News and Events
Prof. Sophie Ling-chia Wei Gave a Talk at Harvard-Yenching Institute
| On her sabbatical leave, Professor Sophie Ling-chia Wei is serving as a visiting scholar at the Harvard-Yenching Institute (2023-24). On February 23, she delivered a talk entitled “A Sage Embellished with Elements of ‘Chinoiserie’: The Making of Jesus in the Jesuit Figurist Translations of Chinese Classics.” This opportunity allowed her to showcase her research to academia in the United States. Through a novel interpretive lens distinct from previous scholarship, Professor Wei re-examined the Figurists’ intra-lingual translations of the Book of Changes, revealing the construction of Chinese versions of Jesus Christ in their translations: in the translations of mythical legends, in the translations of hexagrams, as well as in one missionary novel. She further extended her analysis to the Figurists’ interpretation of the Dao, discussing its impact on subsequent generations of Daodejing translators in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the translator of the first Latin translation, Jean François Noëlas and the first generation of Sinologists, Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat. The diverse portrayals of Jesus Christ and the genealogy of the Dao presented in her talk generated significant interest and prompted insightful questions from the audience, comprised of scholars from Harvard University, Boston University, Boston College, and the broader Boston area. Special appreciation is extended to Professor James Robson, Director of the Harvard University Asia Center, for chairing the discussion and providing his unwavering support. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
