Chapter 7 Section 1 Matteo Ricci and the Jesuits Entering China

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, China's feudal society entered the late stage of its development, the superstructure became increasingly decayed, and Buddhism and Taoism showed a trend of decline.The seeds of capitalism have broken out, and the social crisis is getting worse.In the West, Protestantism rose after the Reformation, and Roman Catholicism lost power in Europe, so they tried to develop new parishes in the East.In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, with the Portuguese colonial power coming to the east, Catholicism regained the opportunity to preach in China, and Christianity spread in China for the third time.During this period, Catholic Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans were introduced to China one after another, among which the Jesuits were the most effective, influential and powerful.

The Jesuits are a Catholic order founded in 1534 by Ignatius Loyola to oppose the Reformation. After being officially approved by Pope Paul III in 1540, the Jesuits actively explored overseas missionary work.Francis Xavier, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, was sent by King Joao III of Portugal in 1540 to preach in the East in the name of the Pope's envoy.He arrived in Goa, India in 1542 and preached throughout Southeast Asia. In 1549, he accompanied the Portuguese envoys on a Chinese merchant ship to preach in Yamaguchi and Bungo, Japan. When he learned that the Buddhism and Confucianism practiced in Japan came from China, he decided to preach in China, "so that the Chinese can convert from superstition. At this point, it will be easier for him to win over the Japanese and bring the gospel to them from China” (Matteo Ricci: Notes on China).He came to Shangchuan Island in Guangdong twice in 1551 and 1552, but was unable to enter the mainland to preach because of the stricter maritime restrictions in the Ming Dynasty, and died of illness on the island.Since Portugal occupied Macau in 1557, some priests planned to use Macau as a base for missions to China.But in the face of the tightly sealed mainland China, they have not been able to achieve their wish. They can only look at the rocky mountains on the border and sigh: "Rock! Rock! When will it crack, welcome my lord!"

Francis Xavier was the pioneer of the Jesuits to come to China to preach, but it was the Italian Matteo Ricci who really laid the foundation for the mission in China. In September 1578, Matteo Ricci went from Lisbon, Portugal to Goa, India to preach, and was promoted to priest the following year. In 1582, he was ordered by Fan Li'an, the envoy of the Jesuits to visit the Far East, to Macau to learn Chinese.Prior to this, Fan Li'an had reviewed the situation and adjusted the missionary policy of the Jesuits in China, canceling the original practice of imposing Western customs and using Latin in religious ceremonies, and instead focused on learning Chinese language and cultural knowledge and adapting to Chinese culture. national customs. In 1583, Matteo Ricci went to Guangzhou with another Jesuit monk, Luo Mingjian from Naples, Italy, but failed to settle down.Later, they were invited by Guo, the new director of Taiwan, to come to Zhaoqing. They gave each other gifts such as chiming bells and were allowed to build the church.A year ago, Luo Mingjian went to Guangzhou with a Portuguese merchant ship to preach, and with the permission of Chen Wenfeng, the Taiwanese manufacturer, he lived in Xining Temple in Dongguan, Zhaoqing, and was soon driven back to Macau.When they came to Zhaoqing this time, they made friends with officials and literati at all levels, and displayed the "Map of Mountains and Seas", as well as globes, sundials, chime bells, and prisms, etc., which won the respect of local gentry.Within a few years, about 80 followers have been developed.Afterwards, Luo Mingjian went to Shaoxing, Guilin and other places for activities, and returned to Rome from Macau in 1588, trying to lobby the Holy See and Western countries to communicate with China in order to obtain legal missionary status.Coincidentally, the change of pope was unsuccessful, and he died in Rome in 1607.After Luo Mingjian left, Matteo Ricci began to preach alone.

In 1589, Matteo Ricci was forced to move to Shaozhou.He continued to make friends with officials and gentry, displaying Western "foreign objects" as a means of preaching.At the same time, he studied Confucian classics, taught "Four Books Chapters" by Yan Shi, and translated them into Latin with detailed annotations.This is the earliest foreign language translation of "Four Books".In the preface, he praised Confucian ethics, comparing it with the famous works of Roman philosopher Seneca.In Shaozhou, Suzhou Qu Taisu got acquainted with him and persuaded him to change his monk's clothes to Confucian clothes.When Matteo Ricci entered China, his follower Luo Mingjian shaved off his beard and hair, and regarded himself as a Western monk.Wang Pan, the prefect of Zhaoqing, inscribed a plaque for the church: "Xianhua Temple" and "Xilai Pure Land", which still has the atmosphere of Buddhist temples.Luo Mingjian wrote the first Chinese book on Catholic teachings in Zhaoqing, titled "Newly Edited Records of God in Xizhu Kingdom", and signed "The Monk Collection of Tianzhu Kingdom".The book was later revised by Matteo Ricci and Zhaoqing scribes, and renamed "Records of the Holy Religion of the Catholic Church", and 1,000 copies were distributed after printing.At this time, Matteo Ricci had lived in Guangdong for 10 years, and felt that the social status of monks was not as good as that of Confucian scholars. So he suggested to Fan Li'an, inspector of the Jesuit Indian Mission, that missionaries grow beards and hair, and wear silk clothes to meet officials and gentry. Western Confucianism".This new missionary method was approved in 1594.Matteo Ricci followed the apostle Paul's teaching of "Being what kind of man you are", studied Chinese scriptures assiduously, and wrote books based on them to promote Catholic doctrine.Diet and daily life are also completely Chinese, "Worshiping people is like a ritual, and people love them, and believe that they are good people" (Li Rihua's "Zi Tao Xuan Miscellaneous").Zhang Erqi's "Hao'an Gossip" also said: "Madou first arrived in Guangzhou, and when he got off the ship, his head was bare and his shoulders were bare. People thought he was a Western monk. When he was introduced to a Buddhist temple, he waved his hands and refused to worship. He translated it as my Confucianist. I studied Confucianism as a teacher, and within a year or two, all the Four Books and Five Classics understood the righteousness, so I entered the capital of the court."

Matteo Ricci realized that in order for China to accept Catholicism, he must seek the emperor's permission. In 1595, he traveled northward from Shaozhou in Confucian clothes, but was blocked in Nanjing, so he had to return to Nanchang, where he made friends with the royal family, officials and Confucian scholars, and talked about astronomy and geography.At the request of Jian'an King Zhu Duo (Fire Festival) [jiejie], he wrote "On Making Friends", which quoted hundreds of relevant maxims such as Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, and Augustine.He also wrote "Xi Guo Ji Fa", which taught Western memory methods.Matteo Ricci became famous for this. In 1597, Fan Li'an appointed him as the president of the Jesuit China Missionary Society, instructed him to take Beijing as his permanent residence, and organized a batch of tributes for him.In the following year, on the grounds of paying tribute to Fangwu and assisting in the revision of the calendar, he went north with Wang Zhongming, the Minister of Rites who had been reinstated in Jinjing, and arrived in Beijing in early September.Just when Japan sent troops to Korea, Matteo Ricci was unable to pay homage to Ming Shenzong. After staying for a month, he went south to Suzhou to visit Qu Taisu, and settled in Nanjing in 1599.In the following year, Matteo Ricci and the Spanish priest Pontigo went north again in the name of tribute to the relics. In early 1601, they entered Beijing and presented images of God, the Mother of God, the Holy Bible, pearl-studded crosses, chiming bells, Yaqin, and all nations to Ming Shenzong. Figures and so on.Since then, he has repaired clocks for the court, taught Yaqin, received a salary, and settled in Beijing.Because of his extensive knowledge in astronomy and geography, the imperial court conferred official positions on him and allowed him to open churches to preach.

In Beijing, Matteo Ricci continued to introduce Western astronomy, mathematics, physics and chemistry knowledge, in order to gain the trust and cooperation of those officials who advocated practical learning and opposed empty talk.His "Map of Mountains and Seas" was revised and supplemented, and was published many times under the name of "The Complete Map of Kunyu and Wanguo".He and Xu Guangqi jointly translated the first six volumes of Euclid, ,, and Li Zhizao.In his life, he wrote and translated more than 20 kinds, in addition to teachings, ethics and memorials, there are also,,,, and so on.The three pillars of Chinese Catholicism in the Ming Dynasty, Xu Guangqi, Li Zhizao, and Yang Tingyun were all baptized successively under the direct induction of Matteo Ricci.In addition, Qu Taisu, Feng Yingjing, Li Tianjing, Zhang Tao, Sun Yuanhua, Wang Zheng, Han Lin, Duan Gun [gun Gun], Jin Sheng, Qu Shiqi [sisi] and other famous believers who exchanged knowledge with him are all famous in the academic circle. , The court minister.Therefore, "History of the Ming Dynasty: Biography of Italy" said: "The people who come from the east of the country are mostly intelligent and talented people who devote themselves to teaching and do not seek profit. Many of the books written by them are unknown to the Chinese, so they are different for a while. Those who appreciate it are highly respected. But scholar-bureaucrats like Xu Guangqi and Li Zhizao are the first to like his theory, and to polish his words, so his teaching suddenly flourishes."

Matteo Ricci preached, paying attention to conforming to Chinese traditional culture and social customs, and tried his best to integrate the Tao of Confucius and Mencius and the thought of respecting heaven and ancestors into his teachings.He declared in "Tianxue Shiyi" (also known as "Tianzhu Shiyi") that the "Heaven" or "God" in ancient Chinese books is the "God" worshiped in the West. Teaching" or "Tianxue".His specific strategy was to unite Confucianism against Buddhism.He openly attacked Buddhist idol worship, "specially dedicated to warding off Buddhas, seeing scriptures and statues and ghosts and gods, and always urging people to destroy them" ("Hao'an Gossip"). Customs, which are allowed to be followed by believers, are not regarded as idolatry.At the same time, he cites earlier Confucianism against later Confucianism, that is, he wants to return the misguided later Confucianism to the correct earlier Confucianism.His works such as "Tianxue Shiyi", "Ten Chapters of Abnormal People", "Debates on Debate", "Twenty-five Words" and so on, all use the interpretation of Confucian classics to oppose Buddhism and reject the post-Confucianism who can talk about the mind and see the nature. It is the so-called "quote the words of my Six Classics to prove the truth, and slander the empty mistakes" (Feng Yingjing's "Tianzhu Shiyi").Matteo Ricci's works are very popular among officials and Confucian scholars because "most of his words are in line with Confucius and Mencius, and he also clearly argues that Shi Shi's injustice".University scholar Ye Xianggao praised him for "admiring the Chinese style and deeply agreeing with my Confucianism".Even a member of the Donglin Party like Zou Yuanbiao said that he "wanted to learn from God in China, which is a good intention; I have a glimpse of its mystery, which is the same as the words of our country's sages" ("Wish Xueji Daxi Guoli") Matthew").

Xu Guangqi summed up Matteo Ricci's missionary policy in China as "drive away Buddhism and supplement Confucianism".But Matteo Ricci's ultimate goal of "combining Confucianism" and "complementing Confucianism" is to "superior Confucianism".Ricci hoped that this would "gradually prepare for the full naturalization of the entire empire".In his later years, he worked harder to preach, founded the Catholic Church in 1609, and personally supervised the construction of the Beijing Cathedral. In 1610, Matteo Ricci died in Beijing. According to Pang Diwo and Xiong Sanba, he was allowed to be buried at the Tenggong fence in Erligou, outside the Fucheng Gate of Beijing, and later became the Beijing Priests Cemetery.

Since Matteo Ricci came to China in 1582, he began to baptize the first believer in Zhaoqing in the following year. By 1586, 40 people had been baptized nationwide. In 1589, there were 80 people. In 1596, there were more than 100 people. In 1603, there were about 500 people. The annual increase to 2000 people.By the time of his death, there were about 2,500 Catholics in the country.Jesuit priests who entered China at the same time as him, such as Portuguese Mai Anton, Meng Sande, Luo Ruwang, Yang Manuo, Xie Wulu, Su Ruwang, Fei Qiguan, Italians Shi Fangxi, Guo Jujing, Xiong Sanba, Long Huamin, Wang Fengsu, and Spanish Pangdier assisted Matteo Ricci in preaching in Guangdong, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Beijing, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places.Zhaoqing built a church in 1583.Shaozhou built a church in 1589.Nanchang built a church in 1595.Nanjing built a church in 1599.Beijing built a church (South Church) in 1605.Shanghai built a church in 1608.Hangzhou started teaching in 1611.Before 1775, when the Jesuit China Missionary Society received the order of the Pope to officially disband, most of the missionaries in various places were Jesuit priests.The Jesuits in China became the largest missionary group directly sent to China by the Holy See with the support of the Portuguese government.

Matteo Ricci's visit to China has written a new page for the cultural exchanges between China and the West in the late Middle Ages.Among the Jesuit priests, he was the first to enter the capital of the Ming Dynasty and obtain a legal missionary status. He was the most influential figure in the Christian missionary career of the upper class of Chinese society and later.As the first representative of Western learning in China, he officially introduced a large amount of Western religious and scientific and technological knowledge to China.Although his subjective intention was to preach, and what he imported was not the latest modern scientific knowledge, objectively it did refresh the eyes of Chinese scholars at that time.At the same time, he was the first person to positively introduce Chinese history and culture to the West.Since him, the westward spread of the middle school and its influence on the Enlightenment are very remarkable things.In these respects, Matteo Ricci's hard work is indelible.

---

Notes: