Papers by Niping Yan
Knowing an Empire: Early Modern Chinese and Spanish Worlds in Dialogue, edited by Mackenzie Cooley and Huiyi Wu, 2025
In the 1570s, the Spanish empire expanded across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Although the Sp... more In the 1570s, the Spanish empire expanded across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Although the Spaniards had not reached mainland China, they had seized some islands in Southeast Asia, which became known as the Philippines, and established commerce with Chinese merchants in the colonial capital, Manila. In the 1580s-1590s, the Spaniards in the Philippines drew from the questionnaires of the relaciones geográficas to better understand the new land and its people. However, unlike the relaciones produced in the Americas, commerce with China emerged as a significant concern in the report from Manila. Moreover, the Chinese in the Philippines also played a significant role in the Spanish knowledge acquisition and production for the empire. In 1543, the Philippines Archipelago was named after the crown prince who would later obtain the title of King Philip II of Spain. 1 Following Ferdinand Magellan's global voyage, Spain sent a series of expeditions to Asia to compete with the Portuguese in the spice trade. Since Castile and Portugal had already claimed the most profitable Spice Islands (Moluccas
海洋史研究 (第二十二辑), 2024
本文追溯从 18 世纪初至 20 世纪初中文文献中指称美洲胭脂虫的术语及这些术语背后的知识史。胭脂虫原产于墨西哥及中美洲地区，因虫体内富含胭脂红酸，是制作高饱和度红色的原料。在化学合成染料发明之... more 本文追溯从 18 世纪初至 20 世纪初中文文献中指称美洲胭脂虫的术语及这些术语背后的知识史。胭脂虫原产于墨西哥及中美洲地区，因虫体内富含胭脂红酸，是制作高饱和度红色的原料。在化学合成染料发明之前， 胭脂虫是全球贸易中最为昂贵的天然红色原料。在 16 世纪 20 年代西班牙征服墨西哥后，胭脂虫逐渐成为西属美洲最为重要的出口商品之一，为西班牙帝国带来丰厚的利润，仅次于白银。约在 16 世纪末，美洲胭脂虫作为一种昂贵的红色颜料进入中国，之后亦用于丝织品染色。虽然昂贵的胭脂虫从未在 中国成为大众消费品，但中文文献中却存在大量指称该物的术语，包括“洋红”、“各作泥腊 ”、“ 呀兰米”、“ 呀兰米虫” 及 “胭脂虫” 等等 。 这些术语的诞生呈现了中国不同时期、地域、人群对于舶来品的认知与探索，而这些术语的消失也反映了其所附着的历史的变迁。
Journal of Global History, 2025
This article explores the evolution of Chinese terminology for American cochineal to study global... more This article explores the evolution of Chinese terminology for American cochineal to study global material culture in its local and trans-regional contexts. As the most highly valued insect-derived source of red colourant, American cochineal was introduced to China in the sixteenth century, with trade reaching its peak between the 1820s and mid-1870s. Since the early eighteenth century, various Chinese names emerged for cochineal; different terms were applied by different socioeconomic groups, though most were eventually forgotten. This article examines the emergence, spread, and persistence of predominant terms, alongside the obsolescence of others, within the context of Sino-European and regional knowledge exchange, trade dynamics, and scientific understanding of cochineal. The analysis demonstrates the evolution of Chinese terminology for cochineal was intricately linked to shifts within the intertwined spheres of global, regional, and local histories. It also reveals the coexistence and disconnection among various forms of global-local 'connectivity' through the linguistic dimensions concerning cochineal's presence in China.
文艺研究, 2020
广州海幢寺在18世纪末因英国马戛尔尼使团和荷兰使团的到访而成为欧洲人眼中最为知名的中国佛寺，也成为外销画的重要主题。海幢寺建筑与佛像题材外销组画至少曾存在英国版本、西班牙版本和荷兰版本等，由西班... more 广州海幢寺在18世纪末因英国马戛尔尼使团和荷兰使团的到访而成为欧洲人眼中最为知名的中国佛寺，也成为外销画的重要主题。海幢寺建筑与佛像题材外销组画至少曾存在英国版本、西班牙版本和荷兰版本等，由西班牙商馆首任大班曼努埃尔·德·阿格特（Manuel de Agote, 1755—1803）1796年订购的版本现藏广 州海幢寺。阿格特的日记稿本及艺术收藏展示了西班牙订购者在广州的活动与他的艺术趣味，他还为订购的海幢寺组画增补了西语注释，试图将寺院建筑与佛教故事的意涵解释给西语的观众群体，迎合了当时欧洲流行的东方学偏好。而海幢寺组画被西方人注释和观看的过程，凝结了东西方跨文化交流的历史，也强化了西方人的东方印象。
Thesis Chapters by Niping Yan
UBC dissertation , 2023
Following the establishment of the trans-Pacific trading network in the Philippines in 1571, the ... more Following the establishment of the trans-Pacific trading network in the Philippines in 1571, the islands emerged as a vibrant hub for commercial, social, and cultural interactions between the Chinese and Spaniards for over four centuries. This dissertation delves into the Sino-Hispanic cultural interactions in the late sixteenth-century Philippines, utilizing the creation of the Boxer Codex (c. 1590s) as its primary source. As a large-scale Spanish project displaying Asian ethnography, geography, and history, the Boxer Codex is essentially a product of colonial knowledge creation. However, more than half of its content, particularly illustrations, is devoted to China. In addition, Chinese individuals in the Philippines played a significant role in the codex’s production, serving as informants, translators, and illustrators. This dissertation examines the textual and visual details found in the Boxer Codex to illuminate the intellectual backgrounds of the Spanish and Chinese individuals involved in its creation, as well as the interactions between their distinct literary practices, political worldviews, and cultural beliefs.
The dissertation is structured into two parts. The first part situates the Spanish codex within the broader context of sixteenth-century book cultures. Chapter 2 traces the arrival of European prints in the Spanish colony and the influence of European book decoration art on Chinese artisans. Chapter 3 connects Ming reading culture to knowledge production in the Philippines. Chapter 4 investigates how the interactions between European and Chinese book cultures in the Philippines enabled the construction of the “Chinese Bestiary” in the codex. The second part shifts its focus to the tensions. Chapters 5 and 6 delve into the representation of the “Other” and the Sangley couple, respectively. Chapter 7 questions the omission of the patron goddess of Chinese maritime communities in the codex’s chapter on “Chinese Deities.” In all, this dissertation argues that the sixteenth-century book reading and print cultures of both China and Europe, along with local tensions in the Philippines during the 1590s, impacted the decisions and actions of the Spanish and Chinese participants in the creation of the Boxer Codex, consequently shaping the knowledge the Spanish codex presented.
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Papers by Niping Yan
Thesis Chapters by Niping Yan
The dissertation is structured into two parts. The first part situates the Spanish codex within the broader context of sixteenth-century book cultures. Chapter 2 traces the arrival of European prints in the Spanish colony and the influence of European book decoration art on Chinese artisans. Chapter 3 connects Ming reading culture to knowledge production in the Philippines. Chapter 4 investigates how the interactions between European and Chinese book cultures in the Philippines enabled the construction of the “Chinese Bestiary” in the codex. The second part shifts its focus to the tensions. Chapters 5 and 6 delve into the representation of the “Other” and the Sangley couple, respectively. Chapter 7 questions the omission of the patron goddess of Chinese maritime communities in the codex’s chapter on “Chinese Deities.” In all, this dissertation argues that the sixteenth-century book reading and print cultures of both China and Europe, along with local tensions in the Philippines during the 1590s, impacted the decisions and actions of the Spanish and Chinese participants in the creation of the Boxer Codex, consequently shaping the knowledge the Spanish codex presented.