In December 2023, TBC (The Beijing Center) welcomed an old friend—Fr. Antonio Spadaro SJ, an Italian scholar, writer, and a key advisor to Pope Francis. He previously visited TBC in 2019, delivering an academic lecture on “Cultural Fusion in the World.” This time, TBC was honored to host Father Spadaro once again.
Tomb of Xu Guangqi
Accompanied by TBC, Fr. Antonio Spadaro visited Shanghai for the first time, immersing himself in and experiencing Chinese cultural life. Their first stop in Shanghai was Xujiahui, where there are many places that are named after Xu Guangqi, known as the “first person to bridge East and West.” Xujiahui still retains many traces of Xu Guangqi, with his tomb resting in Guangqi Park, the Xu Guangqi Memorial Hall chronicling his life journey, and the Guang Qi Research Centre boasting extensive research achievements in Sinology.
Xu Guangqi Memorial Hall
Following Xu Guangqi’s footsteps, Fr. Antonio Spadaro and TBC continued their visits to the Shanghai Library Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei. Established in 1897, this library, still in use today, stands as Shanghai’s earliest surviving modern library, embodying the fusion of Western and Eastern knowledge in China. Its architectural design serves as a vivid manifestation of cultural integration between East and West. Its upper floor hosts the Western collection, resembling the layout of the Vatican Library, with bookshelves stretching from floor to ceiling and a central gallery for easy access to books. Conversely, its lower floor is dedicated to the Chinese collection, mirroring the architectural style of the Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, China, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The entire space is structured according to the concept of “Heaven gives birth to water, Earth sustains it in six directions” from the Book of Changes, divided into a north-facing single passage and six south-facing rooms, symbolizing the control of water over fire.
Western book collection on the upper level of the Shanghai Library Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei :
Bookshelves extend from the ceiling to the floor, with a waist-level gallery in the middle for easy access to books.
The library amassed a wealth of materials from the 17th and 18th centuries, reflecting ongoing exchanges between East and West. Its Western collection contains over 700,000 volumes of foreign-language books published from 1477 to 1949, encompassing nearly 20 languages including Latin, Italian, Greek, and Hebrew. Notably, it even preserves copies of La Civiltà Cattolica from over a century ago. This Jesuit publication, founded in 1850, is one of the world’s oldest periodicals. Fr. Antonio Spadaro, who served as its editor-in-chief for 12 years, was deeply moved to find such valuable copies of La Civiltà Cattolica in distant China. Since 2020, this publication has been accessible to Chinese readers, facilitated by TBC, fostering cross-cultural exchanges between East and West and establishing a profound collaborative relationship.
The library’s collection of “La Civiltà Cattolica” periodicals spanning over 100 years.
Their journey also included a visit to the Tou-sè-wè Museum at the southern end of Xujiahui. Initially an orphanage, it provided refuge to abandoned children while imparting cultural knowledge and craftsmanship. With a faculty comprised of foreign teachers from top European institutions, the orphanage introduced European oil painting techniques to China, inadvertently opening the cultural gateway between China and the world. Renowned artists such as Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu taught at Tou-sè-wè, enriching the cultural landscape. Influenced by Western culture, the children broadened their horizons, offering Father Antonio Spadaro a firsthand experience of cross-cultural exchange.
Chinese Paifang, housed in T’ou-sè-wè Museum:
Guided by German sinologist Aloysius Beck and carved by orphans from T’ou-sè-wè Orphanage, it was featured in the 1915, 1933, and 1939 World Expos.
During his brief yet enriching journey in China, Fr. Antonio Spadaro deeply experienced the collision and fusion of Chinese and Western cultures. In Beijing, he participated in the Christmas celebrations at both the South Cathedral and Church of the Saviour. Upon returning to Italy, Fr. Antonio Spadaro assumed the role of Deputy Minister of the Vatican’s Department of Culture and Education on January 1, 2024. We extend our congratulations to Fr. Antonio Spadaro on his new position and look forward to continuing to build more bridges for cross-cultural exchange between East and West in the future together.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Beijing
Translated by Fiona
The past few weekends have been some of the most exciting of the entire semester, full of trips to the zoo, mountain hikes, ancient parks, and more! Our first trip out of many was a visit to the Beijing Zoo. I had mentioned earlier in the semester that I wanted to see some pandas, since I was in China after all, and our TBC friend Andy made it happen.
Spending a whole semester in Beijing, I knew I had to make the trip down south and check out Shanghai, and the city certainly lived up to the expectations. Everyone describes Shanghai as this super futuristic metropolis, and after spending a weekend there I understand why it has this reputation.