Early Sino-French Cultural Exchange: The City of Beijing as Described by the “King's Mathematician”

Li Ming （Louis Lecomte） was one of the five French Jesuits who was summoned by the Kangxi Emperor upon arrival in Beijing in 1688，initiating an early cultural exchange between the two countries that lasted nearly a century. He was one of the first Frenchmen in the late seventeenth century to go into China to study，travel，and preach，and to analyze and account for what he had seen and heard. Throughout his depiction of Beijing，it is easy to find out that the author had always held a strong curiosity for exploring the city with his own eyes and for examining what could be seen in the foreign capital，and his depiction presented a living picture of Beijing during the Kangxi period. Li Ming provided a relatively objective description of Beijing's ancient history，unique architectural styles，and thriving commercial atmosphere，which was informative for French readers in the Age of Enlightenment. Although Li Ming's stay in China was brief，the fourteen letters he published after his return to France provided a very detailed introduction to Chinese society：Not only is his analysis comprehensive and detailed，but it also includes a number of cultural and historical comparisons between the situation in China and that in France at the time. Because of the“liturgical controversy，”he had to return to France to explain the missionary situation in China，and in 1696 he published in Paris fourteen letters addressed to the French hierarchy during his stay in China under the title Nouveaux mémoires sur l'état présent de la Chine. The present study focuses on Li Ming's work on Beijing，which was the first of its kind in the late seventeenth century. The present study focuses on Li Ming's analysis and description of the characteristics of Beijing，especially his comparison of the differences between Chinese and French cities. Li Ming's observations and analyses of the city of Beijing provide first-hand historical information for contemporary scholars to study the history of Beijing.