The First Contact between the West and China: Sinology´s Origin

Abstract

本文回顾了西方与亚洲文化之间，特别是 与中国文化的首次接触。文章总结罗马帝国 的相关参考资料，以便进行更深入的研究。 介绍了聂斯脱利基督教在东方国家的传播， 特别是在中国的传播，同时遵循历史和线性 发展过程，回顾了其代表作品。本文提出本 杰明·德图德拉的旅行虽然没有超越美索不 达米亚和波斯湾，但他的旅行证实了远东地 区犹太社区的存在。在这个参考框架中，丝 绸之路的背景信息一方面反映了它的奉献精 神，同时对于划定中国的疆界和深入研究中 国起到了重要作用。在中世纪和欧洲文艺复 兴时期，西班牙人和葡萄牙人的旅行、马可 波罗的形象以及伊本·白图泰无疑是在西方 传播有关中国知识的最重要媒介。本文最后 从这三位旅行者的故事中，总结了他们在蒙 古和中国的多次探险历程。 In this study the first contact between Western and Asia culture, specifically with China, is reviewed. It begins with a reference to the Roman Empire mentioning the most relevant reference works for a more in-depth study. Next, it focuses on the diaspora of Nestorian Christianity towards the East and specifically its location in Chinese territory, considering also the main reference works and following a historical and lineal story. Then, the trips of Benjamín de Tudela, although they did not go beyond Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf, served to verify the existence of Jewish communities in the Far East. In that frame of reference, the context of the Silk Road would explain its dedication on the one hand and, on the other, it delimits them curiously outside the Chinese territory, delving into the hermetism of the Asian country. In the Middle Ages and the European Renaissance, and anticipating the trips of Spaniards and Portuguese, the figure of Marco Polo is undoubtedly the most outstanding in the task of spreading the knowledge about China in the West. And in that sense also Ibn Battuta, then, is relevant. Finally, and from the stories written by these three travelers, multiple expeditions to Mongolia and China are evinced. A selection of these concludes the present work.