Matteo Ricci
Encyclopedia
Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission
, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God
.
, part of the Papal States
, and today a city in the Italian region of Marche
. Ricci started learning theology and law in a Roman
Jesuit school. He entered the order in 1571, and in 1577 he applied for a missionary expedition to India. His journey began in March 1578 in Lisbon
, Portugal. He arrived in Goa
, a Portuguese Colony, in September 1578. Four years later, he was dispatched to China.
, a Portuguese trading post on the South China Sea. At the time, Christian missionary activity in China was almost completely limited to Macau, where some of the local Chinese people had converted to Christianity and lived in the Portuguese manner. No Christian missionary had attempted seriously to learn the Chinese language until 1579 (three years before Ricci's arrival), when Michele Ruggieri
was invited from Portuguese India
expressly to study Chinese, by Alessandro Valignano
, founder of St. Paul Jesuit College (Macau), and to prepare for the Jesuits' mission from Macau into Mainland China
.
Once in Macau,, Ricci started learning Chinese language and customs. This was the beginning of a long project that made him one of the first Western scholars to master Chinese script and Classical Chinese
. With Ruggieri, he traveled to Guangdong
's major cities, Canton
and Zhaoqing
(then the residence of the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi), seeking to establish a permanent Jesuit mission outside Macau.
In 1583, Ricci and Ruggieri settled in Zhaoqing, at the invitation of the governor of Zhaoqing, Wang Pan, who had heard of Ricci's skill as a mathematician and cartographer. Ricci stayed in Zhaoqing from 1583 to 1589, when he was expelled by a new viceroy. It was in Zhaoqing, in 1584, that Ricci composed the first European-style map of the world in Chinese, now called the "Impossible Black Tulip
" after its rarity. No prints of the 1584 map survive, but six re-copied, rice-paper versions survive from 1602.
It is thought that, during their time in Zhaoqing, Ricci and Ruggieri
compiled a Portuguese-Chinese dictionary, the first in any European language, for which they developed a system for transcribing Chinese words in the Latin alphabet. The manuscript was misplaced in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, not re-discovered until 1934, and published until 2001.
There is now a memorial plaque in Zhaoqing to commemorate Ricci's six-year stay there, as well as a "Ricci Memorial Centre", in a building dating from the 1860's.
Expelled from Zhaoqing in 1589, Ricci obtained permission to relocate to Shaoguan
(Shaozhou, in Ricci's account) in the north of the province, and reestablish his mission there.
Further travels saw Ricci reach Nanjing
and Nanchang
in 1595. In August 1597, Alessandro Valignano
(1539–1606), his superior, appointed him Major Superior of the mission in China, with the rank and powers of a Provincial, a charge that he fulfilled until his death. He moved to Tongzhou
(a port of Beijing) in 1598, and first reached Beijing
itself on 7 September 1598. However, because of a Korean/Japanese war at the time, Ricci could not reach the Imperial Palace
. After waiting for two months, he left Beijing; first for Nanjing and then Suzhou
in Jiangsu
Province.
During the winter of 1598, Ricci, with the help of his Jesuit colleague Lazzaro Cattaneo, compiled another Chinese-Portuguese dictionary, in which tones in Chinese syllables were indicated in Roman text with diacritical marks. Unlike Ricci's and Ruggieri's earlier Portuguese-Chinese dictionary, this work has not been found.
In 1601, Ricci was invited by the Emperor to become an adviser to the Imperial court of the Wanli Emperor
; the first Westerner to be invited into the Forbidden City
. This honour was in recognition of Ricci's scientific abilities, chiefly his predictions of solar eclipses, which were significant events in the Chinese world. He established the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing
, the oldest Catholic church
in the city. Ricci was given free access to the Forbidden City, but he never met the reclusive Wanli Emperor. Wanli did grant him patronage, however, with a generous stipend.
Once established in Beijing, Ricci was able to meet important officials and leading members of the Beijing cultural scene, and convert a number of them to Christianity. One conversion, which he called "extraordinary", occurred in 1602, when Li Yingshi
, a decorated veteran of the Japanese/Korean War and a well-known astrologer and feng shui
expert, became a Christian. This man provided the Jesuits with a wealth of information useful in communicating with the "heathens."
Ricci was also the first European to learn about the Kaifeng Jews
., being contacted by a member of that community who was visiting Beijing in 1605. Ricci never visited Kaifeng
, Henan
Province, but he did send a junior missionary there in 1608, the first of many such missions. In fact, the elderly Chief Rabbi
of the Jews was ready to cede his power to Ricci, as long as he gave up eating pork, but he never accepted the position.
Ricci died in Beijing on May 11, 1610, at 58. By the code of the Ming Dynasty, foreigners who died in China had to be buried in Macau. Diego de Pantoja
made a special plea to the court, requesting a burial plot in Beijing, in the light of Ricci's contributions to China. Emperor Wanli granted this request and designated a Buddhist temple for the purpose. In October 1610, Ricci's remains were transferred there. The graves of Ferdinand Verbiest
, Johann Adam Schall von Bell
, and other missionaries are also there, and it became known as the Zhalan cemetery . It is now part of the campus of Beijing Administrative College (located at 6 Chegongzhuang Road, Xicheng District).
Matteo Ricci was succeeded as Superior General of the China mission by Nicolò Longobardo
, in 1610. Longobardo entrusted another Jesuit, Nicolas Trigault
, with expanding and editing, as well as translating into Latin, those of Ricci's papers that were found in his office after his death. This work was first published in 1615 in Augsburg
as De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas
, and soon was translated into a number of other European languages..
Ricci could speak Chinese as well as read and write classical Chinese
, the literary language of scholars and officials. He was known for his appreciation of Chinese culture in general, but did condemn the prostitution
which was widespread in Beijing at the time. During his research he discovered that, in contrast to the cultures of South Asia
, Chinese culture was strongly intertwined with Confucian
values and therefore decided to use existing Chinese concepts to explain Christianity. He did not explain the Catholic faith as something foreign or new, instead, he said that the Chinese culture and people always believed in God, and that Christianity is simply the most perfect manifestation of their faith. Thus the Chinese Lord of Heaven (天主) is identical with God. He supported Chinese traditions by agreeing with the veneration of the dead. Dominican
and Franciscan
missionaries felt he went too far in accommodation and convinced the Vatican
to outlaw Ricci’s approach. Similarly to developments in India, the identification of European culture with Christianity led to the virtual end of Catholic missions in China.
Later discovering that Confucian thought was dominant in the Ming Dynasty
, Ricci became the first to translate the Confucian classics into a western language, Latin, with assistance from the scholar Xu Guangqi
.
Ricci also met a Korean
emissary to China, Yi Su-gwang
. He taught Yi Su-gwang the basic tenets of Catholicism and transmitted western knowledge to him, giving Yi Su-gwang several books from the west which were incorporated in Jibong yuseol
, which was the first Korean encyclopedia. Ricci's transmission of western knowledge to Yi Su-gwang influenced and helped shape the foundation of the Silhak
movement in Korea.
In the run-up to the 400th anniversary of Ricci's death, the Vatican
hosted a major exhibit dedicated to his life. At least one Catholic bishop - Claudio Giuliodori from Ricci's hometown, Macerata
- has mentioned that the possibility of the Jesuit's beatification
is considered by the church authorities. Additionally, Italian film director Gjon Kolndrekaj produced a 60 minute documentary about Ricci that came out in 2009, entitled "Matteo Ricci: A Jesuit in the Dragon's Kingdom", filmed in both Italy and China.
Also, in Taipei, the Taipei Ricci Institute
and the National Central Library
of Taiwan opened jointly the "Matteo Ricci Pacific Studies Reading Room" and the Taipei-based
online magazine eRenlai
, directed by Jesuit Benoît Vermander
dedicated its issue of June 2010 to the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Ricci's death
and Christianity
are not opposed and in fact are remarkably similar in key ways. Ricci used this treatise in his missionary effort to convert Chinese literati, men who were educated in Confucianism and the Chinese classics. There was controversy
over whether Ricci and other Jesuits had gone too far and changed Christian beliefs in order to win converts.
Jesuit China missions
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
.
Early life
Matteo Ricci was born in 1552 in MacerataMacerata
Macerata is a city and comune in central Italy, the capital of the province of Macerata in the Marche region.The historical city center is located on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. It consisted of the Picenes city named Ricina, then, after the romanization, Recina and Helvia Recina...
, part of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
, and today a city in the Italian region of Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
. Ricci started learning theology and law in a Roman
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
Jesuit school. He entered the order in 1571, and in 1577 he applied for a missionary expedition to India. His journey began in March 1578 in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal. He arrived in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, a Portuguese Colony, in September 1578. Four years later, he was dispatched to China.
Ricci in China
In August 1582, Ricci arrived at MacauMacau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, a Portuguese trading post on the South China Sea. At the time, Christian missionary activity in China was almost completely limited to Macau, where some of the local Chinese people had converted to Christianity and lived in the Portuguese manner. No Christian missionary had attempted seriously to learn the Chinese language until 1579 (three years before Ricci's arrival), when Michele Ruggieri
Michele Ruggieri
Michele Ruggieri was an Italian Jesuit priest. One of the founding fathers of the Jesuit China missions, and a co-author of the first Portuguese-Chinese dictionary, he can be described as the first European sinologist.-Formation years in Europe:Before entering the Society of Jesus Michele...
was invited from Portuguese India
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
expressly to study Chinese, by Alessandro Valignano
Alessandro Valignano
Alessandro Valignano, , was a Jesuit missionary born in Chieti, back then part of the Kingdom of Naples, who helped supervise the introduction of Catholicism to the Far East, and especially to Japan....
, founder of St. Paul Jesuit College (Macau), and to prepare for the Jesuits' mission from Macau into Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
.
Once in Macau,, Ricci started learning Chinese language and customs. This was the beginning of a long project that made him one of the first Western scholars to master Chinese script and Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of written Chinese based on the grammar and vocabulary of ancient Chinese, making it different from any modern spoken form of Chinese...
. With Ruggieri, he traveled to Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
's major cities, Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
and Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing is a prefecture-level city of Guangdong province in southern China.-Geography:Zhaoqing is located 110 km northwest of Guangzhou, in the west Pearl River Delta. It lies on the north shores of the Xijiang River, which is flows from west to east, and opposite of Gaoyao...
(then the residence of the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi), seeking to establish a permanent Jesuit mission outside Macau.
In 1583, Ricci and Ruggieri settled in Zhaoqing, at the invitation of the governor of Zhaoqing, Wang Pan, who had heard of Ricci's skill as a mathematician and cartographer. Ricci stayed in Zhaoqing from 1583 to 1589, when he was expelled by a new viceroy. It was in Zhaoqing, in 1584, that Ricci composed the first European-style map of the world in Chinese, now called the "Impossible Black Tulip
Kunyu Wanguo Quantu
Kunyu Wanguo Quantu , printed in China at the request of the Wanli Emperor during 1602 by the Italian Catholic missionary Matteo Ricci and Chinese collaborators, Mandarin Zhong Wentao and the technical translator, Li Zhizao, is the earliest known Chinese world map with the style of European maps...
" after its rarity. No prints of the 1584 map survive, but six re-copied, rice-paper versions survive from 1602.
It is thought that, during their time in Zhaoqing, Ricci and Ruggieri
Michele Ruggieri
Michele Ruggieri was an Italian Jesuit priest. One of the founding fathers of the Jesuit China missions, and a co-author of the first Portuguese-Chinese dictionary, he can be described as the first European sinologist.-Formation years in Europe:Before entering the Society of Jesus Michele...
compiled a Portuguese-Chinese dictionary, the first in any European language, for which they developed a system for transcribing Chinese words in the Latin alphabet. The manuscript was misplaced in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, not re-discovered until 1934, and published until 2001.
There is now a memorial plaque in Zhaoqing to commemorate Ricci's six-year stay there, as well as a "Ricci Memorial Centre", in a building dating from the 1860's.
Expelled from Zhaoqing in 1589, Ricci obtained permission to relocate to Shaoguan
Shaoguan
Shaoguan , historically known as Shaokwan and Shao-chow, is a prefecture-level city in the north of Southern China's Guangdong province...
(Shaozhou, in Ricci's account) in the north of the province, and reestablish his mission there.
Further travels saw Ricci reach Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
and Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
in 1595. In August 1597, Alessandro Valignano
Alessandro Valignano
Alessandro Valignano, , was a Jesuit missionary born in Chieti, back then part of the Kingdom of Naples, who helped supervise the introduction of Catholicism to the Far East, and especially to Japan....
(1539–1606), his superior, appointed him Major Superior of the mission in China, with the rank and powers of a Provincial, a charge that he fulfilled until his death. He moved to Tongzhou
Tongzhou
Tongzhou may refer to:* Tongzhou, Jiangsu, current Nantong city, a former city in Jiangsu** Tongzhou District, Nantong, in Jiangsu* Tongzhou, Hebei, current Tongzhou District in Beijing, a former city in Hebei* Tongzhou District, Beijing...
(a port of Beijing) in 1598, and first reached Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
itself on 7 September 1598. However, because of a Korean/Japanese war at the time, Ricci could not reach the Imperial Palace
Imperial Palace
Imperial Palace may refer to:Institutions*Kaiserpfalz in the Holy Roman EmpirePlaces:*Forbidden City, Beijing, China*Tokyo Imperial Palace , Tokyo, Japan*Heijō Palace, Nara Japan*Heian Palace, Japan...
. After waiting for two months, he left Beijing; first for Nanjing and then Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
in Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
Province.
During the winter of 1598, Ricci, with the help of his Jesuit colleague Lazzaro Cattaneo, compiled another Chinese-Portuguese dictionary, in which tones in Chinese syllables were indicated in Roman text with diacritical marks. Unlike Ricci's and Ruggieri's earlier Portuguese-Chinese dictionary, this work has not been found.
In 1601, Ricci was invited by the Emperor to become an adviser to the Imperial court of the Wanli Emperor
Wanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor was emperor of China between 1572 and 1620. His era name means "Ten thousand calendars". Born Zhu Yijun, he was the Longqing Emperor's third son...
; the first Westerner to be invited into the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
. This honour was in recognition of Ricci's scientific abilities, chiefly his predictions of solar eclipses, which were significant events in the Chinese world. He established the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing , also known as Nantang to the locals, is a historic Roman Catholic Church located in Beijing, China...
, the oldest Catholic church
Roman Catholicism in China
Roman Catholicism in China has a long and complicated history...
in the city. Ricci was given free access to the Forbidden City, but he never met the reclusive Wanli Emperor. Wanli did grant him patronage, however, with a generous stipend.
Once established in Beijing, Ricci was able to meet important officials and leading members of the Beijing cultural scene, and convert a number of them to Christianity. One conversion, which he called "extraordinary", occurred in 1602, when Li Yingshi
Li Yingshi
Li Yingshi was a Ming Chinese military officer and a renowned mathematician, astrologer and feng shui expert, who was among the first Chinese literati to become Christian...
, a decorated veteran of the Japanese/Korean War and a well-known astrologer and feng shui
Feng shui
Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
expert, became a Christian. This man provided the Jesuits with a wealth of information useful in communicating with the "heathens."
Ricci was also the first European to learn about the Kaifeng Jews
Kaifeng Jews
The Kaifeng Jews are members of a small Jewish community that has existed in Kaifeng, in the Henan province of China, for hundreds of years. Jews in modern China have traditionally called themselves Youtai in Mandarin Chinese which is also the predominant contemporary Chinese language term for...
., being contacted by a member of that community who was visiting Beijing in 1605. Ricci never visited Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
Province, but he did send a junior missionary there in 1608, the first of many such missions. In fact, the elderly Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of the Jews was ready to cede his power to Ricci, as long as he gave up eating pork, but he never accepted the position.
Ricci died in Beijing on May 11, 1610, at 58. By the code of the Ming Dynasty, foreigners who died in China had to be buried in Macau. Diego de Pantoja
Diego de Pantoja
Diego de Pantoja or Diego Pantoja, Chinese: 龐迪我, or Pang Diwo 龐迪我 , was a Spanish Jesuit and missionary to China who is best known for having accompanied Matteo Ricci in Beijing. His name also appears in some sources as Didaco Pantoia.He came to Macao on 20 July 1597...
made a special plea to the court, requesting a burial plot in Beijing, in the light of Ricci's contributions to China. Emperor Wanli granted this request and designated a Buddhist temple for the purpose. In October 1610, Ricci's remains were transferred there. The graves of Ferdinand Verbiest
Ferdinand Verbiest
Father Ferdinand Verbiest was a Flemish Jesuit missionary in China during the Qing dynasty. He was born in Pittem near Tielt in Flanders, later part of the modern state of Belgium. He is known as Nan Huairen in Chinese...
, Johann Adam Schall von Bell
Johann Adam Schall von Bell
Johann Adam Schall von Bell was a German Jesuit and astronomer. He spent most of his life as a missionary in China and became an adviser to the Chinese emperor.- Life :...
, and other missionaries are also there, and it became known as the Zhalan cemetery . It is now part of the campus of Beijing Administrative College (located at 6 Chegongzhuang Road, Xicheng District).
Matteo Ricci was succeeded as Superior General of the China mission by Nicolò Longobardo
Nicolò Longobardo
Nicolò Longobardo was an Sicilian Jesuit in China in the 17th century. He arrived in China in 1597, and was sent to the area of Shaozhou...
, in 1610. Longobardo entrusted another Jesuit, Nicolas Trigault
Nicolas Trigault
Nicolas Trigault was a Flemish Jesuit, and a missionary to China. He was also known by his latinised name Trigautius or Trigaultius, and his Chinese name Jīn Nígé .-Life and work:...
, with expanding and editing, as well as translating into Latin, those of Ricci's papers that were found in his office after his death. This work was first published in 1615 in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
as De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas
De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas
De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas suscepta ab Societate Jesu is a book based on an Italian manuscript written by the most important founding figure of the Jesuit China mission, Matteo Ricci , expanded and translated into Latin by his colleague Nicolas Trigault...
, and soon was translated into a number of other European languages..
Ricci's approach to Chinese culture
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of written Chinese based on the grammar and vocabulary of ancient Chinese, making it different from any modern spoken form of Chinese...
, the literary language of scholars and officials. He was known for his appreciation of Chinese culture in general, but did condemn the prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
which was widespread in Beijing at the time. During his research he discovered that, in contrast to the cultures of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, Chinese culture was strongly intertwined with Confucian
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
values and therefore decided to use existing Chinese concepts to explain Christianity. He did not explain the Catholic faith as something foreign or new, instead, he said that the Chinese culture and people always believed in God, and that Christianity is simply the most perfect manifestation of their faith. Thus the Chinese Lord of Heaven (天主) is identical with God. He supported Chinese traditions by agreeing with the veneration of the dead. Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
and Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
missionaries felt he went too far in accommodation and convinced the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
to outlaw Ricci’s approach. Similarly to developments in India, the identification of European culture with Christianity led to the virtual end of Catholic missions in China.
Later discovering that Confucian thought was dominant in the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, Ricci became the first to translate the Confucian classics into a western language, Latin, with assistance from the scholar Xu Guangqi
Xu Guangqi
Xu Guangqi , was a Chinese scholar-bureaucrat, agricultural scientist, astronomer, and mathematician in the Ming Dynasty. Xu was a colleague and collaborator of the Italian Jesuits Matteo Ricci and Sabatino de Ursis and they translated several classic Western texts into Chinese, including part of...
.
Ricci also met a Korean
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
emissary to China, Yi Su-gwang
Yi Su-gwang
Yi Su-gwang , also known as Lee Sugwang, was a Korean sarim, a military official, and a diplomat of the Joseon Dynasty. He was also an academic and an encyclopedist who created Jibong yuseol, the earliest Korean encyclopedia.-Early life:...
. He taught Yi Su-gwang the basic tenets of Catholicism and transmitted western knowledge to him, giving Yi Su-gwang several books from the west which were incorporated in Jibong yuseol
Jibong yuseol
Jibong yuseol is the first Korean encyclopedia published in 1614 during the reigns of King Gwanghaegun. The author, Yi Su-gwang was a prominent silhak scholar and a military officer of the mid Joseon period of Korea...
, which was the first Korean encyclopedia. Ricci's transmission of western knowledge to Yi Su-gwang influenced and helped shape the foundation of the Silhak
Silhak
Silhak was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in late Joseon Dynasty. Sil means "actual" or "practical," and hak means "studies" or "learning." It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-Confucianism that seemed disconnected from the rapid agricultural,...
movement in Korea.
Cause of Canonization
The cause of beatification of Father Matteo Ricci (1552–1610), originally begun in 1984, was reopened on January 24, 2010 at the cathedral of the east-central Italian Diocese of Macerata-Tolentino-Recanati-Cingoli-Treia.Commemoration
The following places and institutions are named after Matteo Ricci:- Matteo Ricci Pacific Studies Reading Room at The National Central LibraryNational Central LibraryThe National Central Library in Taiwan is located atNo. 20, Zhongshan S. Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10001, Taiwan .- Mission :...
of Taiwan - Ricci Hall, a dormitory at The University of Hong KongThe University of Hong KongThe University of Hong Kong is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Its motto is "Sapientia et Virtus" in Latin, meaning "wisdom and virtue", and "" in Chinese...
- Ricci Building, a building at Wah Yan College, KowloonWah Yan College, KowloonWah Yan College, Kowloon is a Latin Rite Catholic secondary school for boys, located at 56 Waterloo Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon...
in Hong Kong - The Matteo Ricci Study Hall, at the Ateneo de Manila UniversityAteneo de Manila UniversityThe Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
- Matteo Ricci College, Kowloon in Hong Kong
- Matteo Ricci College at Seattle UniversitySeattle UniversitySeattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member...
- Colégio Mateus Ricci, MacauMacauMacau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
- Sekolah Katolik Ricci in Pancoran, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
- Taipei Ricci InstituteTaipei Ricci InstituteThe Taipei Ricci Institute is one of the Ricci Institutes, in Taipei, Taiwan.Heir to the spirit of Matteo Ricci’s methods of evangelization in China in the 17th century, the Taipei Ricci Institute was established in 1966 by Father Yves Raguin, S.J...
, TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... - Macau Ricci Institute, MacauMacauMacau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
- Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at the University of San FranciscoUniversity of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
. - The Matteo Ricci Society at Fordham UniversityFordham UniversityFordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
- Matteo Ricci Hall-"R" Hall, Ricci Hall Annex-"RA" Hall two buildings at Sogang UniversitySogang UniversitySogang University is one of the leading research and liberal arts universities in Seoul, South Korea.The University was established in 1960 by the Society of Jesus to provide education based on the Catholic beliefs and inspired by the Jesuit educational philosophy, such as Georgetown University in...
in SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea - Townhouse block #14 at Fairfield UniversityFairfield UniversityFairfield University is a private, co-educational undergraduate and master's level teaching-oriented university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942, and today is one of 28 member institutions of the...
In the run-up to the 400th anniversary of Ricci's death, the Vatican
Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums , in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums in the world, since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries, including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and...
hosted a major exhibit dedicated to his life. At least one Catholic bishop - Claudio Giuliodori from Ricci's hometown, Macerata
Macerata
Macerata is a city and comune in central Italy, the capital of the province of Macerata in the Marche region.The historical city center is located on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. It consisted of the Picenes city named Ricina, then, after the romanization, Recina and Helvia Recina...
- has mentioned that the possibility of the Jesuit's beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
is considered by the church authorities. Additionally, Italian film director Gjon Kolndrekaj produced a 60 minute documentary about Ricci that came out in 2009, entitled "Matteo Ricci: A Jesuit in the Dragon's Kingdom", filmed in both Italy and China.
Also, in Taipei, the Taipei Ricci Institute
Taipei Ricci Institute
The Taipei Ricci Institute is one of the Ricci Institutes, in Taipei, Taiwan.Heir to the spirit of Matteo Ricci’s methods of evangelization in China in the 17th century, the Taipei Ricci Institute was established in 1966 by Father Yves Raguin, S.J...
and the National Central Library
National Central Library
The National Central Library in Taiwan is located atNo. 20, Zhongshan S. Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10001, Taiwan .- Mission :...
of Taiwan opened jointly the "Matteo Ricci Pacific Studies Reading Room" and the Taipei-based
online magazine eRenlai
Erenlai
-eRenlai:eRenlai is a monthly internet magazine concentrating on the cultural, social and spiritual concerns of contemporary Asia and throughout the world. Each edition is published in English, traditional and simplified Chinese...
, directed by Jesuit Benoît Vermander
Benoît Vermander
Benoît Vermander, born in 1960, is a French Jesuit, sinologist and political scientist, and director of the Taipei Ricci Institute since 1996. He is managing editor of the Chinese language journal Renlai and the electronic magazine erenlai...
dedicated its issue of June 2010 to the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Ricci's death
The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven
The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven is a book written by Matteo Ricci, which argues that ConfucianismConfucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
are not opposed and in fact are remarkably similar in key ways. Ricci used this treatise in his missionary effort to convert Chinese literati, men who were educated in Confucianism and the Chinese classics. There was controversy
Chinese Rites controversy
The Chinese Rites controversy was a dispute within the Catholic Church from the 1630s to the early 18th century about whether Chinese folk religion rites and offerings to the emperor constituted idolatry...
over whether Ricci and other Jesuits had gone too far and changed Christian beliefs in order to win converts.
See also
- Religion in ChinaReligion in ChinaReligion in China has been characterized by pluralism since the beginning of Chinese history. The Chinese religions are family-oriented and do not demand the exclusive adherence of members. Some scholars doubt the use of the term "religion" in reference to Buddhism and Taoism, and suggest "cultural...
- Christianity in ChinaChristianity in ChinaChristianity in China is a growing minority religion that comprises Protestants , Catholics , and a small number of Orthodox Christians. Although its lineage in China is not as ancient as the institutional religions of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism, and the social system and ideology of...
- Jesuit China missionsJesuit China missionsThe history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
- List of Jesuit scientists
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
- List of Roman Catholic missionaries in China
- History of the Jews in ChinaHistory of the Jews in ChinaJews and Judaism in China have had a long history. Jewish settlers are documented in China as early as the 7th or 8th century CE, but may have arrived during the mid Han Dynasty, or even as early as 231 BCE. Relatively isolated communities developed through the Tang and Song Dynasties Jews and...
- 19th Century Protestant Missions in China
- List of Protestant missionaries in China
- Horses in East Asian warfareHorses in East Asian warfareHorses in East Asian warfare are inextricably linked with the strategic and tactical evolution of armed conflict. A warrior on horseback or horse-drawn chariot changed the balance of power between civilizations....
- Zhang DaiZhang DaiZhang Dai was a Ming Dynasty Chinese writer. He was a gentleman essayist who was a biographer of his own privileged aritocratic family, a historian of the Ming Dynasty, and a biographer of notable virtuous figures...
- Kunyu Wanguo QuantuKunyu Wanguo QuantuKunyu Wanguo Quantu , printed in China at the request of the Wanli Emperor during 1602 by the Italian Catholic missionary Matteo Ricci and Chinese collaborators, Mandarin Zhong Wentao and the technical translator, Li Zhizao, is the earliest known Chinese world map with the style of European maps...
- Diego de PantojaDiego de PantojaDiego de Pantoja or Diego Pantoja, Chinese: 龐迪我, or Pang Diwo 龐迪我 , was a Spanish Jesuit and missionary to China who is best known for having accompanied Matteo Ricci in Beijing. His name also appears in some sources as Didaco Pantoia.He came to Macao on 20 July 1597...
Further reading
- Cronin, VincentVincent CroninVincent Archibald Patrick Cronin, FRSL was a British historical, cultural, and biographical writer, best-known for his biographies of Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, and Napoleon, as well as for his books on the Renaissance.Cronin was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire...
. (1955). The Wise Man from the West: Matteo Ricci and his Mission to China. (1955) OCLC 664953 - Gernet, Jacques. (1981). China and the Christian Impact: a conflict of culturesChina and the Christian ImpactChina and the Christian Impact was published in 1985 as the English translation of Jacques Gernet's Chine et christianisme of 1982. It received considerable attention from academic circles dealing with China and the Jesuit mission, mainly because of its approach to the subject from an almost...
. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10-ISBN 0521313198/13-ISBN 9780521313193; OCLC 21173711
- Simon Leys, Madness of the Wise : Ricci in China, an article from his book, The Burning Forest (1983). This is an interesting account, and contains a critical review of The Memory Palace by Jonathan D. Spence.
- Mao Weizhun, « European influences on Chinese humanitarian practices. A longitudinal study » in : Emulations - Journal of young scholars in Social Sciences, n°7 (June 2010).
- World Digital LibraryWorld Digital LibraryThe World Digital Library is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress.The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet, provide...
presentation of 職方外紀 六卷卷首一卷 or "Chronicle of Foreign Lands", 1623. Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. This book explains Matteo Ricci's world map of 1574.
Resources
Works- De Christiana expeditione apud SinasDe Christiana expeditione apud SinasDe Christiana expeditione apud Sinas suscepta ab Societate Jesu is a book based on an Italian manuscript written by the most important founding figure of the Jesuit China mission, Matteo Ricci , expanded and translated into Latin by his colleague Nicolas Trigault...
: the journals of Ricci that were completed and translated into Latin by another Jesuit, Nicolas TrigaultNicolas TrigaultNicolas Trigault was a Flemish Jesuit, and a missionary to China. He was also known by his latinised name Trigautius or Trigaultius, and his Chinese name Jīn Nígé .-Life and work:...
, soon after Ricci's death. Available in various editions:- Trigault, Nicolas S. J. "China in the Sixteenth Century: The Journals of Mathew Ricci: 1583-1610". English translation by Louis J. GallagherLouis J. GallagherLouis J. Gallagher, SJ was an American Jesuit, known for his educational and literary work.-Biography:Born in Boston, Louis J...
, S.J. (New York: Random House, Inc. 1953). - On Chinese Government, an excerpt from Chapter One of Gallagher's translation.
- De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas, full Latin text, available on Google Books
- A discourse of the Kingdome of China, taken out of Ricius and Trigautius, containing the countrey, people, government, religion, rites, sects, characters, studies, arts, acts; and a Map of China added, drawne out of one there made with Annotations for the understanding thereof (an early English translation of excerpts from De Christiana expeditione) in Purchas his PilgrimesSamuel PurchasSamuel Purchas , was an English travel writer, a near-contemporary of Richard Hakluyt.Purchas was born at Thaxted, Essex, and graduated at St John's College, Cambridge, in 1600; later he became a B.D., and with this degree was admitted at Oxford in 1615. In 1604 he was presented by James I to the...
(1625). Can be found in the full text of "Hakluytus posthumus" on archive.org. The book also appears on Google Books, but only in snippet view.
- Trigault, Nicolas S. J. "China in the Sixteenth Century: The Journals of Mathew Ricci: 1583-1610". English translation by Louis J. Gallagher
- An excerpt from The Art of Printing by Matteo Ricci
- Ricci's World Map of 1602
- Rare 1602 World Map, the First Map in Chinese to Show the Americas, on Display at Library of Congress, Jan. 12 to April 10 2010
External links
- World Digital LibraryWorld Digital LibraryThe World Digital Library is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress.The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet, provide...
presentation of 職方外紀 六卷卷首一卷 or "Chronicle of Foreign Lands", 1623. Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. This book explains Matteo Ricci's world map of 1574. - Fairfield University: Matteo Ricci, S.J.
- University of Scranton: Matteo Ricci, S.J.
- A timeline of Matteo Ricci in China
- The Zhaoqing Ricci Center
- Article about the tomb of Matteo Ricci in Beijing
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Matteo Ricci
- Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History
- Rotary Club Macerata Matteo Ricci (in Italian)
- Lamberto Bozzi: The Matteo Ricci Macerata Project
- Lamberto Bozzi: Pinocchio in China/Pinocchio nella Cina (In English and Italian)
- Matteo Ricci moves closer toward beatification