A symposium began today at the University of Zurich, gathering international scholars to build bridges between Europe and Asia, natural sciences and the humanities, and different ways of thinking. his was the objective laid out for the two-day symposium on the theme, “Europe in China — China in Europe: Science and Technology as a Vehicle to Intercultural Dialogue.”
The event is being held in honor of the 400th anniversary of the death of Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), a Jesuit missionary from Italy who worked in Asia and is called “the protagonist of interaction with China through science” by the conference organizers. The symposium is being sponsored by the Swiss-Chinese Association and the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
Today, the presenters gave various addresses on the topic “Protagonists of Cultural Exchange Between Europe and China.”
Benjamin Elman of Princeton University, also a Changjiang visiting chair professor of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, spoke about “Rethinking the Macartney Mission of 1793 in Light of the Limits of the Jesuit Mission in China.” He addressed the history of China’s development of natural science, speaking about the successes that are rarely known by Westerners.
Elman acknowledged the role of Catholic missionaries in disseminating knowledge, bringing European learning to China and reporting about Asia to the Western world.
He explained that during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Chinese and Manchus often brought Jesuit experts into their governments in order to tap their Western knowledge of the latest mathematical, astronomical, military and surveying techniques.
It would be a mistake to underestimate the efforts of the Chinese to master this knowledge brought by the Jesuits, Elman stated. He encouraged the study of history from the Chinese perspective so as to properly value their accomplishments and promote mutual global understanding.
ZURICH, Switzerland, JUNE 14, 2010 (Zenit.org)