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Macau Ricci Newsletter 10
No. 10 － January 2008
Our Members and Collaborating Scholars
On June 27, the MRI held its General Assembly in which after giving account of its activities and the State of the Institute, Fr. Artur Wardega was elected new Director of the MRI, Fr. Luís Sequeira vice-Director, and Mr. Jerónimo Hung was accepted as member of the Institute and was appointed Secretary General of the MRI in place of Fr. Dominique Tyl.
On August 31, Eric Sautedé, researcher of the MRI and Chief Editor of the Chinese Cross Currents, left the Institute. We are grateful for his contribution during his presence. We wish him all the best.
Also we have the honor to have Prof. Wolfgang Kubin, Prof. Bonnie S. McDougall, Prof. Lam Lai Sing and Prof. Eugene Eoyang as our latest collaborating scholars.
Our Office
We repainted three office rooms and the corridor of the building. We also installed more dehumidifiers and veiling of the windows of the MRI Library to keep our books in good shape for your future use.
On October 6 the portrait of Matteo Ricci, replica of the 1610 Ricci posthumous portrait painted in Beijing by Emmanuel Pereira, a Jesuit brother, arrived at the MRI.
Forums
The MRI held five forums from June through December of 2007.
On June 26, Thierry Meynard, MRI member as well as assistant professor at Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, invited the audience to think about the possible formation of a corpus of Classical Texts, drawn from the major traditions of the world, which will constitute a Global literacy for any cultivated man and woman. He also discusses the conditions for such literacy and its relevance for future generations and its implications for the education system.
On September 19, Dominique Buchillet, a medical anthropologist and a researcher at the French Institute of Research for Development, gave a talk on "Chinese Medicine and Epidemic Diseases ― some lectures from the past". Drawing on archival records and medical texts, her presentation reviewed the evolution of medical discourse and practice through the ages, and its application in the context of emerging diseases.
On October 17, Mr. Richard J. Garrett, Honorary Research Fellow, Centre of Asian Studies, the University of Hong Kong, reviewed the history of defences of Macau, which was strengthened and neglected as grew prosperity and declined, along with changing diplomatic situations.
On November 22, Dr. Robert Alexander Maryks coming from United States City University of New York delivered a talk on “Multi-ethnic Culture in Early Society of Jesus”, arguing that the Jesuit relationship with Jews converted to Christianity, as well as their descendants (Judeo- conversos), was much more complex and variegated than is generally understood even by many erudite modern scholars.
On December 11 Mr. Andrzej Pieczonka, Consul for Economic Affairs in the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Hong Kong, presented “Poland is Closer than You Think”. He shared with the audience the basic facts of the country and gave a broad introduction with his comments on the bilateral relations between Poland and Hong Kong and Macau.
Chinese Cross Currents (CCC)
Dr. César Guillén-Nuñez was nominated the Book Review Editor of the CCC.
In the editorial of the July 2007 issue (4.3) CCC Editor Yves Camus explains the rationale of the change in the editorial structure starting this year. Finding that there was no counterpoint in the past issues, it is hoped that a larger “interdependent harmony” and deeper meaning can be generated with texts and readings crossing each other. The World section focuses on the rejuvenation of norms after the failure of might embodied in the United States’ occupation of Iraq. For Zaki Laïdi, norms “are also at the core of the European project”, since “it was meant ‘to transcend a world in which relations between states are defined by conflict‘.” In his analysis of the entertainment industry, Ralph Dekoninck suggests us to consciously get involved in the production and reception of the image, rather than making meaningless distinction. The memory of the painter Wu Li is aroused again through the publication of the 2003 Symposium, along with an English translation of Leung Ping-kwan’s Wu Li Paints a Picture at the Bayside, and a commentary on Wu Li’s conversion to Catholicism and his paintings by Lu Yang in the Arts & Letters section.
The October issue (4.4) opens with two texts on the relationship between China and India, two powers in the region. Having estranged for 40 years, it is believed that they are rebuilding ties. Jean-François Huchet argues that “they would rather evolve towards a pragmatic than give birth to a strategic relationship”. With Pallavi Aiyar readers can “visit” the Indian community in China, and understand its aspiration and disappointment. Tereza Sena contributes an article to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Robert Morrison’s arrival in China, while Mao Shihui remembers Antonioni and Bergman, two great masters of cinema who passed away on the same day. The Reviews section, with contributions from Gu Weimin (on Late Ming Dynasty and European Literature), Yves Camus (on the Nestorian Church), Zeng Yuan (on Conrad’s Notes on Life and Letters) and Lúcás Chan (on a comparison between St. Augustine and Xunzi) conclude this issue.
Symposium
The opening of our 2007 Symposium, entitled “The Individual and Society in Modern Chinese Literature”, was held 9.00 a.m. on November 29, with the keynote speech addressed by Prof. Bonnie S. McDougall. Among the guests was Dr. José Lai, Bishop of Macau. Some 74 participants including active and passive ones attended the ceremony and the first two sessions after which a group photo was taken at the entrance of the Inspirational Building at I.F.T.
During all the sessions all the speakers have presented interesting and good quality papers followed by commentaries from discussants and dialogues between audience and speakers.
In the evening of the second day (30th) our Institute has organized a “Literary Saloon” at the Clube Militar with classical musicians both Western and Chinese as well as Chinese and Portuguese poets and writers, accompanied by declamators for different poems. There was also a small painting exposition of well-known local artists organized by César Guillén.
The final day (Dec 1) of our Symposium was also very successful and in the afternoon, the final panel was chaired by Prof. McDougall with poet Bei Dao, Prof. Zhang Yesong, Prof. Yang Jianlong and Prof. Lu Yang, who addressed their final commentaries. At the end Prof. Kubin addressed a remarkable concluding key note speech.
During the Literary Saloon on November 30, Fr. Sequeira got a little stroke and was hospitalized at the Januário Conde Hospital. We prayed for his quick recovery.
Researchers’ Activities
On June 28, Fr. Wardega went to France, Portugal and Poland. In France he met with two publishers to discuss the matter of the publication of his translation of Zhong Lihe’s Lishan Nongchang. On July 10, he went to Lisbon to take part in the Acta Pekinensia meeting coordinated by Fr. Camus.
On December 16, Fr. Wardega went to Shanghai, China, for meeting Dr. Ts’ao Yuanyong Assistant of Chief Editor and Director of Editorial Department of Shanghai Literature & Art Publishing House in Shanghai. He is a well experienced person in the publishing field and went many times to Europe in order to select appropriate writers and publish their articles and writings. At this stage, Mr. Ts’ao has shown interest to our MRI publications and would probably cooperate with our Institute in the field of publications.
Visits
On September 27 Prof. Ines E. M. Martinez from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Facultad de Teologia, Bogotà, Colombia, paid a visit to our Institute. She was one of the participants of this year Sino-Latina Congress and was delighted to learn about the development of our Institute.
Two reporters have come to visit our Institute, one from Ms. Júlia Chio of “Opportunity Magazine From Macau” who is now working at their Beijing Office and tries to advertise our cultural activities in Mainland China; another one from Guangdong International Culture Exchange Centre, Foreign Liaison Department, Ms. Zhong Bing who in future would like to cooperate with us in some common cultural activities.
On the very last day of the year Dr. Ryszard Potocki, Consul General of Poland in Hong Kong, paid a visit to our Institute.
Others include: Prof. Yan Kejia, Director of the Dep. of Religious Studies at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (August 10-14), SVD members (September 27), SJ Chinese Province Superiors (September 28), Prof. António Saldanha from Lisbon, for the preparation of the MRI 2008 Symposium (November 26), and Dr. Glenn Shives from Hong Kong Fulbright Foundation (December 30).
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