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When John C. H. Wu's spiritual autobiography Beyond East and West was published in 1951, it became an instant Catholic best seller and was compared to Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, which had appeared four years earlier. It was also hailed as the new Confession of St. Augustine for its moving description of Wu's conversion in 1937 and early years as a Catholic. This new edition, including a foreward written by Wu's son John Wu, Jr., makes this profoundly beautiful book by one of the most influential Chinese lay Catholic intellectuals of the twentieth century available for a new generation of readers hungry for spiritual sustenance.
Beyond East and West recounts the story of Wu's early life in Ningpo, China, his family and friendships, education and law career, drafting of the constitution of the Republic of China, translation of the Bible into classical Chinese in collaboration with Chinese president Chiang Kai-Shek, and his role as China's delegate to the Holy See. In passages of arresting beauty, the book reveals the development of his thought and the progress of his growth toward love of God, arriving through experience at the conclusion that the wisdom in all of China's traditions, especially Confucian thought, Taoism, and Buddhism, point to universal truths that come from, and are fulfilled in, Christ.
In Beyond East and West, Wu develops a synthesis between Catholicism and the ancient culture of the Orient. A sublime expression of faith, here is a book for anyone who seeks the peace of the spirit, a memorable book whose ideas will linger long after its pages are closed.
List of contents
Beyond East and West: A Foreword by John Wu, Jr.
A Note of Introduction by F. J. Sheed
Illustrations
Part 1.
Prologue
1. The Gift of Life
2. My Father
3. My Little Mother
4. My Big Mother
5. The Philosophy of Nursery
6. Adam and Eve
7. John is My Name
8. The Hound of Heaven
9. The Story of a Friendship
10. "Law Is My Idol"
11. De Profundis
Part 2.
12. The Religions of China
13. The Lotus and the Mud
14. Mental Roamings
15. The Return of the Prodigal
16. The Kindergarten of My Catholic Life
17. Escape from a Lion's Den
18. The Poetry of Life
19. A Chinese Tunic for Christ
20. The Diplomacy of Love
21. My Last Trip to China
Epilogue
Explanations and Acknowledgments
European Reminiscences (an Appendix to Beyond East and West)
About the author
John C. H. Wu (1899-1986) was a diplomat, scholar, and authority on international law. He wrote works in Chinese, English, French, and German on topics as diverse as Chinese literature (including a translation of the
Tao Teh Ching) and law. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, he was the principal author of the constitution of the Republic of China. He maintained a correspondence with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and later produced scholarly work examining Holmes's legal thought.
Summary
When John C. H. Wu's spiritual autobiography Beyond East and West was published in 1951, it became an instant Catholic bestseller. This new edition, including a foreward written by Wu's son John Wu, Jr., makes this profoundly beautiful book by one of the most influential Chinese lay Catholic intellectuals of the twentieth century available for a new generation of readers.
