In the early nineteenth century, access to Chinese books in France was limited for those studying Chinese. Aspiring or established sinologists could utilize the Chinese collection of the French Royal Library, acquire books through auctions or a few specialized libraries in Paris, rely on their intellectual networks to exchange, buy, or borrow books from other sinologists, or leverage missionary networks to order books directly from China. This article examines the correspondence between the French sinologist Stanislas Julien (1799–1873)—a student of Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat (1788–1832) and his successor as the chair of Chinese at the Collège de France—and the Lazarists in China, shedding light on how Julien relied on the Lazarists’ international network to build his collection of Chinese books. First, I present the content of twenty-six manuscript letters held in the Lille Public Library and the Lazarists’ archives, focusing mainly on letters written between 1835 and 1839, during which most of the correspondence is preserved in relatively good condition. Second, I analyze their content, highlighting the key role played by Jean-Baptiste Torrette (1801–1840), the procurator of the Lazarists’ Congregation in Macao. The correspondence reveals that, without Torrette, Julien would not have been able to acquire many of the Chinese books he used as primary sources for his publications on China. Moreover, the letters illustrate the economic and logistical challenges of sending letters, purchasing books in China, and shipping them to France in the late 1830s. Julien’s repeated demands—often ordering the same books multiple times or canceling and reordering previous requests—created tension with the Lazarists. The latter complained to their headquarters in Paris about their inability to keep up with Julien’s requests and his lack of understanding of the situation in China. Finally, I point out that these letters are not an example of intellectual exchange between Europe and China, as seen in earlier centuries between Jesuits and European scholars. None of the letters contain questions related to China or to Chinese culture. Julien relied on the Lazarists’ network solely to acquire books and other items from China, not to exchange information.
