IN THE LIGHT AND SHADOW OF AN EMPEROR 

This international conference, beginning first in Lisbon before moving onto Macau, commemorates the 3rd centenary of the death of Tomás Pereira, S.J..

A member of the court of Emperor Kangxi throughout over thirty years (1673-1708), the Jesuit Tomás Pereira not only strived to maintain a unique and intimate relationship with the emperor but also established reputations as an innovative musician and able mediator in Sino-Russian relations. Having intermittently held the post of Prefect to the Court of Mathematics and with the effective role as representative and protector of the Christian Mission in the Imperial Court, he was also responsible for drafting the Imperial Edict on the Tolerance of Christianity in China.

Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective and making recourse to primary sources, this conference aims to revisit the life and work of Tomás Pereira within the context of not only the Mission to China but also Chinese politics and culture at the court of his time.

Organisation: Fundação Oriente, Ricci Institute of Macau, Oriental Institute – ISCSP-UTL, Centre of Science History – (FC-UL)