Zhao Yingcheng
Zhao Yingcheng (1619 – c. 1663) was a Chinese-Jewish thinker and government official during the Ming dynasty. He came from a Jewish family in Henan and spoke both Hebrew and Chinese. He earned the jinshi degree in 1646 and served as director of the Ministry of Justice. Four years later he worked as an official in Fujian and Huguang. He and his brother Zhao Yingdou were respected as capable administrators and Confucian scholars who fought bandits and helped establish schools.
In 1642, near the end of the Ming era, Kaifeng was flooded with water from the Yellow River to stop a rebel invasion, and the city was abandoned. The Kaifeng synagogue, dating back to 1163, was destroyed, and the Jewish community moved to the north side of the river. They saved Torah scrolls that had been thrown into the river, though the scrolls were moldy and hard to read.
About ten years later, Zhao Yingcheng helped restore Kaifeng. With his brother’s help, he persuaded the Jewish community to return to their old area across the river. The temple was rebuilt in 1653, with Zhao funding it personally. A complete Torah scroll was created from the saved fragments, and other copies were made from this.
A stone stele dated 1663 later commemorated Zhao’s actions. Zhao wrote an account about saving the scrolls and rebuilding the temple, titled Record of the Vicissitudes of the Holy Scriptures, while his brother wrote Preface to the Illustrious Way, an explanation of Judaism’s beliefs. Both works are now lost, though scholars have searched for them in Chinese libraries. All known descendants of Zhao are said to have died from dysentery by the 17th century.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:05 (CET).