About the event

With far-reaching impacts on Chinese religion, philosophy, and politics, the cultural influence of the Yijing (Book of Changes), venerated as the 'classic of classics' of ancient China, has extended to other parts of East Asia and beyond to Europe and North America. The multifarious symbolism of the 64 hexagrams in this highly influential Chinese cosmological and philosophical/religious text captured considerable attention from Christian missionaries in late imperial China. This talk examines the Figurist interpretations of the French Jesuit Joachim Bouvet (1656–1730) and of Lü Liben, a Chinese Catholic convert in the Qing period, who took advantage of the openness and diversity of the Yijing, and elucidated the symbolic dimensions of the hexagrams in light of the salvation story and Catholic theology.

This event is a book talk for Prof. Lai’s new monograph, Christian Yijing: A Critical Study and Annotated Edition of Yijing benzhi (Original Meaning of the Yijing) by Lü Liben, a Chinese Catholic Believer in the Qing Period (2024).

The Bodleian Libraries’ Chinese collection includes some rare and unique manuscript and print copies of Yijing, or interpretation of Yijing over two millennia, including two volumes of Ming Dynasty imperial encyclopaedia, Yongle Encyclopaedia (永樂大典) which are about the 22nd hexagram ‘Bi’ (賁卦). The Library also holds one of the largest and most important collections of Jesuit and Protestant missionary publications in the world. Professor Lai’s timely lecture will help us to understand how the two ideas interconnected and influenced each other.

 Speaker

Professor John Lai, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

 Location

This event takes place in person in the Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre at the Weston Library. Attendance is free, and there is no need to pre-register.

Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG

 Wheelchair access

The Weston Library is wheelchair accessible.