Email: cl2068@cam.ac.uk
PhD Student in Theology and Religious Studies (World Christianities)
Supervisor: Professor Jörg Haustein
College Affiliation: Selwyn College
Thesis Introduction
I am researching the Manchu Bible translation and commentary of Jesuit Fr. Louis de Poirot (1735–1813) within the context of late 18th-century Global Christianity. Arriving at the Qing court in 1771 as a painter and translator, Poirot remained after the Jesuit suppression of 1773. Despite imperial hostility to missionary work, he undertook a translation of the Bible into Manchu. Although incomplete, it was an achievement embedded in broader collaborations with the Roman Catholic Church, Russian Orthodox Church, and the British Foreign Bible Society. His role as Qing chief translator and his diplomatic correspondence with Tsarist Russia and Britain ensured the translation’s influence beyond his death. His work, with its global reach, contrasts with the earlier geographically narrower efforts of Matteo Ricci and later Protestant missions tied more to colonial agendas. While scholarship has focused on Poirot’s Chinese Bible translation, the Manchu version - distinct in audience, theology, and political priorities - remains understudied. Existing studies address linguistic or historical aspects but neglect his correspondence and its implications for cross-denominational dynamics. By analysing the Manchu Bible, its commentary, and Poirot’s letters archived in Rome and Paris, this project explores themes of rulership, gender, and cultural negotiation, revealing how 18th-century missionaries navigated complex political and cultural landscapes as learners and mediators, not merely imperial agents.
Publications / Conference Papers / Others
- Translation of the catalogue WAT/7 for Caird Library, Greenwich, London
- Identification for the Cambridge University Library The 1822 edition of the Manchu translated Gospel of Matthew under the shelf mark 1.39.39
- Reviewed, corrected, translated, and updated SOAS Library’s Manchu catalogue list for its Special Collections
- Liu (2025) A Comparative Study of the 1822 Edition and 1835 Edition of the Manchu Translated St. Matthew Gospel, Central Asiatic Journal (in peer review)
- Liu (2025) From an Analysis of the Manchu Heart Sutra To the Polyethnic Nature of the Manchu Identity, Central Asiatic Journal (in peer review)
- 25th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS) 27-31 August 2024, Panel “Beyond Religion – Aspects of Orthodoxy in Qing China” with the presentation titled “The History of the Manchu Translation of the Bible”
Professional Opportunities
- Treasurer, Manchu Society, SOAS, University of London: Oct. 2023–Present
- Yoga Teacher, Newcomers and Visiting Scholars, University of Cambridge: Jun 2023–Present
- English Teacher, Newcomers and Visiting Scholars, University of Cambridge: Feb 2023–Present
Languages
Mandarin; English; Manchu; Hebrew; Latin; Tibetan