200 years ago, a Chinese born in Guangdong had the privilege of witnessing notre dame cathedral in the 18th century. He began his journey to the West in a very absurd way, but the misaligned figures of this era ran into walls everywhere in the process of entering the Western world, and finally missed everything worth learning, and like a clown, from leaving China to returning to their hometown.
John Hu's Chinese name cannot be examined, because John is only a name wash. He was a gatekeeper from the compound of the Catholic Anglican Church in Guangzhou among the first generation of Chinese Catholics in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He was forty years old and a widower. Although he did not have a meritorious name, he seemed to be a bit of a literary and inky man, and he was barely an old-fashioned Chinese literati.
At that time, the Roman Catholic Episcopal Church in Guangzhou was the center of life for all European visitors. The situation of the outside world is constantly transmitted into the mind of the janitor and administrator John Hu through here. In this environment, John Hu's horizons became broadened, and he hatched a bold plan: to travel to Rome and meet the pope.
Guangzhou was the most open city in the early Qing Dynasty
In 1721, the French Jesuit Father Fu Shengze wanted to go to Rome on a missionary journey to Paris to report to the Pope on the missionary work of the Catholic Churches in China. Fu Shengze brought back nearly 4,000 books in 11 large wooden boxes. He also wanted to find a literate Chinese to accompany him and copy and write for him.
Hu Ruowang indirectly heard Fu Shengze's needs, so he entrusted someone to convey his wish to take over the errand. Although Hu's appearance is very indecent, he showed a sense of self-intoxication and self-aggrandizement in the interview. He deceived the trust of the simple priest in a foolish way, and he only wanted to make a name for himself by wandering in foreign lands and writing travelogues because he had achieved nothing in the imperial examination.
So they signed an employment contract. John Hu worked for Fu Shengze for five years as a scribe, and after the contract expired, Fu Shengze allowed John Hu to return to China and take charge of travel expenses. He negotiated with his employer, Fu Shengze, for an annual salary of 20 taels of silver, and Fu Shengze also had to provide John Hu's food, ferry tickets, and various miscellaneous expenses for the journey. In addition to the contract, John Hu also went to twelve and a half silver for his and his family's current temporary needs. The Anglican Church also agreed to arrange a job in the church for John Hu's son. Fu Shengze also bought several sets of brand-new Chinese clothing and some travel necessities for John Hu, including a high-quality quilt for 15 silver.
John Hu became one of the very few people in the early Qing Dynasty who had the privilege of riding a large European ship
The Kangxi Emperor forbade his subjects from leaving the country for the sake of national security. Fu Shengze used his personal connections to send John Hu to the Prince de Conti. The crew welcomed Fu Shengze and John Hu to spend their time with them, and John Hu's new clothes and his long braids were dazzling.
John Hu on board dines with the middle class. Since Chinese food is a system of no separate meals, he will grab any food in Western food when he sees it. He was also very curious as to why he had eaten something that no one else dared to move. When the crowd saw this, they had no choice but to limit his share of food and suggest that he eat less. But because he didn't learn French, he went his own way. It wasn't until he was beaten up by a French sailor that John Hu relented.
According to the voyage, after departing from Guangzhou, the ship was originally planned to follow the coast of Indochina. It first traveled through Dutch-colonized Java to the Cape of Good Hope, then north along the Coastline of Africa to France. But due to the storm, the ship's main mast was broken, and it could only be carried by currents in the Atlantic Ocean, and finally carried to the coast of Brazil.
Flag of the French East India Company
It was the turn of May, and it was customary for European ships to dock off the coast of Brazil during their voyage to India in October. So in the Bay of All Saints in Brazil, the coastal patrol boat of the Portuguese governor, after shouting but not receiving a reply, thought that the French ship that suddenly appeared was pirates, and there was an exchange of fire. At that time, the Portuguese had an absolute advantage in single-ship combat effectiveness, and the French felt that direct surrender would risk losing all their cargo in vain, so they decided to fight a dead net. When Hu Ruo saw the people take up their weapons, he also grabbed a short sword and flew in the air like a dancing sword flower. However, in the eyes of the French, his moves are flashy.
In Saints' Bay, John Hopkin saw for the first time in the distance the rows of Southern European-style houses and warehouses, as well as church spires and bells soaring into the sky. The town hall's ornate cones and statues of people are exquisite, and the orange tiles and blue sky reflect each other. Growing up in a traditional culture that lacked megalithic architecture, John Hu was fresh and curious about it. It was the turn of summer and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, and Brazil was lush and pleasant. After receiving a daily subsidy from Fu Shengze, he planned to go shopping and buy fresh oranges, bananas and meat. Although in the eyes of European colonists, Brazilian women were known for their beauty and unrestrained beauty, the crotch of a French sailor who had been lonely at sea for several months had long been eager to try. But John Hu, who was unusually paranoid about Chinese, refused to speak French or learn Portuguese, and had no chance to enjoy Yanfu for a long time.
As a result of firing at the patrol ship without authorization, the Portuguese governor refused to disembark everyone. This also includes John Hu, who is losing weight due to seasickness. During the transatlantic voyage, sepsis continued to hit the crew, and the ship was stinking and the sanitary conditions were too flattering. In this environment, many strong sailors fell ill.
John Hu's letters to the Holy See remain to this day
John Hu is no exception, and his seasickness symptoms are very serious. Amid fever and seasickness, John Hu also dreamed that he was preaching to the Kangxi Emperor and instilling the truth in him. But Fu Shengze was very patient to help him dispel such illusions, because he was well aware of the hardships of missionary work after spending time in China. He tried to teach John Hu the liturgy and customs of the Catholic world, not wanting this stubborn Chinese corrupt the achievements of Catholic missionary work in the East. But John Hu still loves to listen or not to listen, absent-minded, and his left ear goes in and out of his right ear.
After a difficult journey to the shores of Europe, John Hu and the others' first stop in France was Port Louis. Hu Saw under the gloomy dark clouds, there were stone-carved roofs and fortified fortresses. The Breton's small smuggling boat followed like ants, but was quickly dispersed by the Coast Patrol.
Due to the royal library's interest in Chinese books and Fu Shengze's advance notification of the arrival of Chinese books in France, Hu was able to go ashore. He moved into the home of Renault, the director of purchasing at the Port Louis Marine Transport Warehouse, and because the bed frame was too high, John Hopkin simply slept on the ground.
18th century Oriental popular science books published in France
Because of the habit of men and women not being intimate, John Hu also refused to dine at the same table as the housekeeper and did not let her go near. Whenever the housekeeper appeared at the table, John Hu evaded in various ways, saying that he would never want a strange woman to be around, and John Hu would never allow the housekeeper to enter his room for half a step.
Fu Shengze socialized in the circle of the powerful and wanted to make a European-style costume for John Hu. He custom-made a suit of fine fabric for John Hu, plus an over-the-knee tight coat. John Hu walked around the city alone in his new clothes, carefully observing everything and preparing material for his biography.
Lacking a Western-style sense of property rights and legal awareness, John Hu secretly borrowed a postman's horse and led it out of the door from his master. Then gallop around the city. He came alone to the sheep gut trail in the military forbidden area and saw the musket firing and artillery drills. Theoretically, he would have been killed if he moved in the restricted area, but he was miraculously unscathed. John Hu was scolded after being found, but without remorse, he shouted why horses could not be borrowed when they were idle.
John Hu also had the privilege of peeking into the training of the French army
In fact, the French side is full of expectations for the arrival of John Hu. Because before that, France introduced a scholar named Huang Jialiu, who was responsible for translating Chinese classics at the French Royal Library and married and had children in France. It was just that the family unfortunately died of the plague. So the French side needs to find a successor to take over. But for John Hu, who had unleashed himself in the New World, roaming the city on horseback was clearly more in line with his appetite. He symbolically copied an hour of Chinese classics every day, and then rode his horse around the alleys of everyone, and the citizens called him the Chinese Don Quixote.
Although he wore aristocratic clothes every day and rode a high-headed horse, John Hu still had no concept of his identity. He even said that he did not want to translate the classics, and wanted to work as a beggar in France, riding a horse alone in France. This startled Fu Shengze, who had hired him. Because at that time, France was systematically sending healthy beggars, idle veterans, and alcoholic sailors to the North American colonies to clear the land. If Hu Ruowang really did not pay attention to credibility one day, he might not be able to return to China for the rest of his life.
Soon, John Hu came to Paris. It's bustling, noisy, and very human. Whether it is the streets and alleys where vendors gather, the bustling Louvre, or the bustling river, John Hu reminds John Hu of the situation in China. He even felt that Paris was a paradise on earth. There he also saw the Tuileries Palace, st. Anthony's Church, Mason's Missionary, and St. Louis' Church. Of course, there is also the exquisite Notre Dame Cathedral, which is stocked with the crown of thorns and various holy relics, with rose skylights.
Paris in the 18th century made John Hu linger
John Hu moved into the second mansion of his European trip, and the landlord, James Benis, an official appointed by King James II of England in the early years, was deposed because of the Glorious Revolution. Bernis offered John Hu "a suite to qualify as a gentleman", with a diet of bread, wine, soup and meat. They believe that adequate rest and a tasty diet are the cure for John Hu's bad attacks. John Hu still maintained the habit of moving mattresses, sheets and quilts to the ground and insisting on sleeping through the window.
Fu Shengze had a lot of things to do every day, preparing to go to Rome to meet the Pope, and did not have time to be a tour guide for John Hu in Paris. Father Ory, head of the French Jesuit Mission in the Far East, appointed a secretary to take John Hu on a tour of all the Paris attractions that foreigners might be interested in. Although John Hu has a great sense of freshness about the environmental system in which he is located, he is still out of place for the local culture and social atmosphere. For example, he likes to place the home in the room according to Chinese customs and make the room dirty. 200 years later, many foreign missionaries saw that the Chinese poor sanitary conditions, and the Bainis family could be regarded as an early teacher.
The landlord's daughter came into his room to clean, and he intimidated the other party with a beating posture, telling her to get out quickly. To Mrs. Baines, it is also a state of incompatibility between men and women. After John Hu proposed to be a beggar, someone actually gave him a few copper plates, and he used the money he had collected to buy bread and gadgets that could be put in his pocket. After some painstaking work, Fu Shengze found that this life was loose and difficult to treat, and he was not an ideal library translator at all. These strange actions even make people feel that this Chinese habit is to destroy and make trouble. The meeting with the Holy See's ambassador to Paris completely ruined John Hu's future.
John Hu was also one of the few Qing dynasty people who saw the original Notre Dame Cathedral
The Holy See's ambassador to Paris, Marcei, decided to meet John Hu to assess whether he was ready to go to Rome. Hu Ruowang first prostrated his head to the ambassador in a way that surprised westerners, and Fu Shengze quickly explained that this was Chinese way of showing respect for authority. But the ambassador was very strange about John Hu's salute with the etiquette of a pagan emperor. Seeing that there were three chairs in the reception hall, he thought that the chairs were arranged in a way that lacked respect for the Pope Chincha, so he moved the chairs prepared for the ambassador to the end of the room. Because that's what he thinks is the honorific position. Then, he placed Fu Shengze's chair next to the ambassador's chair, and he stood at the other end of the room, his hands hanging down respectfully, indicating that he was Fu Shengze's servant. Fu Shengze explained that this shows that Chinese attaches great importance to etiquette. The ambassador was upset.
When everyone was helpless and helpless, John Hu took full advantage of the opportunity to perform strange performance art on the streets of Paris. He made a small drum in the room, about 6 inches in diameter, and a small flag, 1 inch long, which reads "There is a difference between men and women." On one holy day, John Hu hung a small drum on his chest, raised a small flag, and walked toward St. Paul's Church while beating the drum. His attire and appearance attracted a large group of people following him. Under the church tower, John Hu waved a flag in his hand and preached to the audience in Cantonese. Although the French could not understand his Cantonese, many people gathered around him in a state of curiosity and coaxing, and constantly applauded him. He continued to shout and hum small songs, and his every move could arouse great attention and repercussions.
In the end, John Hu still disobeyed discipline, liked to act recklessly, and did not perform his job of copying ancient books at all. In order to prevent him from repeating the incident, Fu Shengze suggested that the police take him into custody. John Hu pretended to be crazy and stupid, and finally got the ending he deserved. From popularity to scorn, he was eventually imprisoned in St. Catharine's Inn. Sometimes tied with hemp rope, the caretaker fed food into his mouth.
John Hu went into an insane asylum because of his misdeeds
It was thought that sending John Hu to a psychiatric asylum was the best option, and when his condition improved, he could be sent to any French East India Company ship to China. From October 21, 1723 to August 9, 1725, John Hu was held in a psychiatric asylum in Sharongdong for 658 days. No one really knows if he's really crazy.
Because John Hu's treatment fees have not been paid, he is actually in prison. Locked up in a single room 12 feet deep and 7-9 feet wide, eating and drinking Lazar is inside. A staff member gave him a good quality, warm blanket, which he also tore to pieces. In the more than 4 years since John Hu left, his mother and brother have repeatedly asked for money from the Jesuit hospital in Guangzhou, and Father Goveli has to deal with them. In December 1722, the Kangxi Emperor died. Due to the new Yongzheng feud, in 1724, Goveli left Guangzhou, where he had lived for 23 years, and returned to France.
Thereafter, Gowyley was ordered to deal with John Hu's case. On October 12, 1725, in the Sharongdong Asylum on the outskirts of Paris, he saw John Hu wearing a dirty and torn Chinese-style shorts and underpants, and a pair of long-unformed Chinese socks on his feet tightly tucked into rotten cloth shoes with a large torn hole. A short, half-cut European coat was draped over his shoulders, and long, chicken-coop-like hair ran down the back of his head on the back shoulder. With Chinese etiquette, he clasped his hands in fists, bowed his head, and greeted dozens of clergy dressed in priestly robes. Finally, with the urging of everyone, he bent down on a stool and sat down.
John Hu also refused to leave Paris twice
Goveli talked to John Hu for more than an hour, and finally asked John Hu if he had any questions to ask him. He told his old doubts of the past two years: Why did they lock me up?
After that, John Hu was released. Lieutenant Heylot of the Paris Police Department also asked the Royal Treasury to allocate an additional 800 francs for John Hu's return trip. Returning to freedom, John Hu is in his original form, not only rejecting the French teacher he has arranged for him, but also making too many complications in the apartment.
Heylot ordered John Hu to be sent to Brussels and then from Ostend to wait for the East India Company's ship to return to Canton. John Hu twice refused to board the carriage to leave Paris at the last moment of the carriage's departure, wasting two expensive tickets, and the third time he was forced into the car.
In early November 1726, John Hu's feet finally set foot on the land of his hometown. After returning to China, Hu Ruo visited an Episcopal missionary and begged for 20 taels of silver per year for a total of 5 years of unpaid wages. Because he only did a few hours of copying work while in France, the French refused to pay. In order to silence John Hu, the Guangzhou Missionary Gave him something as part of the payment.
John Hu's son also chose to leave his father for Macau
John Hu then gave a speech in the open space outside the missionary, telling passers-by that he had just been to Europe, and tragically confided in the rough treatment he had received in Europe, and finally did not even get paid. The head of the mission persuaded the captain from Ostend to take advantage of the difference received from John Hu's travel expenses.
After Hu Ruowang used the money to buy new clothes for his family, he went back to his hometown to visit his relatives. After a period of time, his son also began to be unable to stand him and chose to leave For Macau. He sat in the countryside every day, looking at the mountains in the distance. Sometimes the child asks him, "What is this side of the mountain like?" John Hu always squinted, paused for a moment, and then closed his eyes: "Hey, children, that place is the same as ours, there is no difference." ”