Michel Benoist (Chinese: 蔣友仁; pinyin: Jiǎng Yǒu Rén, October 8, 1715 in Autun or Dijon, France – October 23, 1774 in Beijing, China of a stroke) was a Jesuit scientist, who stood in the service of the Chinese Qianlong Emperor for thirty years and is most noted for the waterworks he constructed for the emperor. Pinyin (拼音, pÄ«nyÄ«n) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Standard Mandarin. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... // Events September 1 - King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years, leaving the throne of his exhausted and indebted country to his great-grandson Louis XV. Regent for the new, five years old monarch is Philippe dOrléans, nephew of Louis XIV. September - First of... Autun is a town in the Saône-et-Loire département in Burgundy, France. ... Location within France Street in the centre of Dijon Dijon (   pronunciation?) is a city in eastern France, the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Côte-dOr département (county) and of the Bourgogne région. ... October 23 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1774 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Beijing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted by occlusion (an ischemic stroke- approximately 90%of strokes) or by hemorrhage (a hemorrhagic stroke - approximately 10% of strokes). ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... The Qianlong Emperor (born Hongli, September 25, 1711–February 7, 1799) was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China. ...

Education

Michel Benoist studied in Dijon and at St. Sulpice, Paris. He entered the Jesuit Novitate at Nancy on March 18, 1737. Before he went to China as a missionary in 1774 or 1775, he completed astronomical studies in Paris. The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Location within France Nancy (formerly known as Nanzig in German) is a city and commune, préfecture (capital) of the Meurthe-et-Moselle département, in Lorraine in north-eastern France. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... 1774 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1775 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Works

At the court of the Qianlong Emperor, Michel Benoist worked on the design of the Western-Style Palaces (Xi Yang Lou) on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace. In particular, he designed several large fountains, including a "water clock" in front of the Hall of National Peace. This clock consisted of a fountain basin surrounded by 12 statues depicting the animals of the Chinese zodiac each of which was associated with one of the 12 Chinese hours by the Earthly Branches System. Each of the statues would successively spew water for the duration of the hour it represented. Michel Benoist also conducted astronomical studies and showed the emperor how to use a telescope. Furthermore he produced a large world map and a map of the Chinese empire and neighboring territories. He set up a printing shop which produced prints from a set of copper engravings showing the battles of the emperor, which had been received as a gift of king Louis XV of France. Several literary works are attributed to him, including a translation of "The Imitation of Christ" into Chinese. Xi Yang Lou (Chinese: 西洋楼; pinyin: , lit: Western Mansion(s)) are ruins of 18th-century European-style imperial buildings on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. ... The Imperial Gardens as they once stood The Old Summer Palace, known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness (Chinese: 圆明园 / 圓明園; pinyin: ), and originally called the Imperial Gardens (Chinese: 御園; pinyin: ), was an extremely large complex of palaces and gardens 8 km (5 miles) northwest of the walls of Beijing, built... Chinese astrology (占星術 pinyin: zhan4 xing1 shu4; 星學 pinyin: xing1 xue2; 七政四餘 pinyin: qi1 zheng4 si4 yu2; and 果老星宗 pinyin: guo3 lao3 xing1 zong1) is related to the Chinese calendar, particularly its 12-year cycle of animals (aka Chinese Zodiac), and the fortune-telling aspects according to movement of heavenly... In measurement, Chinese units (市制 Pinyin: Shìzhì, city standard) are the units used in Imperial China, and are still used. ... The Earthly Branches (Chinese: 地支; pinyin: Dìzhī) is an ancient Chinese numeral system now uncommon, except when used in conjunction with the Heavenly Stems in the traditional calendar and Taoism. ... Louis XV (February 15, 1710 – May 10, 1774), called the Well-Beloved (French: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1715 to 1774. ... The Imitation of Christ (or De imitatione Christi), by Thomas à Kempis is one of the most widely read Christian spiritual books in existence. ...

Sources and External Links

• Catholic Encyclopedia
• European Buildings with Chinese Characteristics