Camilo is a Catholic. Of course, this cannot be said when translated into Chinese, because the "God" in the mid-Ming Dynasty is one of the eight gods in Qi.
The eight gods of Qi Di are the masters of heaven, earth, man, yin, yang, sun, moon and the four seasons.
According to legend, the “lord of men” was Chi You, also known as the “lord of soldiers.”
The "God" misappropriated by Christianity, whose real name is "Tianqi", is also called Nanny Tianqi and Grandma Tianqi. It is obviously a female deity.
Similarly, "God" has nothing to do with Christianity for the time being. That thing was stolen by Matteo Ricci from "Haotian God". There were many things stolen at that time, such as the first sentence of the "New Testament Gospel of John", which was copied from China.
Hua: "In the beginning was the Word, who was with God."
During the Zhengde period, even the "Jesuits" had not yet been founded, and Camillo belonged to the "Franciscan" monks.
This order had already arrived in China as early as the Yuan Dynasty. It also established dioceses and built churches. It mainly preached in Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, Lianghu, Shaanxi, Gansu, Fujian and other places.
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang banned the three barbarian religions (Manichaeism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism), and Christianity became extinct in China. The "Franciscans" obviously did not give up. This time they came to Southeast Asia with the Portuguese fleet and followed Zhang Cong.
Let’s go to Hangzhou together.
Malacca is a Green Christian country. After being invaded by Portugal, it has been persecuting Green Christians in recent years.
…
As the fleet sailed on the sea, Pires stood on the deck, feeling quite nervous and excited.
Camilo suddenly walked up behind him and said: "Your Majesty the Governor, I don't think China's spinnaker technology should be given away."
Pires smiled and said: "No, Your Majesty Bishop, my opinion is exactly the opposite. The Chinese are very smart. We have only been in Malacca for a few years, and we have been in Guangdong, China for less than three years. The technology of casting cannons has been used by the Chinese
People have learned to leave. The reason why they haven’t learned the jib yet is that they haven’t realized the advantages of the jib. Since it will be learned by the Chinese sooner or later, why not take it out in advance to please the Chinese emperor?”
The Fran cannon was first introduced to China when Chinese merchants and pirates took away the Portuguese gunners.
They are all wage earners with weak national concepts. As long as they are given enough benefits, they can dig them up in minutes. Nowadays, Chinese sea ships in Fujian and Guangdong have a small number of Fran cannons, but the Chinese official has not yet regarded them as
The truth is, it was Prince Ning who was preparing to rebel, who took the lead in casting inland.
In order to suppress the Ottomans, the Portuguese even took the initiative to teach the Persians how to make cannons. They had no idea what secrecy meant.
Camilo said: "I hope that after giving away the triangular sail and cannon-making skills, the Chinese emperor will allow us to preach."
"I'm afraid it's a little difficult," Pires said.
Camilo said: "For the sake of the great Lord, we must enter China smoothly!"
Pires said: "My Lord Bishop, I must remind you that China is invincible and the Chinese are very conservative. Even if the emperor allows you to preach, you should abide by Chinese customs and laws. In case Portugal and China successfully reach a trade agreement
If we have a relationship but have conflicts because of preaching, I don’t think anyone wants to face this situation.”
"Of course," Camilo said with a smile, "I will try my best to please the Chinese emperor and try to restrain our missionaries. The Franciscans have experience in missionary work in China. We do not need to take the civilian route and directly develop Chinese officials.
As believers, Chinese Catholics will definitely help us preach."
Camilo's so-called missionary experience was to deceive Mongolian officials into believing in religion during the Yuan Dynasty.
Camilo added: "In order to better integrate into China, I even gave myself a Chinese name. From now on, the Governor can call me 'Li Bai'."
"Does the name Li Bai have any special meaning?" Pires asked.
Camilo explained: "I asked the Chinese crew members that Li Bai is the most famous poet in China. As long as I have the same name as this poet, Chinese officials will definitely feel more friendly when they see me."
This is the cultural gap. Westerners like to have the same name as ancient celebrities, but Chinese people are particularly taboo about this.
Pires nodded and said: "This is a good idea. Maybe I should give myself a Chinese name."
Camilo suggested: "You can call him Du Fu, a poet as famous as Li Bai."
Pires said: "No, I want to take the name of a Chinese general."
"Then you can ask the Chinese crew for details," Camilo said.
…
The following is an excerpt from "Journey to the East" by Camilo (Chinese name: Ke Yudao).
"In February 1517, the Chinese sailors spent their New Year in Malacca. Together with His Excellency Fernand Pires de Andrade, the Portuguese Governor of India, I followed these Chinese merchant ships to Hangzhou."
"Before setting off, I asked a Chinese crew member who was the most famous Chinese poet in history. The crew member replied, Li Bai. I took Li Bai as my first Chinese name, which turned out to be very wrong. Zhang Cong, an official of the Chinese Governor-General Sir, when he heard me introduce my Chinese name, his eyes looked like he was staring at an idiot..."
"The voyage was not smooth. We encountered wind and waves on the way and had to land in Yazhou (Sanya, Hainan) in China to rest. The Chinese officials were very greedy. We bribed twenty pounds of silver before the Chinese general (Qianhu of Yazhou) allowed us to Let's dock."
"When encountering wind and waves, the Chinese sailors who were traveling with us all shouted, 'Bless the Concubine of Heaven' and 'Bless the Queen of Mazu'. This is a Chinese female deity and the protector of all Chinese sailors. After arriving in Hangzhou, I Learn more about her rumors. Her soul can transform into millions and then be born into ordinary Chinese families. She will punish those who drown babies, so she is the protector of pregnant women and babies."
"Hangzhou Port is not big. When we arrived, it was still under expansion. But the port is very orderly, the most orderly port I have ever seen. Our crew members were allowed to go ashore, but they had to hand over all weapons..."
"Before this, a beautiful misunderstanding occurred. To express respect for China, His Excellency Pires fired a salute outside the harbor with the highest courtesy. A Chinese naval general (Man Zheng) led a fleet to surround us , the Chinese merchant ships accompanying us also set up cannons aimed at us. The Chinese thought we were firing cannons to declare war. In China, never show weapons, even when expressing respect..."
"We are very surprised that there are no beggars in Hangzhou. Ordinary citizens in the city can afford to wear silk. The European lords will definitely be envious when they see it. China deserves to be the country of silk..."
"There are endless delicacies in China. May the Lord forgive my sins. I was tempted by those delicacies and broke the precepts (the Franciscans advocate spiritual cultivation, eat simple meals, and even begged for a living when they were founded). I am not doing this for To excuse myself, I think the most devout ascetic would definitely break his precepts in front of Chinese food..."
"Mr. Wang Yuan, the Governor of Zhejiang Province in China, was not in Hangzhou at the time. We were arranged to stay at the 'Jianghuai Club'. This is a commercial club jointly built by businessmen from the Jianghuai area in China. His Excellency the Governor of India can even discuss business there..."
"There was a Chinese businessman named Huang Chongde, whose son was a student of Governor Wang. He warmly received us, invited us to enjoy delicious food, and also invited us to enjoy Chinese music and dance. It was a kind of Chinese opera. Listen to the translation introduction and tell the story
It tells the story of a Chinese couple. Chinese operas are so elegant and beautiful, and every line of lyrics is written in the form of poetry. Chinese poets are everywhere..."
"We visited the Chinese School again. I heard that it was a charity school founded by Governor Wang. Every student can attend classes for free. I saw a mathematical character similar to Arabic numerals in the school..."
"His Excellency Tang Yin, another official of Governor Wang, is a talented painter and a master of Chinese opera. I have seen several of his paintings, which are different from any other painting style in Europe. He is very wise and humorous, and he is also a master of Chinese opera.
Let’s ask about some European customs…”
"The Governor-General of India, His Excellency Pires, requested to go up to the city tower to visit, but was ruthlessly rejected by the Chinese officials. I know that Pires wanted to observe the turrets and arrow towers of Hangzhou City up close. This is a very stupid idea. Does he still want to follow
Is this great Eastern country going to war?”
"China's territory is so vast, China's population is so large, and China has countless wealth. The founding monarch of the Ming Dynasty was just a beggar at first, but he led the army to drive away the fierce Mongols. How could such a country
Possibly conquering China by force? China is more difficult to deal with than the Ottoman Empire. We can only gain wealth in China through trade!"
"When Governor Wang returned to Hangzhou, we carefully inquired about him. He was a legendary Chinese general. I heard that he was born in a remote mountainous area in China and got first place in the national examination at the age of sixteen.
——I must focus on China’s imperial examination system, which is divided into junior three-level examinations and major three-level examinations. Official candidates are determined based on examination results, rather than determining a person’s official position based on blood. This is a perfect civil service system.
This enabled the Chinese emperor to rule over a vast territory..."
"Governor Wang not only ranked first in the national examination, but was also a natural-born general. There were peasant rebels in northern China. Governor Wang first entered the battlefield and attacked tens of thousands of rebels with two hundred cavalry and won a complete victory. He also repeatedly defeated thousands of rebels with a small number of cavalry.
After many victories, the rebels in northern China were finally wiped out. There are many such brave and capable generals in China. No wonder the Mongols were driven away by them. Mr. Pires actually wanted to secretly observe the military defense facilities in Hangzhou City. Isn't he afraid that Governor Wang will be angry?
?”
"The Chagatai Mongol Khanate, which once dominated Central Asia, is said to have been destroyed by Governor Wang. When Governor Wang was twenty years old, he led a thousand cavalry and three thousand infantry to go out and annihilated tens of thousands of Chagatai Mongolian cavalry. Yes.
Annihilate, not defeat. What kind of crazy achievement is this? If he were a European monarch, he would definitely be able to unify the European continent by force."
"Governor Wang has perfect moral character. He is not as greedy as other Chinese officials, but more like an ascetic monk. His governor's residence is even located in a dilapidated temple, so he is respected by all officials and people
.He did not need to use force at all, people were inspired by his virtue and cooperated to complete all the government orders he issued..."
"The more we know about this governor, the more eager we are to meet him. Perhaps, I can develop him into a believer and a little brother of the 'Franciscans' (the name among the church members). He will definitely
Will agree with the 'Franciscan' spiritual philosophy..."