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A Jesuit in the Forbidden City: Matteo Ricci, 1552-1610
A 16th century Italian Jesuit, Matteo Ricci was the founder of the Catholic Mission in China and one of the most famous missionaries of all time. A pioneer in bringing Christianity to China, Ricci spent twenty eight years in the country, in which time he crossed the cultural divides between China and the West by immersing himself in the language and culture of his hosts. Even 400 years later, he is still one of the best known westerners in China, celebrated for introducing western scientific and religious ideas to China and for explaining Chinese culture to Europe.
The first critical biography of Ricci to use all relevant sources, both Chinese and Western, A Jesuit in the Forbidden City tells the story of a remarkable life that bridged Counter-Reformation Catholic Europe and China under the Ming dynasty. Hsia follows the life of Ricci from his childhood in Macerata, through his education in Rome, to his sojourn in Portuguese India, before the start of his long journey of self-discovery and cultural encounter in the Ming realm. Along the way, we glimpse the workings of the Portuguese maritime empire in Asia, the mission of the Society of Jesus, and life in the European enclave of Macau on the Chinese coast, as well as invaluable sketches of Ricci's fellow Jesuits and portraits of the Chinese mandarins who formed networks indispensible for Ricci's success.
Examining a range of new sources, Hsia offers important new insights into Ricci's long period of trial and frustration in Guangdong province, where he first appeared in the persona of a foreign Buddhist monk, before the crucial move to Nanchang in 1595 that led to his sustained intellectual conversation with a leading Confucian scholar and subsequent synthesis of Christianity and Confucianism in propagating the Gospels in China. With his expertise in cartography, mathematics and astronomy, Ricci quickly won recognition, especially after he had settled in Nanjing in 1598, the southern capital of the Ming dynasty. As his reputation and friendships grew, Ricci launched into a sharp polemic against Buddhism, while his career found its crowning achievement in the imperial capital of Beijing, leaving behind a life, work, and legacy that is still very much alive today.
The first critical biography of Ricci to use all relevant sources, both Chinese and Western, A Jesuit in the Forbidden City tells the story of a remarkable life that bridged Counter-Reformation Catholic Europe and China under the Ming dynasty. Hsia follows the life of Ricci from his childhood in Macerata, through his education in Rome, to his sojourn in Portuguese India, before the start of his long journey of self-discovery and cultural encounter in the Ming realm. Along the way, we glimpse the workings of the Portuguese maritime empire in Asia, the mission of the Society of Jesus, and life in the European enclave of Macau on the Chinese coast, as well as invaluable sketches of Ricci's fellow Jesuits and portraits of the Chinese mandarins who formed networks indispensible for Ricci's success.
Examining a range of new sources, Hsia offers important new insights into Ricci's long period of trial and frustration in Guangdong province, where he first appeared in the persona of a foreign Buddhist monk, before the crucial move to Nanchang in 1595 that led to his sustained intellectual conversation with a leading Confucian scholar and subsequent synthesis of Christianity and Confucianism in propagating the Gospels in China. With his expertise in cartography, mathematics and astronomy, Ricci quickly won recognition, especially after he had settled in Nanjing in 1598, the southern capital of the Ming dynasty. As his reputation and friendships grew, Ricci launched into a sharp polemic against Buddhism, while his career found its crowning achievement in the imperial capital of Beijing, leaving behind a life, work, and legacy that is still very much alive today.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published December 16, 2010
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About the author
R. Po-chia Hsia
153 books13 followersRonnie Hsia is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History at Penn State University, Pennsylvania, USA.
His research is focused on the history of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Renewal, anti-Semitism, and the encounter between Europe and Asia.
His research is focused on the history of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Renewal, anti-Semitism, and the encounter between Europe and Asia.
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August 29, 2024menudo trote, muy chulo el libro, interesante. a ratos se hace un poco más pesado, pero en general bien.
me gusta especialmente que esté escrito desde un enfoque tan amplio. habla de ricci, pero no es un relato en el que él hiciera todo, sino que trata mucho las relaciones y situaciones por las que llegó a lo que llegó.
me gusta especialmente que esté escrito desde un enfoque tan amplio. habla de ricci, pero no es un relato en el que él hiciera todo, sino que trata mucho las relaciones y situaciones por las que llegó a lo que llegó.
October 13, 2013
I was surprised when I received this book as a present from my son. But I loved it. Insightful and inspiring.
January 11, 2018
La storia di Matteo Ricci è affascinante!
Ho dovuto leggere questo testo per un'esame universitario, non è stato semplice, forse per la sua lunghezza e per le parti dettagliate sulla cultura cinese, ma devo ammettere che è stata una piacevole avventura.
Ho dovuto leggere questo testo per un'esame universitario, non è stato semplice, forse per la sua lunghezza e per le parti dettagliate sulla cultura cinese, ma devo ammettere che è stata una piacevole avventura.
November 18, 2019
NICE BOOK.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews