AUDI Konfuzius-Institut Ingolstadt

Research |
Historical projects

The Life of Missionary Kaspar Castner

Kaspar Castner was a Jesuit from Ingolstadt who traveled to China in 1696. His primary mission was to preach the Gospel in the Ming-era Empire. This was no easy task, as foreigners were prohibited from entering the Middle Kingdom at that time. Nevertheless, he eventually worked there, serving at the imperial court, where he became renowned as an astronomer and mathematician. Castner particularly focused on the scientific education of the imperial princes in these fields.

He took his religious vows in 1700 at the church in Foshan, Ingolstadt’s partner city. That same year, Kaspar Castner was tasked with erecting a monument at the site where Saint Francis Xavier died. This location is on Shangchuan Island, about 200 km south of Foshan in the South China Sea.

Through this research project, we aim to uncover more about the historical significance of the Jesuit from Ingolstadt for the partner city of Foshan. The findings of the research will be published in the form of cultural exhibitions and books.

Reconstruction of the World’s First Self-Driving Automobile at the Chinese Emperor’s Court

Students from THI and its Chinese partner university, the South China University of Technology (SCUT) in Guangzhou, have successfully reconstructed and rebuilt a fully functional model of the world’s first self-driving automobile. This project was conducted under the scientific guidance of Dr. Dr. Treffer and the technical direction of Prof. Dr. Suchandt and his Chinese counterpart, Prof. Dr. Wen-Bin Shangguan. Importantly, the project also demonstrated that if the original vehicle had ever been operational, it was indeed capable of driving.

The original historical vehicle was invented by the Flemish Jesuit priest and chief astronomer at the Chinese Emperor’s court, Ferdinand Verbiest (1675–1678). The original vehicle has never been found. The reconstruction project was based solely on a textual description in Latin, published in Astronomia Europaea, a work originating from the Jesuit location in Dillingen. This made the student project particularly challenging.

The Audi Confucius Institute in Ingolstadt provided financial support for this endeavor. The reconstructed models are displayed in various museums, including the Ingolstadt City Museum and the Autoworld Museum in Brussels.