Empire of Time - Episode 2

Good morning, we are looking at the Empire of Time series.  Matteo Ricci was the first European allowed to be in the Forbidden City.  He was going to convert the Chinese through science and mathematics to Christianity.  After his death, a second Jesuit priest, Schall von Bell continued his work.  He began drafting a new calendar.  Who would claim the mandate of heaven and rule the empire?  The run time for episode two is 49:09.

The episode opens with the writings of Schall von Bell.  He is writing about his time in China and the Emperor.  In 1644, the Ming Emperor died and Schall von Bell lost everything.  The only thing he had left was his calendar.  His house was surrounded by men, what these men wanted from him he did not know.  He would defend his house and his life.  The rebellion was finally crushed so Schall von Bell could live in peace, at least for the time being.

A new group was on the scene and they were looking to seize power.  This group expelled many residents from their homes.  However, Schall von Bell was looking to get an introduction to the new court by providing the new leaders with a book on Astronomy.  The residents would still have to vacate their homes to house soldiers. In his petition, he told the new rulers that he was an astronomer and that if he was expelled from his home, all his work would be lost.  His work could be of use to the new dynasty. 

Bell’s petition was heard, and he found an ally in the Grand Secretary to the new emperor.  He was allowed to keep his house and he would use the opportunity to revive the Jesuit’s fortunes in China.  A solar eclipse would be his way back into the Imperial Court.  The Emperor eventually gave him permission to participate in the Astronomy Bureau’s work.  Bell’s prediction for the eclipse was put into competition with the other Imperial Astrologists.  An army official was allowed to supervise the contest.  Bell won the contest and showed that the European model for predicting the stars was more accurate.

He would soon be in charge of creating the calendar.  Once the calendar was printed it was sent out to many households in China.  Bell was soon in charge of the Astronomer Bureau.  It gave Bell direct access to his colleagues and was a position of power.  He introduced the western calendar system and worked to improve the civil astronomy system.  He oversaw a major transformation of the bureau, expelling many senior officials and giving examinations.  A number of new converts became members of the Astronomer Bureau.

The Manchus had conquered the Han Chinese.  The Han did not like being conquered.  On top of that, a foreigner was in charge of the Astronomy Bureau implementing new ideas.  The conflict was going to happen.  Bell was clear that his method was right and was keen on implementing the method in the Imperial Court.  He was close to the Manchu Emperor Shunzhi.

Eventually, Bell would ask for a replacement sent to China.  However, the church was undergoing a change that would challenge the Vatican’s beliefs.  What event was taking place during this time?  A further challenge during these times was an outbreak of smallpox in the Forbidden City.  Would bell get his replacement?  Would the Han fight back over the changes Bell was making?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more.

Wow, the introduction was really disjointed.  I was not clear as to what was happening, and if I could not understand what was happening, how could a student?  The producers should have made it clear that the Emperor had died and that there was a rebellion before a new emperor rose to take his place.  The producers did not make clear who was rebelling and who did the conquering, at least until the middle of the documentary.  Just based on the production value of this documentary this would be one documentary I would skip showing the classroom.  It was way too choppy, the information was presented out of order, and did not have a good flow to it.  Overall, it was a disappointing watch.