity very similarly to Chinese cultural traditions.
 * by the mid 18th century Chinese christians were about at 200,000 which is a tiny proportion compared tho the 225 million.
 * The Roman Catholic Mission came to an end when multiple Christian groups in China started to fight
 * The Franciscian and Dominican orders also sought converts and were jealous of the Jesuit's influence
 * They appealed to the Pope about the Jesuits preaching in Chinese and letting the worship of ancestors
 * The Pope made any missionarys promote Christianity in the European style which led to its downfall in China
 * The Emperor Kangxi was angry at what the Pope had done and banned the missionaries from China
 * Christianity finally left China in the mid-eighteenth century