The Beijing Center

分类： Cultural Dialogues

ChinaContact: University of Lima Students Take On Beijing for the First Time

It’s not every day we get to make history! This week, The Beijing Center proudly welcomed—for the first time ever—27 curious and enthusiastic students from the University of Lima, along with Internationalization Coordinator Claudia Valencia and David Barriga, our partner from AsiaB Consulting, for an unforgettable Beijing adventure.

Library Tour: First British Embassy to China

This is the first American edition of Anderson’s fascinating account of Britain’s first diplomatic mission to China in 1792. By the end of the eighteenth century the East India Company had been trading with Chinese merchants for two hundred years, but in a strictly limited way.

Library Tour: Memoirs by the missionaries of Beijing in the 18th century 

At the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment, as the 18th century drew to a close, the Western world was eager for knowledge—driven by a philosophical movement that championed reason and science. King Louis XV of France asked for the advice of his trusted Minister of State, Henri Bertin, about how to reform the spirit of the nation, after giving it some thought, Bertin famously responded, “Sire, to inoculate the French with the Chinese spirit.”

Library Tour: Nouvelle Relation de la Chine

Imagine traveling across continents in the 1600s to reach China—a world almost entirely unknown to Europeans at the time. That is exactly the experience of Magalhães, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who spent over 20 years in China.

TBC Donated to Casa Ricci and Bethel

Last year, The Beijing Center (TBC) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner that was not just about marking a milestone but about embodying the Jesuit tradition of service and community impact.

Library Tour: A Look Inside Kircher’s China Illustrata

Athanasius Kircher was a renowned Jesuit scholar of the 17th century, he was called the “Renaissance man” and is often described as an enigmatic intellectual, due to his wide range of interests in subjects like linguistics, geology, music, etc. He is also credited as the founder of Egyptology, although later on, most of his translations needed to be corrected.

TBC Participates in the 2024 AmCham China Education Working Group Kickoff Meeting

Recently, TBC participated in the Education Committee kick-off meeting hosted by American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China). The meeting focused on enhancing dialogue about education initiatives between the U.S. and China, bridging educational institutions from both countries, and uncovering potential collaborative opportunities with the business sector.

Fr. Antonio Spadaro’s Journey in China 

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. 

LIBRARY TOUR – EYEWITNESS TO THE FALL OF THE MING DYNASTY, PART 2

One of the most interesting books TBC has in historical collection the original Latin edition of Historia Tartaro-Sinica nova, written by the Belgian Jesuit Francois de Rougemont, and is his eyewitness narrative of the Ming-Qing Transition. That includes the Manchu campaigns against Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) and the foreign missionary activities in China in the mid-17th century.

LIBRARY TOUR – EYEWITNESS TO THE FALL OF THE MING DYNASTY, PART 1

Earlier in TBC’s blog series, we introduced the missionary-produced atlases of China, shedding light on their geographical contributions. If you’re intrigued, feel free to explore it here. However, the missionaries influence went beyond mapping terrain that they also played a crucial role in documenting significant historical events. Join us as we uncover their accounts, revealing a narrative that goes beyond maps and extends into the rich tapestry of China’s history.