Joseph-Anna-Marie de Moyriac de Mailla
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Anne-Marie de Moyriac de Mailla (also Anna, and de Moyria) (b. 16 December 1669, at Château Maillac on the Isère
; d. 28 June 1748, at Beijing
, China
) was a French Jesuit missionary to China.
and thence set out for Canton
where he acquired a thorough knowledge of Chinese language and writing.
He devoted himself particularly to the study of Chinese historical works. When the Kangxi Emperor
entrusted the Jesuit missionaries with the cartographical survey of his empire, the provinces of Henan
, Zhejiang
, and Fujian
, and the Island of Formosa, fell to the lot of Mailla along with Jean-Baptiste Régis
and Roman Hinderer
. When the work had been completed, the emperor conferred on Father Mailla the rank of mandarin
as a mark of his satisfaction.
When Father Mailla died, in his seventy-ninth year, he was buried at the expense of the Qianlong Emperor
, many people being present at the obsequies.
, and made such progress that he was able to translate into French the "Thoung-kian-kang-mou" , Zhu Xi
's extract from the great Chinese annals
, which on the orders of Emperor Kangxi had been translated into the Manchu language. He finished the translation in several volumes in the year 1730, and in 1737 sent it to France, where it lay for thirty years in the library of the college at Lyon, Ferret
, who purposed publishing it, having died.
After the suppression of the Jesuit order, the college authorities gave the manuscript to the Abbé Grosier on condition that he would see to the publication of the work. Not long after, the work appeared under the title: "Histoire générale de la Chine, ou Annales de cet Empire; traduit du Tong-kien-kang-mou par de Mailla, Paris, 1777-1783", in 12 volumes, with maps and plans. In 1785 a thirteenth volume followed. Besides Grosier, the Orientalists Deshauterayes and Colson
were mainly responsible for the publication.
In Lettres édifiantes there are some letters from him on the persecution of the Christians which took place in China during his time.
. For the time being it remained a sole source on Chinese history available in Europe. As a result, 18c. Enlightenment
leaders discussed China as an example of an ideal secular monarchy, a biased vision supported by Voltaire
and opposed by Montesquieu.
Isère
Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné...
; d. 28 June 1748, at Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) was a French Jesuit missionary to China.
Biography
After finishing his studies, he joined the Society of Jesus in 1686, and, in 1701, was sent on a mission to China as a member of the Jesuits. In June, 1703, Father Mailla arrived in MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and thence set out for Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
where he acquired a thorough knowledge of Chinese language and writing.
He devoted himself particularly to the study of Chinese historical works. 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...
entrusted the Jesuit missionaries with the cartographical survey of his empire, the provinces of Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, and Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, and the Island of Formosa, fell to the lot of Mailla along with Jean-Baptiste Régis
Jean-Baptiste Régis
Jean-Baptiste Régis was a French Jesuit missionary in imperial China.-Biography and works:He was born at Istres in Provence on 11 June 1663, or 29 January 1664; died at Peking on 24 November 1738...
and Roman Hinderer
Roman Hinderer
Roman Hinderer was a German Jesuit missionary in imperial China.-Biography:...
. When the work had been completed, the emperor conferred on Father Mailla the rank of mandarin
Mandarin (bureaucrat)
A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
as a mark of his satisfaction.
When Father Mailla died, in his seventy-ninth year, he was buried at the expense of the Qianlong Emperor
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
, many people being present at the obsequies.
Works
When he was fifty years old he began the study of the Manchu languageManchu language
Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
, and made such progress that he was able to translate into French the "Thoung-kian-kang-mou" , Zhu Xi
Zhu Xi
Zhū Xī or Chu Hsi was a Song Dynasty Confucian scholar who became the leading figure of the School of Principle and the most influential rationalist Neo-Confucian in China...
's extract from the great Chinese annals
Zizhi Tongjian
The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...
, which on the orders of Emperor Kangxi had been translated into the Manchu language. He finished the translation in several volumes in the year 1730, and in 1737 sent it to France, where it lay for thirty years in the library of the college at Lyon, Ferret
Ferret
The ferret is a domesticated mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur...
, who purposed publishing it, having died.
After the suppression of the Jesuit order, the college authorities gave the manuscript to the Abbé Grosier on condition that he would see to the publication of the work. Not long after, the work appeared under the title: "Histoire générale de la Chine, ou Annales de cet Empire; traduit du Tong-kien-kang-mou par de Mailla, Paris, 1777-1783", in 12 volumes, with maps and plans. In 1785 a thirteenth volume followed. Besides Grosier, the Orientalists Deshauterayes and Colson
Colson
Colson is a surname, and may refer to:* Charles Colson , counsel for Richard Nixon* Ethalinda Colson , silent film actress Kathryn Adams* Greg Colson , American artist known for wall sculptures...
were mainly responsible for the publication.
Translator
Mailla is also the first European scholar to whom we owe a detained knowledge of the Shujing, the classic historical work of the Chinese, most of its books being included in his translation. Mailla, also, in order to promote the work of the mission, compiled some edifying books in Chinese; the most important being lives of the saints, and meditations on the Gospels of the Sundays throughout the whole year.In Lettres édifiantes there are some letters from him on the persecution of the Christians which took place in China during his time.
Significance
Being based on the Confucian orthodox text of Zhu Xi, Mailla's Histoire générale gives an idealised account of Chinese imperial history, which should also be read in context of the Rites controversyChinese Rites controversy
The Chinese Rites controversy was a dispute within the Catholic Church from the 1630s to the early 18th century about whether Chinese folk religion rites and offerings to the emperor constituted idolatry...
. For the time being it remained a sole source on Chinese history available in Europe. As a result, 18c. Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
leaders discussed China as an example of an ideal secular monarchy, a biased vision supported by Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
and opposed by Montesquieu.