As China opens up and people's incomes rise, studying in Europe and the US is nothing new. When it comes to studying in the West, you will surely think of the pioneer Yung Wing. But little known is that before him, there was a Chinese who went to the West to study, and became the "outstanding student of China".
That man is Zheng Ma’nuo or Emmanuel de Sequeira. He was born in Macao, China, in 1633 (some say 1635). Macao was a residence of Portugal (Macau really became a colony during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), and it was an important stronghold for the communication between China and the West.
Growing up in the background of the “eastward spread of Western Culture”, Zheng had a vision that many Chinese people did not have at that time. A Belgian Jesuit, whose Chinese name was Lu De, known as the "apostle of Annan", became his mentor and friend, from whom Zheng acquired western scientific and cultural knowledge and expanded his horizon.
Martino Martini, an Italian missionary and Sinologist, initiated the Study Abroad Movement, hoping that there would be Chinese people willing to study in Europe, so as to propel the cause of Catholicism in China and promote the cultural exchanges between China and the West. Within such a background, Zheng went to Europe on Lu De's recommendation and became one of the earliest Chinese to study in the West.
In 1645, Lu De set sail for Europe with Zheng who was only 12 years old, from Macau.
They were detained by the Dutch in what is now Indonesia for three months and nearly imprisoned in the Ottoman Empire after being mistaken for Tatars. By the time Zheng got to Rome, it was 1650.
Zheng enrolled at the Jesuit College of St. Andrew's, where he spent 22 months completing a course of study that would take European students four years. Westerners were amazed and admired this high-achieving student from China.
In 1653, he joined the Society of Jesus and transferred to the Roman public school, where he studied rhetoric, logic, physical chemistry, music, and Greek. At that time, the education of Britain and the United States had not yet risen, and Italy was an important educational base in Europe. What Zheng was exposed to at that time could be considered as top education in the world.
After graduating with honors, Zheng was left to teach in Rome, where he was responsible for Latin, Greek grammar and literature. That was the first time a Chinese had taught Greek literature at a prestigious Western institution.
In 1660, Zheng became a priest. He returned to China in 1666. In 1668, he arrived in Macao and worked at St. Paul's College. Before long, Emperor Kangxi eradicated the Aobai Group, and Jesuits such as Ferdinand Verbiest were once again placed in important positions. After the dispute between Chinese and Western calendars, Emperor Kangxi became interested in western science and technology. When he about heard Zheng Ma’nuo, a Chinese in Macao who practiced both Chinese and Western education, he felt very happy and hoped to meet him and even give him an important position.
But just as Zheng was about to start a new life, he fell seriously ill and died in Beijing on May 26, 1673. His untimely death was a great loss in the history of cultural exchange between China and the West.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Sophia Chen
随着中国日益开放以及人们收入的提高，到欧美国家留学早已不是什么新鲜事了。而说到西方留学，大家肯定会想到先驱人物容闳。可鲜为人知的是，早在他之前就有一位中国人前往西方留学，并成为当时的“中国学霸”。
这个人叫郑玛诺，1633年（一说1635年）生于中国澳门。这里是葡萄牙的居住地（澳门真正沦为殖民地是在清光绪年间），为中西方交流的重要据点。
郑玛诺在西学东渐的大背景下成长，有着那个时代很多国人不具备的眼光。而有着“安南宗徒”之称的比利时耶稣会士陆德，成了他的良师益友。郑玛诺从他那里学习到不少西方的科学文化知识，拓展了视野。
意大利传教士、汉学家卫匡国发起了海外留学运动，希望能有中国人到欧洲求学，以促进天主教在华事业，推动中西文化的交流。郑玛诺就在这样的背景下，通过陆德的推荐，前往了欧洲，成为中国最早到西方留学的人之一。
1645年，陆德带着年仅12岁的郑玛诺从澳门出发，乘船前往欧洲。可他们一路却是历经波折，先是在今天的印尼遭到了荷兰人扣押三个月，接着又在奥斯曼帝国境内被误认为鞑靼人差点入狱。因此当郑玛诺到达罗马时，已经是1650年了。
郑玛诺进入耶稣会主办的圣安德肋学院深造，他用了22个月的时间，完成了欧洲学生需要四年才能掌握的课程。这让西方人感到惊讶，佩服这位来自中国的学霸。
1653年，郑玛诺加入耶稣会，转入罗马公学学习修辞学、逻辑学、物理化学、音乐和希腊语等多门课程。当时英美等国教育尚未崛起，意大利是欧洲重要的教育基地，郑玛诺所接触的，可以说是当年世界范围最顶尖的学问。
郑以优异成绩毕业后，被留在罗马任教，负责拉丁文、希腊文法与文学，这是中国人首次在西方著名学府中教授希腊文学。
1660年，郑成为神父，并于1666年回国。1668年，他到达澳门，在圣保禄学院工作。不久康熙铲除了鳌拜集团，南怀仁等耶稣会士再次得到了重用。而在中西历法之争以后，康熙对西方科学技术产生了浓厚兴趣。当他听说在澳门有位学贯中西的中国人郑玛诺时，感到非常高兴，希望能够接见他，甚至让他担任要职。
可正当准备开启新的人生时，郑玛诺却突发重病，于 1673年5月26日在北京安息。郑玛诺的英年早逝是中西文化交流史上的重大损失，而且他作为中国人的身份，可以在清廷里发挥更大作用，甚至促进科学在华的传播。
郑玛诺小传——这位中国最早的留学生，还成为了欧洲人的教授
As China opens up and people's incomes rise, studying in Europe and the US is nothing new. When it comes to studying in the West, you will surely think of the pioneer Yung Wing. But little known is that before him, there was a Chinese who went to the West to study, and became the "outstanding student of China".
That man is Zheng Ma’nuo or Emmanuel de Sequeira. He was born in Macao, China, in 1633 (some say 1635). Macao was a residence of Portugal (Macau really became a colony during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), and it was an important stronghold for the communication between China and the West.
Growing up in the background of the “eastward spread of Western Culture”, Zheng had a vision that many Chinese people did not have at that time. A Belgian Jesuit, whose Chinese name was Lu De, known as the "apostle of Annan", became his mentor and friend, from whom Zheng acquired western scientific and cultural knowledge and expanded his horizon.
Martino Martini, an Italian missionary and Sinologist, initiated the Study Abroad Movement, hoping that there would be Chinese people willing to study in Europe, so as to propel the cause of Catholicism in China and promote the cultural exchanges between China and the West. Within such a background, Zheng went to Europe on Lu De's recommendation and became one of the earliest Chinese to study in the West.
In 1645, Lu De set sail for Europe with Zheng who was only 12 years old, from Macau.
They were detained by the Dutch in what is now Indonesia for three months and nearly imprisoned in the Ottoman Empire after being mistaken for Tatars. By the time Zheng got to Rome, it was 1650.
Zheng enrolled at the Jesuit College of St. Andrew's, where he spent 22 months completing a course of study that would take European students four years. Westerners were amazed and admired this high-achieving student from China.
In 1653, he joined the Society of Jesus and transferred to the Roman public school, where he studied rhetoric, logic, physical chemistry, music, and Greek. At that time, the education of Britain and the United States had not yet risen, and Italy was an important educational base in Europe. What Zheng was exposed to at that time could be considered as top education in the world.
After graduating with honors, Zheng was left to teach in Rome, where he was responsible for Latin, Greek grammar and literature. That was the first time a Chinese had taught Greek literature at a prestigious Western institution.
In 1660, Zheng became a priest. He returned to China in 1666. In 1668, he arrived in Macao and worked at St. Paul's College. Before long, Emperor Kangxi eradicated the Aobai Group, and Jesuits such as Ferdinand Verbiest were once again placed in important positions. After the dispute between Chinese and Western calendars, Emperor Kangxi became interested in western science and technology. When he about heard Zheng Ma’nuo, a Chinese in Macao who practiced both Chinese and Western education, he felt very happy and hoped to meet him and even give him an important position.
But just as Zheng was about to start a new life, he fell seriously ill and died in Beijing on May 26, 1673. His untimely death was a great loss in the history of cultural exchange between China and the West.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Sophia Chen
Brief Biography of Emmanuel de Sequeira, The Earliest Chinese Student Studying Abroad
