Description

Richard WILHELM (1873 – 1930).
Gruß aus der Tsingtauer Kirche. No. 3.
[Greeting from the Tsingtao Church, No. 3.].
Tsingtao: December 1919.

8°, white sheet, title page, 20 pp., original patterned wrappers (minor folds and tears in inner hinges and around the spine and in corners, but overall good).

[and:]
Richard WILHELM (1873 – 1930).
Gruß aus der Tsingtauer Kirche. No. 4
[Greeting from the Tsingtao Church, No. 4].
Tsingtao: March 1920.

8°, title page, 18 pp., original patterned wrappers, annotation dated 28. 3. 1920, in pencil in the lower corner of the title page (minor folds and tears in edges of the wrappers, light water staining to the wrappers, title page age-toned, otherwise good).

Richard Wilhelm (1873 – 1930) was a notable German sinologist, born in Stuttgart, who learned Chinese while working as a missionary in China. He arrived shortly before 1900 in the Empire of China, specifically the city of Tsingtao, as part of the German East Asia Mission.

In 1908, Wilhelm traveled to China for a second time. During World War I, he faced significant challenges continuing his work at the school and serving as pastor for the German community in Qingdao, as the region was under Japanese occupation. In the summer of 1920, after twenty years of missionary work, he returned to Germany.

Upon his return, he was appointed as an honorary professor to the newly established endowed chair for Chinese History and Chinese Philosophy at Frankfurt am Main University in 1924. In 1925, he founded the China Institute at the University of Frankfurt, which he directed until his death in 1930.

Wilhelm translated several significant German works into Chinese and vice versa. His most renowned work is a translation of the I Ching (also known as Yijing), an ancient Chinese divination text regarded as one of the oldest Chinese classics.

Featured here are six titles authored by Richard Wilhelmm between 1918 and 1920 in Tsingtao, following World War I. The texts blend elements of Chinese philosophy with Eastern evangelical tradition. The pages feature beautiful yet somewhat rustic printing from manuscripts, complemented by elegant original wrappers and bindings that showcase intricate Chinese patterns. Some publications even include mounted images of Chinese landscapes and motifs, which vary from one edition to another.

These publications were likely printed in very limited quantities by an organization associated with Christ’s Church in Tsingtao, which was established in 1910, where Wilhelm played an active role.

Christ’s Church in Tsingtao published four separate pamphlets over approximately one year, and the texts were not connected.

Pamphlet numbered 3 in this collection was issued in December 1919 and includes a speech delivered during the first Advent service on November 30, 1919. Pamphlet number 4, released in March of the following year, features a speech given at the Confirmation ceremony on February 29, 1920.

The Bavarian State Library appears to hold two volumes (one with 17 pages and the other one with 23 pages from 1919, possibly volumes 1 & 2; OCLC 802698126). The University Library Mainz houses volumes 2,3 and 4, dated June and December 1919, as well as March 1920 (OCLC 608730370).

It’s possible that the pamphlets were intended for the German POWs in Japan, aiming to connect them with gatherings at the German church in Tsingtao. This would also clarify the titles of the texts: “Greetings from the Tsingtao Church.”

References: Thomas Zimmer, Richard Wilhelm (1873-1930). Missionar in China und Vermittler chinesischen Geistesguts ; Schriftenverzeichnis, Katalog seiner chinesischen Bibliothek, Briefe von Heinrich Hackmann, Briefe von Ku Hung-ming, 2008, p. 93, nr. 216