Mungello, the Great Encounter or China and the West

The Great Encounter of China and the West 1500-1800 The Chinese and European cultures came together for the first time in the fifteenth century when great Chinese fleets traveled throughout the Indian Ocean and along the coast of Africa. These voyages created much concern for China. They lead to a period of isolation for security reasons. By the time the first Europeans arrived in China there was little to no evidence of these voyages. (Mungello 2005) Fallowing that time the Chinese government proceeded with a policy of containment to the trade merchants and missionaries that would visit them in the coming centuries. This paper will server an explanation to why China and Europe at first embraced each other then rejected each others†¦show more content†¦The Chinese were more orientated to a communitarian philosophy provided by the literali teaching. For the Chinese that would ask the question there was Buddhism. The Chinese also feared the missionaries would seduce their women. It was rare but these fears were founded on fact. Mungello gives us one such example in Bernardo Maria Bevilacqua, O.F.M. Bevilacqua appears to have cracked under the stress of such living conditions and began taking advantage of his priestly authority to seduce several young Catholic women. Some of these young women were virgins and others were recently married. (p. 52-53) These young women would come to Bevilacqua seeking aid with menstrual irregularities and fears of not being able to conceive. Bevilacqua would claim to have the cure and violate them sexually. One such fourteen year old girl attempted to hang herself. (Mungello 2005) Another missionary were caught in prostitution. Word of this spread causing fear that missionaries were out to get Chinese women. Another reason for the rejection of Christianity by the Chinese was what the Chinese saw as subversive activity. The Chinese saw Christianity as forced changed to their lifestyle. Chinese men would take on a concubine. This individual was not treated as you would think a sex slave would be treated. They actually became an accepted member of the family. And Mungello suggested that it may have been more of a mean to reproduction than sexual gratification. ChineseShow MoreRelatedThe Rise of Western Power: When China Ruled the Sea Essay905 Words   |  4 Pagesinfluence (Marks 34). However, by the fifteenth century, China held considerable economic and military power, leading the world in size, population, agriculture, and commerce (Mungello 1). China also excelled in technology, military strength, learning, and the fine arts (Mungello 2). Leading China through its glory days was the Ming Dynasty which endured more than 250 years until its decline in 1644 (Dardess 1). Before the Ming dynasty, China had become little more than a portion of the Mongol Empire