História do túmulo de um português em Pequim

Emil Bretschneider (1833-1901), sinólogo de origem báltico-germânica, assina a autoria de um artigo na edição The China Review vol. 6 (1877-1878) intitulado "Portuguese from Macao in Peking in the First Quarter of the 17th Century". Na altura Emil era médico-cirurgião da legação russa em Pequim (1866-1883).

O artigo é sobre o túmulo do português João Correa (Correia), que, morreu por acidente em 1624, devido à explosão de uma peça de um dos quatro canhões que Macau enviou ao Império Ming - em guerra com os tártaros - respondendo ao pedido de auxílio feito pelo próprio imperador. Emil recorre ao livro "Relação da Grande Monarquia da China", escrito pelo padre Álvaro Semedo (1585-1658) e publicado em 1642 para explicar a história do túmulo. Em 1645 já tinha sido traduzido para francês (foi esta versão que Emil consultou) e em 1655  para inglês. 

No artigo Emil transcreve o que estava inscrito no túmulo (em português arcaico):

“Qqui descança Joao Correa que com ontros seis Portuges no An 1624 vierao de Macao xeste Pekin llamados del Rei Tien-ki pera naren aos Chinas quzoda arfelharia com que morreo coolne huy rega que aerebe love poz orde del rei foe eneste lugar seruta.”

Numa tradução/adaptação para português actual:

"Aqui descansa João Correa (Correia), que com outros seis portugueses no ano de 1624 vieram de Macau a Pequim chamados pelo Imperador Tien-Ki (天啓 1621-28) para ensinar aos chinas o uso da artilharia com que morreu Correa de uma peça que rebentou e por ordem do Imperador foi neste local sepultado."

A pedra sepulcral (túmulo) seria destruída na guerra dos boxers em 1900 e os ossos foram removidos para uma nova sepultura. Este novo local seria descoberto a 11 de Julho de 1940 por dois religiosos lazaristas, Chala Maia e José Van Den Brandt, no cemitério de Ching Lung Chiao de Pequim.

Publicidade ao The China Review  - onde se refere o artigo de Emil -
publicada na edição de 17.5.1878 do jornal de Hong Kong, The China Mail.

No artigo - escrito em jeito de carta ao editor - Emil escreve:

"Permit me to send you a copy taken from an ancient inscription of the year A.D. 1624, found on the gravestone of some Portuguese, who died in the Chinese capital and have been buried near the western wall of Peking in a small Christian cemetery, whioh, though long since abandoned as a place of interment, still belongs to the Catholio mission. This cemetery, not to be confounded with the so-called Portuguese cemetery, situated about two miles further northward, is easily found, for it lies nearly opposite the British cemetery, on the other side of the stone road leading from the Sipien gate to the P'ing-tze gate. It is known under the name of (caracteres chineses) Ts'ing-lung k'iao, which is properly the name of a bridge on the stone road near the places mentioned.

The monument erected on the tomb of the aforesaid Portuguese is a simple square stone about two feet high. The inscription on it is in Portuguese and in part difficult to be deciphered. One of the Lazarist mis sionaries in Peking has had the kindness to copy it for me. Although among the European residents at Peking there is no one who is acquainted with the Portuguese language, we can however understand in a general way that the inscription refers to a certain Correa and six other Portuguese, who had come from Macao to Peking by order of the Chinese Emperor, and that they died there in the year 1624. But unhappily the words explaining for what purpose they had been called to Peking and how they died, are not well preserved on the monument. I leave it therefore for readers acquainted with the Portuguese language to till up the inscription, but may venture here to suggest, that probably these Portuguese had been invited to cast cannon, as the Chinese government (Ming dynasty) at the time here spoken of was at war with the Manchoos. It is not without interest to notice, that among the Chinese Catholics at Peking there is a tradition, that the foreigners here buried had been poisoned and perished on the same day.

The inscription reads as follows: “Qqui descança Joao Correa que com ontros seis Portuges no ko 1624 vierao de Macao xeste Pekin llamados del Rei Tien-ki Sera naren aos Chinas quzoda arfelhariaf com que morreo ocolne huy rega que aerebe love poz orde del rei foe eneste lugar seruta.”

I have not been able to find any direct corroboration for the facts here recorded either in the records of the ancient Jesuit missionaries or in Chinese books, but on turning over the pages of Semedo’s History of China I met with some interesting accounts referring to the relations between the Portuguese at Macao and the Chinese Court in the first quarter of the 17th century. As Semedo’s History of China is quite a rare book now, may be allowed to copy from it the pages referring to the Portuguese intercourse with China.

Pater Alvarez de Semedo was bom in Portugal 1585, he arrived in China 1613 and died at Macao 1658. It appears from his book that about 1621 he resided at Peking. He wrote his memoirs about 1635. His book seems to have been originally written in Italian, as appears from the French translation I quote and of which I shall give here the whole title, as it does not agree with the accounts given of Semedo’s works in Mess. P. and 0. von Moellendorffs Manual of Chinese Bibliography."

Emil recorre à tradução francesa - “Histoire universelle du grand Royaume de la Chine oomposee en Italien par le P. Alvarez Semedo, Portugais, dela Compagnie de Jesus et traduite en notre langue par Louis Coulon P. Divisee en deux parties. A Paris MDCXLV. Sebastien Cramoisy.” - e inclui no artigo vários excertos da obra para contextualizar a ida dos canhões para Pequim.

Conclui afirmando que confirmou em fontes chinesas a versão do padre Semedo: "Semedo’s records are corroborated in the Chinese annals, for we read in the Ming his tory (see my translation China Review, IV., p. 393) that during the reigns of T'ien ki (1621-28) and Ch'ung cheng (1628-44) men from Macao came to the capital, and as they proved to be very clever in military arts, they were employed in the war in the northeast (against the Manchoos)."