Abstract:

This article re-examines the view that Juan González de Mendoza’s 1585 Historia signifies early modern European Sinology’s genesis. It highlights overlooked pre-1585 Iberian and Ottoman texts on China, including 16th century Portuguese travelogues and histories, 1575-1605 Spanish accounts, and Ali Akbar’s 1516 Ottoman Khataynameh portraying Ming China. The objective is stimulating debate on re-conceptualizing fledgling Sinology’s origins, potentially shifting its roots further back before Mendoza’s 1585 work. Early Portuguese and Spanish eyewitness narratives and compilations on China preceded sixteenth century treatises methodically gathering information for European audiences. Meanwhile, Akbar’s Khataynameh offered Ottoman circles an authoritative profile of China. Highlighting these overlooked pre-1585 perspectives challenges Western European assumptions about Sinology’s genesis, inviting scholarly rethinking. The diverse preliminary attempts at comprehending China reveal embryonic Sinology emerging through incipient Sino-European interactions before coalescing as a formal academic discipline in nineteenth century Europe. Retrieving evidence of pre-1585 engagement broadens conceptualizations of early modern Eurasian knowledge accumulation.

Keywords: