Highlight Event

The Marvels of Asia in the Eyes of
Polish Jesuit Michal Piotr Boym, SJ

Cultural Affairs Bureau–Macao Central Library, The Consulate General of the
Republic of Poland in Hong Kong and The Macau Ricci Institute are co-hosting an
exhibition themed Between Science and Art: The Marvels of Asia in the Eyes of
Polish Jesuit, Michal Piotr Boym, SJ, in which dozens of works (duplicates) of the
well-known 17th Century Polish missionary, sinologist and painter Father Michal
Piotr Boym, SJ (1612-1659) - will be showcased. Outreach activities like lectures and
book exhibitions will also be conducted.

//Chinese Mitten Crabs and Partial Map of Hainan Island | Guangdong coastal places and mines are indicated on the map; the Chinese mitten crab has a white cross image on its shell and lives in the South China Sea; the burying place of the famous St. Francis Xavier is on Shangchuan Island.。

//Poria and map of Guizhou Province | The map shows fruitful mineral resources of Guizhou Province, poria (a plant with medicinal properties) plus local practices like officials receiving imperial edicts, a civil feast, and others.

Text, Photo: Macao Central Library

Known as ‘The Polish Marco Polo’, Boym was a pioneer of European Sinology. He was also one of the Westerners who brought a Chinese map drawn in the 17th Century to Europe. His accurately illustrated Atlas of China reflects the Chinese geographical situation of the day. The map not only precisely depicts the geographical locations of Chinese provinces, important cities, rivers and the Great Wall, which rectified the incorrect portrayal of China by European cartographers, but also indicates the distribution of Chinese animals, plants and minerals at that time.

Chinese Flora is an important work of Boym. It is the first flora of China written by a Western missionary and has ground-breaking significance in terms of the transference of knowledge of Chinese plants to the West.

Boym took the lead in introducing Chinese medicinal masterpieces like Huangdi Neijing and The Pulse Classic, a crucial act in the transmission of Chinese medicinal plant knowledge to the West. He opened the door for studies of Chinese medicine in the West and is the first person to have conducted comparative studies of Sino- Western medicine.

//Human Anatomy Display and Meridian Acupuncture | The human meridian system and acupoints for acupuncture, which have inherited fundamental Chinese medical wisdom for over 4,000 years, are shown in the diagram. Even now, Chinese doctors still employ the system to effectively heal various diseases.

//Lychee | According to Boym’s description, lychee and longan were the fruits growing in southern China which tasted as sweet as strawberry. Their seeds were medicinal and could cure various diseases.

The exhibition showcases maps, animals, plants and human structures illustrated by Boym and are of historical significance and artistic value. The exhibition will be launched in the garden of the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, presenting the animals drawn by Boym in three-dimensions in the classical garden. Exhibition-goers can thus walk amid actual scenes and creations, bringing Boym’s world from some 400 years ago to our present day.

In addition to drawings, a book exhibition presenting valuable books relating to Boym and a lecture by Polish and Beijing academics will be unveiled on the day the exhibition starts. The hosting entity has specially selected several representative works of Boym to produce souvenirs.

During the exhibition, a relevant workshop is also available to enhance the vividness of the exhibition.

Art Exhibition:

Date: 8th November 2014 to 18th January 2015

Time: 10:00am to 7:00pm

Title: Between Science and Art: The Marvels of Asia in the Eyes of Polish Jesuit Michal Piotr Boym, SJ

Location: Ground floor and Multi-functional Hall on the 2nd floor of Sir Robert Ho Tung Library

Content: Some 40 works (duplicates) of well-known 17th Century Polish missionary, Sinologist and painter Father Michal Piotr Boym - as well as dozens of related books will be showcased.

Seminar:

Date: 8th November 2014 (Saturday)

Time: 3:00pm-5:00pm

Location: Sir Robert Ho Tung Library

Chairperson: Artur Wardega, SJ

Lecturers: Prof. Edward Kajdanski from The University of Gdańsk in Poland (An academic specialising in Michal Piotr Boym), Prof. Monika Miazek from the Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznan in Poland, Prof. Zhang Xiping and Mr. Zhang Zhenhui from Beijing (translators of Collected Works of Michal Piotr Boym).