The French Jesuit Joachim Bouvet (1656¡V1730) was one of the five famous ¡§Mathematiciens du Roy¡¨ who were sent to China by the Sun King Louis XIV. He was teacher of the Kangxi Emperor (reg. 1672¡V1722), twice Legate of the Emperor to Europe from 1693 to 1698 and in 1706, one of the initiators of a French Jesuit mission in China, founder of an Apostolic Academy and last but not least he developed a kind of contextual theology for China which is known under the name of Figurism. During the last years, a comparably great number of articles and books have been devoted to Bouvet and his Figurism. These books deal mainly with the later years of Bouvet¡¦s life in China and neglect his early years for example Bouvet¡¦s voyage to Europe from 1693 to 1698. His travel in Imperial service became a kind of odyssey and reflects Bouvet¡¦s different talents and tastes, the close connection between missionary work, science, diplomacy, nationalism and commerce, altogether combined in his person.
Our main source, which is published here for the first time, is the ¡§Journal des voyages du Pere Bouvet Jesuite, missionnaire, envoye par l¡¦Empereur de la Chine vers Sa Majeste tres Chretiene¡¨. It is no real autograph in Bouvet's handwriting, but copied by Bouvet¡¦s younger brother A. M. de Boze, ¡§conseiller a President du Mans¡¨. The original of Bouvet's voyage to Canton in Bouvet¡¦s handwriting, which was published partly by Jean-Baptiste Du Halde in his Description de la Chine as: ¡§Journal de voyage de Canton¡¨ covers the voyage from the 17th of July (i.e. shortly after the start on July 8th) till November 19th 1693. That means that this journal only includes most parts of the travel to Canton, whereas the ¡§Journal¡¨ in Munchen has the whole voyage from Peking to France from the 8th of July 1693 until May 12th 1697.

This volume includes a lengthy introduction, the original text of the Journal with notes, map and chronology of Bouvet's travels, and seven indexes (persons, Chinese terms, science and subjects, astronomical and mathematical instruments and gifts, ships, churches, mission and parishes, geography.)