Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History
@bcricciinstitute.bsky.social
Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College.
利瑪竇中西文化歷史研究所.
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/centers/ricci.html
利瑪竇中西文化歷史研究所.
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/centers/ricci.html
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social Our copy of the first edition of Zhang Shuqi's 張書旂 (Shizhong 世忠, 1900-1957) Lingmao ji 翎毛集, published in 1929. The book is intended as a textbook to study ornithological illustration, depicting a great number of birds in different settings.
November 24, 2025 at 9:16 PM
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social Our copy of the first edition of Zhang Shuqi's 張書旂 (Shizhong 世忠, 1900-1957) Lingmao ji 翎毛集, published in 1929. The book is intended as a textbook to study ornithological illustration, depicting a great number of birds in different settings.
Today we catalogued a number of issues of China missionary bulletin (Chuanjiao xuezhi 傳教學誌), which was published in Hong Kong in the 1950s. This was a tumultuous time for the Catholic missions to China, as the Communist authorities expelled or imprisoned foreign missionaries.
November 21, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Today we catalogued a number of issues of China missionary bulletin (Chuanjiao xuezhi 傳教學誌), which was published in Hong Kong in the 1950s. This was a tumultuous time for the Catholic missions to China, as the Communist authorities expelled or imprisoned foreign missionaries.
📣 Calling BC undergraduates: Fr. Robert Carbonneau, C.P., Ph. D., a researcher at the Institute, will teach the class ”Theology 3008: Asian American Catholics: A Journey of Faith and Theology“ at Boston College in Spring 2026. If you haven‘t registered yet, consider doing so!
November 21, 2025 at 9:13 PM
📣 Calling BC undergraduates: Fr. Robert Carbonneau, C.P., Ph. D., a researcher at the Institute, will teach the class ”Theology 3008: Asian American Catholics: A Journey of Faith and Theology“ at Boston College in Spring 2026. If you haven‘t registered yet, consider doing so!
Upcoming event at IAJS: Gosciwit Malinowski (University of Wrocław) will speak on the topic of "Tomasz Dunin Szpot S.J., (1644/45–1713), Historiographer of Jesuit Missions in China, and His Times." November 25, 2025 | 9:00 – 10:00 AM. Reach out to iajs@bc.edu to register for this event.
November 20, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Upcoming event at IAJS: Gosciwit Malinowski (University of Wrocław) will speak on the topic of "Tomasz Dunin Szpot S.J., (1644/45–1713), Historiographer of Jesuit Missions in China, and His Times." November 25, 2025 | 9:00 – 10:00 AM. Reach out to iajs@bc.edu to register for this event.
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social A few more photos from our scroll, Shizi chongxun 十字寵勳. We have since found out that a similar scroll was printed at the T'ou-sè-wè 土家灣 orphanage in Shanghai in 1929. This reproduction has not allowed us to determine with certainty that they are identical.
November 19, 2025 at 4:05 PM
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social A few more photos from our scroll, Shizi chongxun 十字寵勳. We have since found out that a similar scroll was printed at the T'ou-sè-wè 土家灣 orphanage in Shanghai in 1929. This reproduction has not allowed us to determine with certainty that they are identical.
The Institute's copy of Qinding shujing tushuo 欽定書經圖說, an illustrated edition of the Documents Classic, published at the Qing imperial palace in 1905. The book is lithographically printed in two colors, black and red. We're planning to post more pictures from this book later.
November 14, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The Institute's copy of Qinding shujing tushuo 欽定書經圖說, an illustrated edition of the Documents Classic, published at the Qing imperial palace in 1905. The book is lithographically printed in two colors, black and red. We're planning to post more pictures from this book later.
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social Sanhe shengyu 三合聖諭, the Qing-dynasty Sacred edict in the three languages Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese. Our book dates from the mid-19th century.
November 12, 2025 at 4:44 PM
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social Sanhe shengyu 三合聖諭, the Qing-dynasty Sacred edict in the three languages Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese. Our book dates from the mid-19th century.
This is the Gospel of Matthew in Romanized Hakka Chinese, translated by the German missionary Rudolf Lechler and published in 1860. Hakka is one of the seven major Chinese dialect groups, primarily in the southeastern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi.
November 10, 2025 at 9:22 PM
This is the Gospel of Matthew in Romanized Hakka Chinese, translated by the German missionary Rudolf Lechler and published in 1860. Hakka is one of the seven major Chinese dialect groups, primarily in the southeastern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi.
This Gospel of John, published in 1853, contains the text in the Shanghai dialect of Chinese, written using the Latin alphabet. This little book has an explanatory introduction and vocabulary by the British scholar James Summers (Sang Moshi 桑莫士 1828-1891). Acquired in 2025.
November 7, 2025 at 9:27 PM
This Gospel of John, published in 1853, contains the text in the Shanghai dialect of Chinese, written using the Latin alphabet. This little book has an explanatory introduction and vocabulary by the British scholar James Summers (Sang Moshi 桑莫士 1828-1891). Acquired in 2025.
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social This scroll contains a Qing-period, hand-colored woodblock print titled "Shizi chongxun" 十字寵勳. It offers a fascinating glimpse into cultural exchanges in late 19th-century China and shows Christ on the cross revered by a unified audience of various ethnicities.
November 5, 2025 at 6:36 PM
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social This scroll contains a Qing-period, hand-colored woodblock print titled "Shizi chongxun" 十字寵勳. It offers a fascinating glimpse into cultural exchanges in late 19th-century China and shows Christ on the cross revered by a unified audience of various ethnicities.
The inscription above the Ricci Institute entrance: "Blessed are those who walk in the law of the Lord." The phrase is a truncation of a Latin translation of Psalm 119:1.
Shot on film by a staff member.
Shot on film by a staff member.
November 3, 2025 at 8:46 PM
The inscription above the Ricci Institute entrance: "Blessed are those who walk in the law of the Lord." The phrase is a truncation of a Latin translation of Psalm 119:1.
Shot on film by a staff member.
Shot on film by a staff member.
Contact prints from photos by Frederick J. Foley 傅良圃. These photos were taken in Taiwan; we're guessing in the 1960s. The Ricci Institute has around 85,000 of Foley's photographic negatives that await digitization. They were given to us in 1985.
October 31, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Contact prints from photos by Frederick J. Foley 傅良圃. These photos were taken in Taiwan; we're guessing in the 1960s. The Ricci Institute has around 85,000 of Foley's photographic negatives that await digitization. They were given to us in 1985.
Happy Halloween from us here at the Ricci Institute! 🦇
October 31, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Happy Halloween from us here at the Ricci Institute! 🦇
Details from a painting by Hua Xiaoxian 華效先 (Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien), retrospectively titled "Our Lady Playing with a Parrot" 聖母逗鸚鵡. It was painted Peiping (Beijing), probably in 1948.
October 29, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Details from a painting by Hua Xiaoxian 華效先 (Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien), retrospectively titled "Our Lady Playing with a Parrot" 聖母逗鸚鵡. It was painted Peiping (Beijing), probably in 1948.
Details from a silk painting by Lu Hongnian 陸鴻年 (1914-1989) from 1947, retroactively titled "Our Lady Carrying the Child Amidst the Clouds" 聖母抱嬰在雲中. The painting has been mounted on a scroll.
October 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Details from a silk painting by Lu Hongnian 陸鴻年 (1914-1989) from 1947, retroactively titled "Our Lady Carrying the Child Amidst the Clouds" 聖母抱嬰在雲中. The painting has been mounted on a scroll.
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social A painting textbook by the Qing-dynasty painter Zhang Xiong 張熊. The book was published in 1933. It covers floral techniques of the four seasons and fish, birds, and insects.
October 27, 2025 at 8:00 PM
@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social A painting textbook by the Qing-dynasty painter Zhang Xiong 張熊. The book was published in 1933. It covers floral techniques of the four seasons and fish, birds, and insects.
A few days ago, we shared images of our scroll titled Tiantang yaoli 天堂要理. We've since done more research and revised the date to 1937. Our scroll is related to a painting currently held in Belgium and reproduced by Jeroom Heyndrickx in his study of it. Full citation in the alt-text.
October 22, 2025 at 8:49 PM
A few days ago, we shared images of our scroll titled Tiantang yaoli 天堂要理. We've since done more research and revised the date to 1937. Our scroll is related to a painting currently held in Belgium and reproduced by Jeroom Heyndrickx in his study of it. Full citation in the alt-text.
Students in a class on East Asian art history made a visit to the Institute to learn about the history of Chinese printing.
October 22, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Students in a class on East Asian art history made a visit to the Institute to learn about the history of Chinese printing.
A polychrome paper scroll titled Tiantang yaoli 天堂要理 (Essential principles of Heaven). It presents a Catholic narrative of human history, with a "good path" (shandao 善道) leading to Heaven (via Purgatory) and an "evil path" (edao 惡道) leading to Hell. The scroll probably dates from 1929.
October 20, 2025 at 3:06 PM
A polychrome paper scroll titled Tiantang yaoli 天堂要理 (Essential principles of Heaven). It presents a Catholic narrative of human history, with a "good path" (shandao 善道) leading to Heaven (via Purgatory) and an "evil path" (edao 惡道) leading to Hell. The scroll probably dates from 1929.
Details from a copy of William (Wilhelm) Lobscheid's 羅存德 (1822-1893) A Chinese and English Dictionary (Han-Ying zidian 英漢字典) from 1869. A studious reader has left copious notes.
October 15, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Details from a copy of William (Wilhelm) Lobscheid's 羅存德 (1822-1893) A Chinese and English Dictionary (Han-Ying zidian 英漢字典) from 1869. A studious reader has left copious notes.
A case containing 8mm movie film reels containing footage recorded by John A. Houle, S.J. (He Yongzhi 何雍之, 1914-1997) in Asia. Fr. Houle returned to the US in 1957. Dr. Joseph W. Ho (University of Michigan) has arranged for this material to be digitized. Details to follow.
October 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
A case containing 8mm movie film reels containing footage recorded by John A. Houle, S.J. (He Yongzhi 何雍之, 1914-1997) in Asia. Fr. Houle returned to the US in 1957. Dr. Joseph W. Ho (University of Michigan) has arranged for this material to be digitized. Details to follow.
Rearranging the Taichung Polyglot, a dictionary draft held at the Ricci Institute Library. An essay on our library website has more details on this unique corpus.
October 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Rearranging the Taichung Polyglot, a dictionary draft held at the Ricci Institute Library. An essay on our library website has more details on this unique corpus.
Our librarian Mårten Söderblom Saarela will give three online talks for the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, on November 8, 2025, 9:00am-1:30pm Eastern time. The theme of the talks is "The Jesuit Mission to China." For details and registration, see ncta.princeton.edu.
October 8, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Our librarian Mårten Söderblom Saarela will give three online talks for the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, on November 8, 2025, 9:00am-1:30pm Eastern time. The theme of the talks is "The Jesuit Mission to China." For details and registration, see ncta.princeton.edu.
Since today is mid-autumn festival (zhongqiu jie 中秋節), or ch'usŏk 秋夕, we're sharing these images of Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien's 華效先 painting Our Lady on the Crescent Moon 新月上的聖母. Yes, we are aware that the moon today is full, not new, but this is the best we could do.
October 6, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Since today is mid-autumn festival (zhongqiu jie 中秋節), or ch'usŏk 秋夕, we're sharing these images of Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien's 華效先 painting Our Lady on the Crescent Moon 新月上的聖母. Yes, we are aware that the moon today is full, not new, but this is the best we could do.
Today we celebrate the birthday of our namesake, Fr. Matteo Ricci 利瑪竇, S.J. (Oct. 6, 1552-May 11, 1610). Happy Birthday, Fr. Ricci!
October 6, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Today we celebrate the birthday of our namesake, Fr. Matteo Ricci 利瑪竇, S.J. (Oct. 6, 1552-May 11, 1610). Happy Birthday, Fr. Ricci!