Teaching Louis XIV to Use Chopsticks: Towards a Biography of Shen Fuzong

Principal Investigator

Stuart MCMANUS

Total Fund Awarded

HK$81,090

Funding Source

Direct Grant for Research
(2024/2025)

Abstract of Project

This project explores the life and times of Shen Fuzong (1658–1691), the first and most learned Chinese visitor to early modern Europe. Through preliminary research, conference engagement, and the publication of translated Latin sources, the project lays the groundwork for the first full-scale biography of Shen. His journey—from Nanjing to Versailles, Oxford, and Rome—offers a unique lens into early Sino-Western cultural exchange. By reconstructing Shen’s experiences and reception across diverse European contexts, the project contributes to global intellectual history and supports CUHK’s mission to bridge China and the West through rigorous, multilingual scholarship.