Ricci institute of Taipei

the Ricci Institute of Taipei (IRT) was founded in 1966 by the father Yves Raguin (1912-1998) and other Jesuits sinologists. He is now the editor of the electronic review and Renlai paper. He took the continuation of the sinological office of the University Dawn of Shanghai, launched in 1892 by French Jesuits to work on the Chinese language and religions. The office animated a collection of books, the “Sinological Varieties”, whose IRT preserves the leading direction still today.

Works

The IRT had at the beginning two goals:

to finish the preparation and the publication of the Large Ricci or “Ricci Dictionary of the Chinese language”, works begun in 1950. The Dictionary was finally published in 2002: it includes/understands seven volumes, nine thousand pages, more than 300,000 definitions; it is recognized to be the dictionary foreign Chinese-language most complete in the world.
to lead studies of compared spirituality, with a special interest for the Taoism and the Buddhism Chinese. Yves Raguin published a score of works on this subject.

In 1996, Benoit Vermander, s.j succeeded Yves Raguin with the direction of the Institute. The interaction with the continental China, the redefinition of the tasks of the Institute, the search for financial means widened made it possible to conclude the following tasks:

publication of the Large Ricci, launching of the project of perpetual dictionary, preparation of an edition shortened in continental China;
organization of seven conferences in continental China, in particular with Chengdu in partnership with the Academy of social sciences of Sichuan, on subjects such as “environment and development”, “art and spirituality”, “the concept of Harmony in the East and Occident”, “the management of the conflicts in the schools”…
publication of a score of works. Among them, a collection of twelve volumes of the first Chinese Christian writings (1583-1800), writings of traditional medicine, old treaties on the conditions to fill to carry out the war or to seek peace…
the creation of an elementary school models in a village of an ethnic minority of the Sichuan (the Yi), with 2700 meters of altitude, project amplified with the launching of work of hydraulics and agricultural and artisanal formations.
various research projects on the language of this minority of Sichuan and certain languages aboriginals of Taiwan, support for student-researchers;

The Institute has been centred for ten years towards the following task: to nourish the dialog and the reflection with through which China can become an active partner, recognized and person in charge of universalization and an integral development of the man. “Cultural diversity”, “sustainable development” and “spiritual advance” are the three axes around of which it develops a reflection around the challenges and of the contributions present of China.

Publications of the IRT

(In progress)

Renlai monthly

The review Renlai (“the flute - or the voice - human”, a Chinese expression which goes back to the treaty taoist Zhuangzi is a monthly magazine in Chinese language (108 pages, large size), published starting from Taipei since January 2004, on social subjects, spiritual and cultural. Published by the Ricci Institute of Taipei, it is published in partnership with the review Jesuit Frenchwoman Etudes. The review also launched a review Internet eRenlai available in English, traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese. Renlai and eRenlai pay an special attention to the questions of sustainable development, cultural diversity and mobilization of the spiritual resources in Chinese world.

References

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