The reason why the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was able to ascend to the throne of God is that Tang Ruowang can be said to have contributed an indispensable contribution. So, what kind of character is this John Tang, and why can the words of a foreigner be so valued?
John Tang, whose original name was Johann Adam Schall vonBl, was born in 1592 in Cologne am Rhine, Germany, to a noble family called Charles von Bair, whose entire family was devout Catholics. John Tong attended the Three Kings Crown Middle School, founded by the Jesuit Society. When he was in school, he showed his potential and talent, especially in mathematics and astronomy. He arrived in Beijing on 25 January 123 as a missionary. Soon after arriving in Beijing, he successfully predicted the lunar eclipse that would occur on October 8 of that year. Later, he accurately predicted the lunar eclipse in September of the following year, and imitated Matteo Ricci of that year, and listed the mathematical astronomical books he brought from Europe, and presented his mathematical astronomy knowledge to the imperial court, which was appreciated by the court officials.
With the help of Li Zubai, the qin official, Tang John translated Galileo's Theory of the Distant Mirror into Chinese, which played a considerable role in China's calendar reform. In 144, the Ming Dynasty fell. John Tang, with his knowledge and skills in astronomical calendars, was protected by the Qing court and was ordered to continue to revise the calendar. Dorgon admired his ability to predict celestial phenomena and to be well versed in physics, allowing him to add his own insights to astronomical reports. As a result, John Tang was highly respected by Manchu officials and had considerable prestige in the court.
When Dorgon was in power, he had judged that Dorgon would soon die on the basis of his medical knowledge and knowledge of Dorgon's health. In December 1650, Dorgon fell ill and died. For the Shunzhi Emperor, John Tang chose February 1, just after the end of dorgon's mourning period, as the pro-government date, consolidating the power of the early Qing Dynasty, and Tang John wang also won the favor and trust of the Shunzhi Emperor and the empress dowager.
The Shunzhi Emperor greatly admired John Tang's morality and learning, plus John Tang had cured the illness of his niece after Xiaozhuang, the later Empress Shunzhi. For this reason, the empress dowager was very grateful and recognized him as a "righteous father", and the Shunzhi Emperor also honored him as "Marfa" (Manchu "honorable grandfather"). The Shunzhi Emperor often invited him to zhongshu to talk, without summoning, and also exempted him from the ceremony of prostration, and even broke the custom of honor and inferiority and went to visit the pavilion where John Tang lived. In addition, it was also sealed many times, making it a positive official.
In the political activities of the imperial court, John Tang also made suggestions about the gains and losses of the imperial government with his high moral strength. Even the Shunzhi Emperor, who was on his deathbed, asked John Tang for advice. At that time, John was the only one in the imperial court who knew the consequences of the smallpox epidemic, so he said that he must find a prince who had passed smallpox to inherit the throne, so as not to prevent the new emperor from dying prematurely due to smallpox. In this way, there was the later Kangxi Emperor.
John Tang lived in China for 47 years, through the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is a figure that cannot be ignored. With his profound knowledge and outstanding talents, he has established an important position in the history of cultural exchanges between China and the West. After his death in 1666, he was buried next to the tomb of Limadou in Beijing, and there are also former residences and statues in Cologne.
