When discussing the history of Sinology before modern times, our thoughts often turn to Europe. Yet, Islamic scholars also extensively engaged with Chinese civilization, sparking extensive debates that have hitherto remained largely neglected. This talk showcases the depth and sophistication of these discussions by examining the Chinese studies of arguably the most prominent Islamic student of China before modernity: the Persian vizier Rashid al-Din (d. 1318). The establishment of the Mongol empire in the thirteenth century united West and East Asia into a single transcontinental polity, facilitating the movement of people, goods, and ideas between the two regions. In West Asia, this sudden influx of East Asian material and cultural wares resulted in a quantum leap forward in Islamic knowledge of the region, especially China. The Sinological writings by Rashid al-Din encapsulate this development. Writing at the Mongol court of Iran, Rashid al-Din embarked in a systematic examination of Chinese history, geography, and culture based on primary sources, producing an extensive corpus of writings that now stands as the first collection of Sinological scholarship in world history. Drawing from a thorough engagement with these writings, including manuscripts, this talk provides an overview of Rashid al-Din’s intellectual engagement with Chinese civilization, examining their content and elaborating on their importance for the study of West and East Asian history, as well as world history at large.

Dr. Francesco Calzolaio
Society of Fellows in the Humanities, The University of Hong Kong