In the history with which we have been exposed in the past, foreign missionaries have often been seen as roles in the invasion of the "advance army" by the great powers. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were indeed many such cases. However, the missionaries of the early Ming and Qing dynasties did play a very important role in the cultural exchanges between China and the West. Some missionaries not only spread science and culture, experienced the rise and fall of the empire, but also played a very crucial role in the change of imperial power. The German missionary John Tong was one of them. From the end of the Ming Dynasty to the Kangxi Dynasty, John Tang lived in China for 47 years, he was an official to Yipin, his reputation was prominent, and he was also falsely accused of rebellion and was in danger of being delayed. Kangxi praised him as "a courtier who bowed down to exhaustion" and personally led the mourning.
John Tang was born in 1591 in cologne on the Rhine In Germany. To be precise, at that time, his homeland was still called the Holy Roman Empire.
John Tong was born into an aristocratic family, and his parents were devout Catholics. His real name was "johann adam", and after coming to China, he changed his name to three Chinese characters, "John Tang", based on the pronunciation of these two words.
Moreover, according to the naming habits of Chinese, John Tang also gave himself a word - "Dao Mo", these two are very exquisite, from mencius's "looking at the Tao but not seeing", which means seeing the "Tao" but as if not seeing, the simple two words are full of classical Chinese artistic conception.
In 1608, at the age of 16, John Thomas left his hometown to study philosophy, theology, astronomy and mathematics in Rome. Ten years later, John Tang left Italy and embarked on a large ship to China from Lisbon, Portugal, like his predecessor Matteo Ricci. As everyone knows, he has never returned to his hometown since he left.
In 1619, John Tang reached Macau and then entered the crisis-ridden Ming Dynasty. Following the example of Matteo Ricci, a missionary who had flourished in the Ming Dynasty, he presented the books he had brought from Europe to the imperial court. At the same time, missionary and scientific research work began in Beijing, Xi'an and other places.
In 1630, because the imperial court was in urgent need of talents who were proficient in astronomy, John Tang was recommended to enter the imperial court. Together with Xu Guangqi, a famous astronomer at the time, he observed eclipses and astrological signs and compiled a large number of astronomical books.
At this time, when the brave soldiers of Nurhaci in Manchuria entered Kou Daming, "non-firearm chariots cannot be resisted", Chongzhen was very appreciative of Tang Ruowang's scientific and technological level, so he ordered him to build guns.
However, John Tang only had a little book knowledge of casting cannons, and had no practical experience at all. John Tang, who was forced to ascend to the throne, only relied on this theoretical knowledge to successfully build 20 cannons. Chongzhen was overjoyed, "Zhao cast another five hundred."
However, these cannons could not prevent Daming's demise. Chongzhen, who was evaluated by Tang Ruowang as "very talented and very unfortunate", finally hanged himself in Coal Mountain, and Li Zicheng entered Beijing, fortunately, they did not commit any crimes against the church. But soon, the capital changed hands again, and Dorgon led the Qing army into Beijing, and the Qing era came.
In 1644, John Tang dedicated his instruments and calendar books to the Qing court. His talents were recognized by Shunzhi and he was appointed as the Supervisor of Qin Tianjian, equivalent to today's observatory director.
Soon, John Tang also became the favorite of the Qing dynasty royal family. Once, when Empress Xiaozhuang heard that John Tang was versatile, she asked him to treat her niece. This girl who was seriously ill, even the most powerful imperial doctor in the palace at that time, was helpless. John Tang said that although he did not have medicine, he had a sacred tablet that could be hung at home to pray for heaven's blessing.
Perhaps it was a coincidence that after receiving this sacred tablet, the girl was miraculously healed, and she was the future Empress Borjigit of the Shunzhi Emperor.
In order to express her gratitude, Empress Xiaozhuang worshipped John Tang as her righteous father, so that Shunzhi became his righteous grandson. Therefore, Shunzhi also affectionately called him "Mafa" (Manchu for "grandfather"). The two have since become a pair of friends, and John Tang's status has skyrocketed, becoming a close associate of Shunzhi. Historian Chen Yuan once commented on the relationship between the two as if "Wei Zhengzhi to Tang Taizong".
One night in 1661, Shunzhi urgently ordered John Tang to enter the palace. It turned out that the young emperor, because of smallpox, would soon die. As to which prince the throne would pass on, Shunzhi consulted this confidant for the last time.
From a scientific point of view, Tang John recommended the third son of the emperor Xuan Ye to Shunzhi, because this child had had smallpox, and his body already had immunity, and from the long-term plan of the empire, it was the most correct choice to set up a healthy prince as emperor. Therefore, Shunzhi chose Xuan Ye, later Kangxi.
After Shunzhi's death, he did not like the worship of Western missionaries, so he asked his subordinates Yang Guangxian and others to make accusations against Tang John.
Yang Guangxian racked his brains, and there was no solid evidence for the crimes of "conspiracy" and "heresy," and in the end, he could only talk about the 200-year calendar compiled by John Tang: You only engaged in a 200-year calendar, is it possible that after 200 years, I will die in the Qing Dynasty?
At this time, John Tang was already in his old age, seriously ill, and it was difficult to speak, of course, it was even more difficult to defend himself. Therefore, he could only sit in the prison of the Punishment Department and wait for death.
At this time, the Beijing division suddenly had an earthquake, and Yang Guangxian, who had originally been a thief, and others, thought that this was to create an unjust prison and anger the heavens, so they kicked the "leather ball" to Xiaozhuang, and asked her to decide.
In the end, John Tong was acquitted and died of illness 14 months later. After Kangxi took power, he rehabilitated his father's foreign confidant and posthumously awarded him the title of Guanglu Dafu (正一品), which was also the largest official position achieved by a foreign missionary in the Qing Dynasty.
Kangxi was able to inherit the throne, and Tang Ruowang's recommendation that year played a very important role. After he came to power, he also relied more on and treated these Western missionaries more than his father, and even personally learned the Western technology they brought.
The Western missionaries represented by John Tang have brought the exchange of science and technology between China and the West to an unprecedented new height, but unfortunately, Kangxi's love of science and technology only stayed at the personal level.
References: A Biography of John Tang by Li Lanqin; Under the Shadow of Heaven by Franz Kerstel