1 Tudor Vladescu Ivo Carneiro de Sousa University of St. Joseph, MacauA Spanish Perspective on 16th Century China: Martin de Rada’s ‘Things of Taybin’ (1575) Tudor Vladescu Ivo Carneiro de Sousa University of St. Joseph, Macau
2 International Conference13th FIEALC International Federation of Latin American and the Caribbean Studies (MAPEAL Macao Association for the Promotion of Exchange between Asia-Pacific & Latin America) 25-28 Sep 2007 Macau SAR, China
3 Martin de Rada ( ) This paper/presentation researches and discusses Martin de Rada’s Things of Taybin, manuscript memory of his voyage in South China, in 1575, which reached Xiamen. The memory, published in 1953 by Charles Boxer, is revisited merging the tools of cultural history and the methods of literary criticism.
4 Martin de Rada Voyage in China (1575)
5 Introduction Fr. Martin de Rada is not mentioned in Edward W. Said’s Orientalism or in Fernand Braudel’s Civilization and Capitalism. Rada’s manuscript account of his voyage in China, in 1575, entitled Things of Taybin was Published by Charles Boxer Travel literature as a frontier sub-genre par excellence, and so much so of a mixed register text such as Things of Taybin.
6 Research questions: What was the destiny of the text in the last century? Who wrote it? Which is the position of Things of Taybin among the other texts written by Fr. Martin de Rada? Which could be the most important levels of understanding? Why? / Are there any important elements in Martin de Rada’s text from a 21st century perspective?
7 I. What was the destiny of the text in the last century?The original text was written in 1575 on a return trip to Manila, coming from a two month’s visit to Fujian. One legend was copied by Juan Gonzales de Mendoza in his History of China (Glen Dudbrige, The Legend of Miaoshan, London, Ithaca, 1978, p.1). Legend of Miaoshan in the 19th century: J.J.M de Groot, Les fêtes annuellement célèbres á Émoui – 1886. Legend of Miaoshan in the 20th century: Henry Doré, Recherches sur les superstitions en Chine – 1914; Laice Getty, The gods of Northern Buddhism – 1928; E.T.C. Werner, Myths and Legends of China – 1932; Henri Maspero, Le Taoïsme et les religions chinoises – 1971; Chung-fang Yu, Kwan-yin: the Chinese transformation of Avalokitesvara –
8 I. What was the destiny of the text in the last century?1947 book sale at an English Estate – the original manuscript of Martin de Rada is discovered and published afterwards in the South China in the Seventeenth Century by C.R. Boxer (ed.). London: Hakluyt Society, 1953. C.R. Boxer is the author of The Portuguese Seaborne Empire London: Hutchinson and Co., 1969.
9 II. Who wrote it? One of the first members of the Order of St. Augustine to labour in the Philippines. Born in Pamplona, Spain, in June 1533 Studies at the University of Paris and enrolled at the University of Salamanca. “A man of uncommon talent, a good theologian and an eminence in mathematics and astrology”. Preached in Mexico. travelled to the Philippines with Andrés de Urdaneta (El tornaviaje).
10 II. Who wrote it? Martin de Rada became the first ambassador of the Spanish King to the Emperor of China in 1575. Visited cities in the Hokkien province in 1575. Went to Borneo on mission as Ambassador, but the voyage ended unsuccessfully and many died on the way back, including Martin de Rada. Remembered as a defender of the Filipinos against the lack of justice of Spanish officials (e.g. in 2002 was launched the Martin de Rada Human right Desk at the Institute for Social Development in Manila). Learned cebu in a few months and preached Christianity along the Batiano River. Got involved in military operations of the Armada in 1569, foritying Oton and hiding Spanish ships from the Portuguese. Built a church (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception) in 1570. Organised a centre for study and missionary cooperation in the San Augustin in Intramuros monastery, teaching humanities, music, arts and science.
11 III. Which is the position of Things of Taybin among the other texts written by Fr. Martin de Rada?Copia de carta del P. Martín de Rada al Virrey de México, “dándole importantes noticias sobre Filipinas, Cebú, 8 de julio de 1569”. Carta de Martín de Rada a Felipe II, Panay, 21 de julio de 1570. Copia de una carta que “el Padre fray martin de rrada provincial de la orden de San Agustin que reside en la china escribe al virrey de la nueva spaña hecha en la ciudad de manilla a 10 de agosto de 1572”. “Parecer del provincial fray martin de rrada agustino sobre las cosas destas yslas Manila, 21 de junio de 1574”. Carta al Virrey de México del P. Martín de Rada, “dándole cuenta de cómo Juan de Salcedo fué a la conquista de Vicor e Ilocos, atropellos que se cometen con los indios, aumento de la doctrina, de las viruelas, y clases de esclavitud, Manila, 30 de junio de 1574”.
12 III. Which is the position of Things of Taybin among the other texts written by Fr. Martin de Rada?“Relaçion Verdadera de las cosas del Reyno de TAIBIN por otro nombre china y del viaje que ael hizo el muy Reverendo padre fray martin de Rada provinçial que fue de la orden del glorioso Doctor dela yglesia San Agustin. Que lo vio yanduvo en la provinçia de Hocquien año de 1575”. “AVISO DE FRAY MARTÍN DE RADA SOBRE LAS CONFESSIONES DE LOS ENCOMENDEROS.1575”. Carta de Martín de Rada a Felipe II, Manila, 1 de mayo de 1576. Carta de Martín de Rada al virrey de México, Manila, 4 de mayo de 1576. “Al muy reverendo padre nuestro el maestro fray Alonso de la Vera Cruz provincial de los agustinos en la nueva España”. Manila, 3 de junio de 1576. Carta de Fray Joan de..., Fray Martín de Rada, Fray Francisco de Ortega, Fray Agustín de Alburquerque a Fray Alonso de Vera Cruz 1577.
13 III. Which is the position of Things of Taybin among the other texts written by Fr. Martin de Rada?Al muy reverendo padre fray Juan Cruzat en Xanacatepeque de la orden de nuestro señor San Agustin en nueva españa a 15 de julio 1577. Al muy reverendo padre nuestro el maestro fray Alonso de la Veracruz, provincial de los agustinos en la nueva espana 15 de julio de 1577. Al muy reverendo padre nuestro padre alonso de la veracruz provincial de los agustinos en nueva espana donde es su tierra, Calopit, 16 de julio de 1577. "Copia de un papel que se halló entre los que tenya fray martín de Rada, de muerto, y lo traxo el padre [Francisco] de ortega, que va a españa, y le dio al padre Buiça, del qual le huve yo" 1578. Al muy reverendo padre nuestro. fray Alonso de la Veracruz, provincial de la orden de nuestro padre San Agustin. Nuestro padre en la Nueva España, Burney, 25 de abril de 1578.
14 IV. Which could be the most important levels of understanding?A. Structure of the text / the “strongholds” of meaning. B. The vocabulary used. C. The voice of the author. D. The “orientalist” intention of the author. F. What does survive today from Martin de Rada’s text?
15 IV. Which could be the most important levels of understanding?Structure of the text / the “strongholds” of meaning: The author’s systematic approach and organization by means of chapters: introduction, geographical description, review of provinces and towns (2 chapters), military information, short history, ethnographic and economic account (3 chapters), justice and government, religion (2 chapters). Reversed style: short sentences for historic, ethnographic and geographic descriptions, ample accounts, tables and enumerations for economic, government and military information. The author fears “falling into prolixity”, being very careful with the types of account that might mislead him towards “fable”.
16 IV. Which could be the most important levels of understanding?B. The vocabulary used: Repeated uses of adjectives with superlative meaning: “infinite” (for number of villages, poor people and government officials), “scores of” (when talking about the history of China and the fact that it is composed exclusively of fables) or “ten thousand” when referring to the number of Chinese characters a child has to learn. Each “stronghold” of meaning is easily identified by change in the registry (e.g. geographical, military, ethnographic and religious). An abuse of connectives “and”, “next”, “afterwards”, “the last of these”, etc., insures the fluency of the text. No sentence is independent in the economy of the text.
17 IV. Which could be the most important levels of understanding?C. The voice of the author: statement regarding the sources and usage of the sources: Sources and credibility – “things which we will treat herein concerning this kingdom will be part of them seen with our own eyes, part taken from they own printed books and descriptions of the country”…; “different editions by different authors and of different dates, so that by comparing them with each other the truth could be thus better known”. Quality of sources – “as regards the distances, I greatly reduced them in some places from those stated in their books because they are wrongly added in their books”; “illustrations are crude”.
18 IV. Which could be the most important levels of understanding?D. The “orientalist” intention of the author: Description of a recipe to bribe (“never in public”) - based on the author’s experience. The history of China is adapted to the Christian faith: the kings are enumerated in a biblical fashion (Houtzin and his son reigned for nine years and then came Cotzo and his son for four years and then…) and the conclusion is that “they begun to have kings sharply after the Flood”. Aesthetic appreciation: “small children are very fair, but when they grow up they become ugly”. Ignorance: “they think that the sun and the moon are human, that the sky is flat”. Religion: “not very devout people”; “ridiculous” ceremonies.
19 V. Why? / Are there any important elements in Martin de Rada’s text from a 21st century perspective?F. What survives today from Martin de Rada’s text: Knowledge in disseminating personal observation amid arid and relatively correct information. Such intermissions give the text the feeling of being “aired”. A mixture of registries giving multiple valences. The text as a whole may be read as a letter to a fellow-traveller, as a military report to a superior and even as a journal. The appreciation of human value: every Chinaman is subject to the Emperor, but otherwise the employment is “his own proper”. Criticism towards inhumane or arbitrary punishment by torture. Firm convictions, but a surprisingly tolerant view: they suffer because “they do not know” as opposed to the “damnation” theory common among Catholic overseas missionaries.
20 B. The text assumes control over the reader (a fictional virtue).V. Why? / Are there any important elements in Martin de Rada’s text from a 21st century perspective? A. The relation between travel literature and the modern reader (a Braudelian perspective). B. The text assumes control over the reader (a fictional virtue). C. Moral sense and pioneering (responsibility for the correctness of the information provided).
21 Conclusions A fictional reading of the text could prove even more efficient than a hunt for historical data (ignored by the academic community anyhow). The organisation of the text includes elements of qualitative appreciation and moments when the “voice” of the author can be heard. An unequivocal intention to educate the reader towards an understanding of the “human nature”. Evident repression of the preconceptions which were governing at that time the European perception of the New Worlds. Acknowledgement of the limitations of the text and a sense of responsibility and respect towards the reader.
22 References: Boxer, Charles Ralph (1953). South China in the sixteenth century: being the narratives of Galeote Pereira, Fr. Gaspar da Cruz, O.P. (and) Fr. Martín de Rada, O.E.S.A. ( ). London: The Hakluyt Society, Issue 156. Cervera, José Antonio, "Dos grandes cosmógrafos españoles en las Filipinas: Andrés de Urdaneta y Martín de Rada”, in: Estudios de historia das ciencias e das técnicas: VII Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Historia de las Ciencias y de las Técnicas. Pontevedra, de setembro de 1999 Vol. 1, 2001, pp Ollé, Manel (2002). La Empresa de China. De la Armada Invencible al Galeón de Manila. Barcelona: El Acantilado, pp. 41, 57. Ostolaza, Maria Isabel (2006). "Fray Martín de Rada, evangelizador, cosmógrafo y embajador en China”, in: Huarte de San Juan. Geografía e Historia, nº 13, pp