The Question of Hu

This lively and elegant book by the acclaimed historian, Jonathan D. Spence, reconstructs an extraordinary episode in the early intercourse between Europe and China. It is the story of John Hu, a lowly, but devout Chinese Catholic who in 1722 accompanied a Jesuit missionary on a journey to France--a journey that ended with Hu's confinement in a lunatic asylum. At once a triumph of historical detective work and a gripping narrative, The Question of Hu deftly probes the collision of two cultures, with their differing definitions of faith, madness, and moral obligation.

"A compelling chapter from the blunder-filled history of early European contacts with China...from an expert explorer of the frontiers where European and Chinese minds meet."--The Wall Street Journal

Contents

1. The Question
2. Departure
3. The Ocean Voyage
4. Landfall
5. In the Provinces
6. Paris
7. Orleans
8. The Road to Charenton
9. Inside Charenton
10. Release
11. Return