Welcome to a lecture with subsequent discussion by Prof. Paolo Visigalli (Shanghai Normal University), titled "Marco Polo and the Heresy of Evil: Encountering Manichaeans in Southeastern China." Managed by History of Religions, CTR.

Abstract: Near the end of their extended stay in China, Marco Polo and his uncle Maffeo Polo encountered a secretive religious sect in or around the southeastern city of Fuzhou. Although the Polos identified these individuals as Christians, contemporary scholars largely believe they were Manichaeans. Documented exclusively in the so-called ‘Zt’ Latin version of Marco Polo’s Devisement dou Monde, this mysterious episode offers unique insights into the religious landscape and institutions of Yuan dynasty China, as well as the Polos’ actions and personalities. Utilizing recent research on the Devisement and studies on Chinese Manichaeism, including newly found Manichaean manuscripts from Fujian Province, this paper presents a comprehensive reevaluation of this episode. I contend that the episode merges two layers of information: Manichaean core elements from the Fuzhou Manichaeans are intertwined with Christian interpretations. I also highlight that the episode weaves together multiple voices—the Fuzhou community’s, Marco’s, the Latin translator’s, and the manuscript copyist’s—and where feasible, I strive to separate them. This essay seeks to enhance understanding of the complexities inherent in this extraordinary cross-cultural encounter between two Venetian Catholics and a group of Chinese Manichaeans.