Biography

Yang Guangxian was an assistant guard commander (副千戶 fu qianhu) of the Xinanwei (新安卫) in Southern Zhili during the late Ming period. In 1637, he went to Beijing and then tried to advance himself by charging other people with criminal acts, or blackmailing them. When he tried this against Grand Secretary Wen Tiren (溫體仁), he was exiled to Liaoxi (遼西), where he stayed until the end of the Ming Dynasty in 1644. In Liaoxi, he learned astrology and fortunetelling.

Upon his return to Beijing, his new skills in astrology made it possible for him to pose as an astronomer, which gave him entrance into the higher circles. But the highest positions for astronomers were all taken by Jesuits. In 1659, he wrote On Collecting Errors (摘謬論 Zhaimiu Lun), a criticism of the Western calendar. He also wrote his first attack on Christianity, On Exposing Heterodoxy (辟邪論 Bixie Lun). But his first direct attack on the leading Jesuit astronomer of the court, Johann Adam Schall von Bell, appeared in 1660, when he sent A Call to Rectify the Country (正國體呈稿 Zheng guoti cheng gao) to the Board of Rites (禮部), claiming that they wanted to Westernize the Chinese calendar. It was rejected.

More writings followed over the next few years. These were collected in 1665 as I Cannot Do Otherwise (不得已 Budeyi). The most important of these articles appeared in September 1664: A Complaint Requesting Punishment for the Evil Religion (請誅邪教狀 Qing zhu xiejiao zhuang). This time, it was accepted by the Board of Rites. In it, he claimed that Schall was responsible for the death of Consort Donggo in 1660 by choosing an inauspicious day for the burial of her son in 1658. Schall suffered a stroke during the investigations and had to be supported by the Flemish Jesuit Ferdinand Verbiest.

In April 1665, Schall and seven of his Chinese assistants were found guilty and sentenced to death. Eventually, only five Christian Chinese were executed: all Christian missionaries were exiled to Macau instead, with only the four Jesuits remaining in Beijing. Adam Schall, who died in 1666, would not live long enough to see the ban lifted in 1671.

Yang Guangxian became the head of the Chinese Bureau of Astronomy (欽天監監正). He took possession of the Jesuit compound in Xuanwumen, ordering the Chinese translations of western science books to be burned along with religious statues, and turning the church into a hall with his own picture hung over the main altar. In 1668, however, he was removed from the post and replaced again by the Flemish Jesuit Ferdinand Verbiest, because he could not produce a valid calendar during a competition with the Jesuit astronomers. The previous case against the Jesuits was reinvestigated and all findings were reversed. Yang was sentenced to death, only to be exiled to his native village due to his old age. He died the next year during his journey home.

生平

楊光先祖籍浙江餘姚，早年受蔭官為新安所千戶。崇禎十年（1637年），將衛所千戶位讓與其弟楊光弼，以布衣身份抬棺死劾大學士溫體仁和給事中陳啟新，遭廷杖後流放遼東。不久，溫體仁倒台，楊光先得以赦免回鄉。

排外態度與指控

清兵入關之後，順治帝任用天主教傳教士湯若望為第一任欽天監監正，南懷仁為其助理。他們依照天主教教廷理論及西洋天文學制定新曆法，楊光先對此表示懷疑，批評西洋曆法誤以順治十八年閏十月為閏七月。後因天主教徒李祖白的著作《天學傳概》提出中華文化西來說，引發楊光先對天主教的強烈反感，寫《摘謬論》、《闢邪論》等文章加以駁斥，並屢次上疏稱湯若望等妄言惑眾、意圖謀反，必須將天主教信徒「人其人，火其書，廬其居。」他表示：「寧可使中夏無好曆法，不可使中夏有西洋人。」

康熙帝即位後，鰲拜、索尼、遏必隆、蘇克沙哈等四大顧命大臣執政，頗重視楊光先的意見，交由禮、吏二部會審。康熙四年（1665年），議政王等定讞，判決湯若望處決（後在孝莊皇太后斡旋下未執行），南懷仁流放；欽天監中與傳教士合作的中國官員如李祖白等亦處死，史稱「康熙曆獄。」

天文學謬誤

曆獄後，楊光先被任命為欽天監監副，但他自知天文學學識遠遠不足，于是上疏請辭。結果清廷非但駁回他的辭呈，反將其提升為欽天監監正。楊光先屢辭不獲，只得將自己的著作編輯整理為《不得已》一書，以舊說制約湯若望。接著引薦吳明烜為欽天監監副，由其負責推算，復用元、明的授時曆法。

楊光先在其《不得已》中反駁地圓說，「果大地如圓球，則四旁與在下國土窪處之海水，不知何故得以不傾？試問若望，彼教好奇，曾見有圓水、壁立之水，浮於上而不下滴之水否？」若真如西人所言，那麼「四旁與在下之國居於水中，則西洋皆為魚鱉，而若望不得為人矣。」認為西方像胡說八道，所以證明也不可信。

遭到調查並撤職

康熙五年（1666年）春，楊光先疏言十二月中氣不應，須訪求通曉古代候氣法之人。康熙七年（1668年），楊復疏言尚未找到能候氣者，並稱自己患風痺。至此清廷發現楊光先無法勝任，復用南懷仁以非官方身分治理曆法。次年，南懷仁疏劾楊光先、吳明烜在曆法推算上的種種舛誤，經眾臣檢驗，證實南懷仁所言皆應驗，楊光先所言皆不應驗，清廷決定康熙九年曆採用南懷仁之推算。南懷仁復指控楊光先當年依附鰲拜，援引吳明烜誣告湯若望謀叛，致使李祖白等無辜被戮。結果楊光先被判決處斬，康熙帝以其年老赦免之，罷官還鄉，死于途中。

著作

文章

• 〈捐報疏〉，1636年上疏

• 〈死爭疏〉，1637年上疏

• 〈正陽忠告〉

• 〈選擇議〉，1659

• 〈摘謬論〉，1659

• 〈闢邪論上〉，1659

• 〈闢邪論中〉

• 〈闢邪論下〉，1660

• 「為曆關一代大典，邪教疏謬肆欺，據理駁政，仰祁睿斷事」，1660

• 〈始信錄序〉， 1660

• 〈正國體呈稿〉, 1660

• 〈渾天十二宮圖說〉，1660

• 〈鏡餘〉

• 〈與許青嶼待御書〉，1664

• 〈臨湯若望進呈圖象說〉，約1664

• 〈請誅邪教狀〉，1664

• 〈合朔初虧時刻辨〉，1665

• 〈日食天象驗〉，1665

• 〈一叩閽辭疏〉，1665

• 〈二叩閽辭疏〉，1665

• 〈三叩閽辭疏〉，1665

• 〈四叩閽辭疏〉，1665

• 〈五叩閽辭疏〉，1665

書籍

• 《野獲》，約1637年出版

　• 〈捐報疏〉

　• 〈死爭疏〉

　• 〈正陽忠告〉

• 《易見通書》，1659年以前出版，後被查毀

• 《孽鏡》，1661

　• 〈引〉

　• 正文

　• 〈金烏玉兔辯〉

• 《距西集》，約1662年出版

　• 〈闢邪論上〉

　• 〈闢邪論中〉

　• 〈闢邪論下〉

　• 「為曆關一代大典，邪教疏謬肆欺，據理駁政，仰祁睿斷事」

　• 〈摘謬論〉

　• 〈正國體呈稿〉

　• 《孽鏡》

　• 〈鏡餘〉

　• 〈選擇議〉

　• 〈渾天十二宮圖說〉

• 《不得已》，約1664年出版

　• 〈小引〉

　• 〈請誅邪教狀〉

　• 〈與許青嶼待御書〉

　• 〈闢邪論上〉

　• 〈闢邪論中〉

　• 〈闢邪論下〉

　• 〈臨湯若望進呈圖象說〉

　• 〈正國體呈稿〉

　• 〈中星說〉

　• 〈選擇議〉

　• 〈摘謬十論〉，為〈摘謬論〉的節錄版

　• 〈始信錄序〉

　• 〈尊聖學疏〉

　• 《孽鏡》

　• 〈鏡餘〉

　• 〈合朔初虧時刻辨〉

　• 〈日食天象驗〉

　• 〈一叩閽辭疏〉

　• 〈二叩閽辭疏〉

　• 〈三叩閽辭疏〉

　• 〈四叩閽辭疏〉

　• 〈五叩閽辭疏〉

• 《理氣考正論》

• 《陽宅闢謬》

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