Fan Shouyi
Encyclopedia
Fan Shouyi or Luigi Fan (June 13, 1682 – February 28, 1753) was the first known Chinese person to travel to Europe, return, and write an account of his travels.
, Shanxi Province in 1682. Little is known of his early life and family, but at some point he appears to have met the Piedmontese Jesuit missionary, Antonio Francesco Giuseppe Provana, who converted him to Roman Catholicism and baptised him as 'Luigi'. When the Kangxi Emperor
decided to send Provana as part of his second embassy to Pope Clement XI in 1708, Fan went with them. Fan and the ambassador party left Macau
aboard the Bom Jesus in January, 1708 bound for Lisbon
. The journey allowed Fan to observe Batavia, Malacca
, and even Bahia
in Brasil (probably making him the first Chinese person to return to China and write about the Americas, as well as Europe). He arrived in Lisbon in September 1708, and met King João V of Portugal
soon afterwards. During his eleven year stay in Europe, he would meet the Pope, tour Italy
, study Latin
and theology
, and was able to make many first-hand observations of aspects of eighteenth century Europe, which very few Asians had had the opportunity to do before him. In 1717, he was ordained as a priest.
In 1718, Pope Clement XI decided to send Provana back to China, so on May 19, 1719, Provana and Fan boarded the Francisco Xavier in Lisbon and set sail once again. Provana died during the voyage, and Fan returned to Macau alone. From Macau, he travelled north to Beijing for an audience with the Kangxi Emperor that was held on October 11, 1720. No account of his meeting with the emperor has survived, but Fan wrote a short report of his experiences in Europe, the Shen Jian Lu (身見錄), which may have been created to complement the information he gave the emperor in person.
For the rest of his life, Fan worked as a priest and missionary in China, and apparently as an interpreter for the emperor; the Italian missionary Matteo Ripa
mentions a ‘Louis Fan’ in the book he published on his experiences in China. Fan died in Beijing on February 28, 1753.
Life
Fan was born in PingyangPingyang
Pingyang may refer to:*Linfen, formerly known as Pingyang, county-level city of Shanxi*Princess Pingyang , Chinese princess of the Tang Dynasty*Pingyang County , of Wenzhou, Zhejiang*Towns named Pingyang...
, Shanxi Province in 1682. Little is known of his early life and family, but at some point he appears to have met the Piedmontese Jesuit missionary, Antonio Francesco Giuseppe Provana, who converted him to Roman Catholicism and baptised him as 'Luigi'. When the Kangxi Emperor
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor ; Manchu: elhe taifin hūwangdi ; Mongolian: Энх-Амгалан хаан, 4 May 1654 –20 December 1722) was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the first to be born on Chinese soil south of the Pass and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.Kangxi's...
decided to send Provana as part of his second embassy to Pope Clement XI in 1708, Fan went with them. Fan and the ambassador party left Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
aboard the Bom Jesus in January, 1708 bound for Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. The journey allowed Fan to observe Batavia, Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
, and even Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
in Brasil (probably making him the first Chinese person to return to China and write about the Americas, as well as Europe). He arrived in Lisbon in September 1708, and met King João V of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
soon afterwards. During his eleven year stay in Europe, he would meet the Pope, tour Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, study Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, and was able to make many first-hand observations of aspects of eighteenth century Europe, which very few Asians had had the opportunity to do before him. In 1717, he was ordained as a priest.
In 1718, Pope Clement XI decided to send Provana back to China, so on May 19, 1719, Provana and Fan boarded the Francisco Xavier in Lisbon and set sail once again. Provana died during the voyage, and Fan returned to Macau alone. From Macau, he travelled north to Beijing for an audience with the Kangxi Emperor that was held on October 11, 1720. No account of his meeting with the emperor has survived, but Fan wrote a short report of his experiences in Europe, the Shen Jian Lu (身見錄), which may have been created to complement the information he gave the emperor in person.
For the rest of his life, Fan worked as a priest and missionary in China, and apparently as an interpreter for the emperor; the Italian missionary Matteo Ripa
Matteo Ripa
Matteo Ripa was an Italian priest who was sent as a missionary to China by Propaganda Fide, and between 1711 to 1723 worked as a painter and copper-engraver at the Manchu court of the well-known Kangxi Emperor....
mentions a ‘Louis Fan’ in the book he published on his experiences in China. Fan died in Beijing on February 28, 1753.
See also
- Shen Fo-tsung
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