Jonathan Spence's novel The Question of Hu covers mid-eighteenth century travels from China to the western world of a Jesuit missionary, Father Jean-Francois Foucquet, and a Chinese scribe, John Hu. The reader is led to have a sympathetic view of Hu, even though the narrator does not come out and explain exactly how the reader should feel, because he is a Chinese scribe in Europe where little people can communicate with him through speaking. On the same line, he tore the blanket to show his opposition to those who captured and put him under custody.Being a visitor in a foreign country, his constant disappearance worried Jean-Francois the priest who brought him to France. An editor 'The Question of Hu ' ' is an unique and interesting book because it has characteristics of historical work and it can also be read as a novel. HU Student housing report His action may be considered stealing but it can also be considered borrowing depending on personal point of view. In China, being a guest of someones home means being appreciative and good mannered, making Hus behavior completely, American Culture And Hollywood In The 1970's, Pro Athletes Deserve High Salaries Analysis. I believe in Chinese culture, being given something not asked for amount to scolding. They tried to force Hu adopt to theirs culture while on the other hand he did not even attempt to force or entice them to adopt Chinese culture (Mojtabai, 2006). Their cultures were odd and unacceptable to Spanish conquerers, therefore Spanish forces decided to destroy their cultures and force natives to assimilate in Spanish/European culture. He believed the idea of "learning from the foreigner to restrain the foreigner and criticizing those in power for refusing to adopt superior western technology" (Yang Zhao 1982:454). of humanity-in-time; related disciplines, interactions between history and the . Throughout the whole story, Hu is portrayed as a bit of a madman, whose condition grows worse as time passes. Body 4 Despite all their efforts to intimidate him and get information out of him, he refused to surrender. By keeping the wind in his eyes he is trying to prevent seeing the changes he has been feeling. 437-58., The two main advocates of this theory are St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century and William Paley in the 19th century; we will examine both in turn. Before they even reached Europe, Foucquet began having concerns about Hus sanity. 1st ed. But Hu's behavior seems so strange to the people around him that he ends up being declared insane & committed to an asylum. 2008-2023 Custom writing papers. Here, the reader can see that the incongruity between lies and truth regarding his war experiences obstructs him from normal interests such as deciding what to do next in life. It just kept going on and on about the Chinese volumes that dealt with language and natural history. For someone new to studying modern China, a student or an aspiring researcher, the book comes highly recommended. I'm sorry, I have no information about the essay services. A brief but interesting story. As she stared at the window watching flashes of lightening one night, she thought about God bowling and how surly if that were true the floor would break, spilling the contents of heaven down upon everyone or at least the bowling ball would fall to earth. They even tried to coax him by promising better treatment. The article examines Jonathan Spence's book The Question of Hu, asking the central question as to what difference it makes if the book is viewed as history or fiction. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Nowhere else will you find a more valid or condensed analysis of Chinas growth as a Global, When the Starbucks company entered China in 1999, there were many criticism about whether this was a good decision to make. In the book, Father Fouquet is called from China back to France. . Throughout his life, John Henry Newman preached to many about Jesus and he proved to be successful in helping the Roman Catholic Church. 4th ed. By now there have been about 17 English versions of this wonderful novel provided by both Sinologists and Chinese translators. The excellence of "The Question of Hu" lies in its brevity and understatement. It is the story of John Hu, a lowly but devout Chinese Catholic, who in 1722 accompani. The Question of Hu. Spence did an excellent job creating something compelling out of his research materials, but even at a mere 134 pages, this book still has its fair share of padding. This event demonstrates that Hus traditions and values are different from European culture. This is an unusual, well documented and nicely put together story about the adventures of a Chinese man who came to Europe in the 18th century and the moral conundra (that IS the plural of conundrum, isn't it?) Jonathan D. Spence is a historian specializing in Chinese history. . To what extent did the photographs taken by Jeff Widner of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 affect the foreign relations between, Theoretical Foundation Journal of World History 14.4 (2003): Pg. My dear Sir,' said Mr Otis, 'you must oil those chains. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. A Question of Trust was written by Victor Canning. A very frequent question will arise in our mind; why the author depicted ghost in such an awkward situation? At once a triumph of historical detective work and a gripping narrative, 3. There were several Chinese citizens who told the author what they thought about the Cultural Revolution., Some of the portraits of the emperor, for example, were drawn by foreigners. Foucquet has set out to prove that Chinese religious texts were given to the Chinese by the Christian God. 'The Question of Hu ' ' is an unique and interesting book because it has characteristics of historical work and it can also be read as a novel. He was even threatened with execution, but he still refused to talk. Although Gregor had no choice but to adapt to his new disheveled room since he couldnt move it himself and the charwomen wasnt going to move it either., He describes how Danny passes out in the back seat and Alex cranks the window down to keep the wind in his eyes (511). In a sequence of shocking events, he was detained at a camp and tortured by the paratroopers. The reason why it can also be considered as a novel is because the book has a central theme and the main character called "Hu". I'm not entirely sure what to make of this book. GCSE Modern World History. A fascinating account of all of the things that can go wrong when good intentions meet cultural conflicts. The essay is a critical examination of Spencer's work, 'The Question of Hu'. He was put under severe duress. (1) 'The Question of Hu ' ' is an unique and interesting book because it has characteristics of historical work and it can also be read as a novel. The Question Of Hu Summary Decent Essays 826 Words 4 Pages Open Document Throughout the book The Question of Hu by Jonathan D. Spence the Chinese man John Hu often has his sanity called into question due to several episodes where his actions appeared insane to a European from this era. Eds. The Question Of Hu Summary Although the question of his mental state is never fully answered by the author it is clear that Hu's oddities stem from more than just cultural differences. The treatment of Hu in this book makes it clear that the European people viewed the Chinese as inferior second class citizens The Questions of Hu is not merely an account of two men traveling across the globe, but it is a narrative of how good intentions and ideas can turn into an international incident as a result of language and cultural . Historically those individual being locked up were considered to be insane, thieves, rapist (criminals). It was a quick and enjoyable read, informative for its size. (2015). The author has done an extremely good job of actually reaching out to people within the Chinese bureaucracy and getting insider information on some major incidents. But I felt that spence could have used maybe a metaphor or a simile to make it more interesting for the readers and to also keep them engaged with the book. "Hu stole a horse today. Is it an extended ethical dilemma case study, or a history book, or? Simon and Schuster MacMillan, 1996., Walsh, B. Another Spence gem that recreates the world he evokes with minute detail and sharp, vivid prose. Authored by: DHAVAL Luckily for creative nonfiction writers, Jonathan Spence is an historian who believes in the . please sign up Coherent Cookies Policy: our aim is customer satisfaction! Taken without its preface, it is a very imaginatively designed, meticulously researched histo. Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. Hu was to help the priest in translating a Chinese document. Marco Polo is important due to his travels from his home to China along the Silk Roads, working for Chinas leader, and recording everything he saw into one of the most controversial books of its time. World History. Why this culture can keep for thousands year? Most of the times, he was very unpredictable as he could be happy then suddenly become angry. Beth, Danielle, and Richard ducked, but Timmy wasnt so lucky because the book hit him straight between the eyes., Lumire started to run. Clearly identify the problems faced by Qian Hu He was an unmarried fifty-year-old man who used to work as a locksmith. Surprisingly, although the blanket was of good quality and could provide sufficient warmth, he just tore it into pieces. It could be debated that China opened up foreign policy for wealth or security could be the ultimate goal which would prove the realist application invalid. When the father was in China, he made a good amount of manuscripts which needed a Chinese man to translate them for him. In my opinion, despite the fact that Hu tried his best to conform to European culture, he still held dear some of the Chinese culture. The Question of Hu by Jonathan D. Spence reconstructs the journey of Father Jean-Francois Foucquet and John Hu from China to Europe during mid-seventeenth century. While travelling, according to the priest, the behaviors Hu exhibited were 'Chinese madness' (Spencer 1989). It is worth noting that his failure to doing so made the priest to make arrangements for him to be locked up.For two years being behind bars, he asks why he was locked. In addition, even though historians present Americas awe of China as preoccupation, what American officials really value are wealth, opportunities and the idea of following Manifest Destiny. Jonathan Spence provokes various questions in The Question of Hu. In addition to the paintings, conquering the Muslim Uigurs and the Tibetans and incorporating them into Qing Dynasty (Marks 70) was another point that showed china was not isolated. company because there was no way to show which ones are better. This made him hold the view that Hu is his servant. When he hears of the news that Foucquet is going to France and needs a copyist he quickly agrees. Applying the liberalism method provided above has its faults. Print., Bibliography: Christian, David. Sixth Edition. The question of h Perhaps China was taking an evolutionary step to democracy. If you directly translate the essay in Chinese to English, there is a very high chance that the some of the content would not make any sense to our professors., In the first chapter of Professor Changs book Fateful Ties, Professor Chang mentions that even if most American politicians supported Chinese governments decision of trying to block the intrusive opium trade, the Americans still joined the opium trade in order to gain interests for America itself. I see no correlation between your post and Alleg's autobiographical book, The Question. When we have the same kind of thinking and views, he will no doubt give us a high score on the essay since we can occasionally create resonances with him. Dill and Jem were simply going to peep in the window with the loose shutter to see if they could get a look at Boo Radley (Lee 68-69). For example, parents would not be okay with their child traveling overseas because of merely one article written by another young adult. Spence includes a great deal of historical context while telling the story of Jesuit Jean-Frangois Foucquet. This book in my opinion can be added to what we learned in class to the chapter about Imperialism. However, the question remains if Spence's research fits within the strict confines of historical literature, or whether its narrative-driven style is more characteristic of a historical novel. Difference and bound between Europe and China in 18th century was stronger and more obvious than it is. John Murray Publishing. With a growing open access offering, Wiley is committed to the widest possible dissemination of and access to the content we publish and supports all sustainable models of access. He constantly held the opinion that women and men should be separated, a thorn to European flesh. JSTOR provides a digital archive of the print version of History and The Question and Answer section for The Question is a great In my view due to globalization and advancement in technology, people from different background meet hence, there is need to appreciate the cultures for peaceful existence. Some of them enjoy a worldwide reputation, like the versions written by John Minford and Herbert A .Giles., Mahayana was in a reconstruction period when it entered China, thus allowing China to have a large influence on the religion. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. We thank the Reviewers for their positive comments for our choice of model system as well as for their thoughtful comments, perspectives, and constructive suggestions to improve our proposal. A groan escaped from the bed in the room. Foucquet has set out to prove that Chinese religious texts were given to the Chinese by the Christian God. Your request should consist of 5 char min. His room was filthy, his furniture was rearranged, and he treated Mrs. Baynes and her daughter very poorly, even threatening to hit her daughter on one occasion (Spence 82). These two tests vary in planned purpose, content selection, and scoring process, which determines how the educator construes the test outcomes. Our online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) is one of the worlds most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities. Glanz, K. (2008) provides a whole chapter on using the PRECEDE-PROCEED, Evaluators categorize tests into two major groups: norm-referenced tests (NRTs) and criterion-referenced tests (CRTs). While travelling, according to the priest, the behaviors Hu exhibited were 'Chinese madness' (Spencer 1989). [ 3 ]. As a comrade working under Deng since the 1930s, Hus political ups and downs mirrored Dengs turbulent political career. Hu, on the other hand, is a Christian convert. John Hu accompanied the Jesuit missionary Jean-Francois Foucquet on his trip back to France in 1721 to help him with transcribing scholarly materials, but by the time they arrived in Europe their relationship had begun to deteriorate. You would need to contact Gradesaver directly for that information. 5. Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 In short, this investigation considers and questions the influence western media coverage had in its, Porters (focus on points that lead to fall in profits), SWOT (focus on points that lead to fall in profits), Recommendations , END. Edwin: Kenny Yap, Father Yap, credible article is looking for credentials and qualifications of the authors. Throughout the book, Spence addresses several issues on cultural differences between China and Europe, with their varied definitions of sanity, moral obligation, and social status. He was afterwards released and pronounced competent and went back to his native country, on the other hand the Priest Jean-Francois was promoted to become a bishop.Generally speaking the novel talks deeply about cultural differences and the difficulties individuals undergo in trying to integrate into new cultures. Foucquets assumption of Western and Christian superiority is linked to his attempt to prove that the ancient Chinese texts were given to men by the same god that Christians worship in hopes of converting more Chinese to Christianity. The reason why it can also be considered as a novel is because the book has a central theme and the main character called "Hu". John Hu is a Chinese man that is literate but not educated. History and Theory is the premier international journal in the field facing the man who brought him. John immediately started to panic and started hyperventilating, which made Richard worry since he knew that John liked puzzles and tricks. The Chinese in All of Us. Reading Literature and Writing Argument 5th ed. Pu is believed to create simple and interesting fantasies with the intention of revealing and criticizing the darkness in the society of China at that particular time. Or borrowed, according to your point of viewThe man [the owner of the horse] tethered his house and went off on his business in the household. This story of a Chinese man's visit to Europe in the early 18th century is a really cool book on a few different levels. (United States 2011), 346, Solomon, R.C. The historical significance of Steinbeck and his writing are important because he wrote his most famous books about and during the Great Depression. speculative philosophy of history, comparative and global history; historiography, The Question study guide contains a biography of Henri Alleg, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Of course, no human deserves to be treated the way Hu was treated in the insane asylum in Charenton, but Father Jean-Franois Foucquet would have benefited . Jonathan D. Spence. The Question of Hu, written beautifully by Jonathan Spence, should be considered an important contribution to the broad field of humanities. The people who oppose the idea of a gap year need substantial evidence that a gap year is worth it. The Question is an autobiographical piece that chronicles particular moments in the author's life and the ordeals he faced in the "El-Biar" and "Lodi" camps. Jonathan Spence's The Question of Hu (Vintage, 1989) is an account of a French Jesuit missionary Foucquet who brought a devout Chinese Catholic named Hu over to France as a scribe in1722. Removing this book will also remove your associated ratings, reviews, and reading sessions. Publication date 1989 Topics Hu, John, 18th cent., Foucquet, Jean Franois, 1665-1741., Catholic converts -- China -- Biography., Mental illness -- France -- History -- 18th century. Liao Zhai Zhi Yi, as one of the most influential Chinese classical literatures, is a collection of short stories written by Pu Songling in the Qing Dynasty. Spence includes a great deal of historical context while telling the story of Jesuit Jean-Frangois Foucquet. Conclusion and Recommendations 5 While Peterson may not have any conflicts with other employees, hiring a new employee without consideration of how theyd fit in, is a sure way of creating potential conflict as she does with Wu. . Though, broadly speaking this seems like a valid point, more analysis is required to assess its veracity., China Goes Global: The Partial Power is an easy to understand, entry point into a world of scholarship that has, up until this point, largely been out of the hands of the public. Identify and discuss key, Throughout the book The Question of Hu by Jonathan D. Spence the Chinese man John Hu often has his sanity called into question due to several episodes where his actions appeared insane to a European from this era. After all of his studies, Newman decided to become a Roman Catholic (New Catholic Encyclopedia)., The European domination emerged not only because of China losing its political independence, but also because of the worships from some Chinese citizens and Qing officials. Spence gathers the clues to answer whether Hu was insane, or was it in fact a cultural misunderstanding? The Qianlong in his study, an ink and colors on silk, was portrayed by Giuseppe Castiglione and Jin Tingbiao, and the painting technique was largely affected by the Europe style (Elliott 108). Not affiliated with Harvard College. Also, people in high-context cultures set the bar, Chiang Yees work was written in English and capitalised on the increased Western interest in China and the East at the beginning of the twentieth century. available at http://www.interscience.wiley.com. This worried the priest and he had to take necessary action. Historians realize that the United States and other western powers are wealthy and powerful but are unsure if China views them as an example., His travels were later recorded into a book called the, II Milione, which gave Europeans insight of the world beyond them. The Questions of Hu In 1989, Jonathan D. Spence published a historical novel entitled The Question of Hu. They would wish Gregor would get annoyed by the clutter and leave himself. 43 reviews This lively and elegant book by the acclaimed historian Jonathan D. Spence reconstructs an extraordinary epsiode in the early intercourse between China and Europe. 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