Matteo Ricci's life

Matteo Ricci was born in macerata, Ma Erkai, Italy in 1552. His family runs a Lee's pharmacy and he is a famous local family. Matteo Ricci studied in a middle school run by the Jesuits here, and his father was always worried about Matteo Ricci joining the Jesuits.

In p>1561, Matteo Ricci studied at the Jesuit boarding school in macerata.

In p>1568, his father sent him to the preparatory school of Dorea College in St. Tom's, Rome, to study law, hoping Matteo Ricci would make achievements in the legal field.

In p>1571, Matteo Ricci interrupted his studies, went against his father's wishes, and entered the Jesuit Society as an intern, and joined the Jesuit Society on the day of the Virgin ascensiontide. I spent several months in a boarding school in Tuscany because of my excellent grades. It laid the foundation for Matteo Ricci to study humanities and science in Roman boarding school.

In p>1572, he studied philosophy and theology at the Roman Academy sponsored by the Jesuits, and studied celestial arithmetic under the mathematician Clau, at which time Van Lian was also his teacher. During this period, he also learned Latin and Greek, and he can use Portuguese and Spanish.

In p>1577, Matteo Ricci was sent to the East to preach and came to Lisbon, Portugal. Since the ship from Lisbon to India only leaves every spring, Matteo Ricci arrived in coimbra in late August and early September, 1577, and went to Jesus College near the famous Coimbra University. He studied Portuguese, which was necessary for missionaries to go to Portuguese colonies, and began to study theology. At the end of February, 1578, he was ordered to go to Lisbon to prepare for his trip to the East with other Italian and Portuguese Jesuits. From there, Matteo Ricci waited for a ship to India. I began to study theology while waiting for departure in boarding school in coimbra for six months. On March 24th, 1578, Matteo Ricci and 14 other Jesuits sailed from Ribbons to India to preach. All the way around the Cape of Good Hope, passing through Mozambique.

On June 29th, 1578, the sailboat was caught in a storm on the distant sea of Natal, and it lasted all night. Perhaps it is because of the memory of this narrow escape that Matteo Ricci once lamented many years later that people's living conditions at that time were like "watching the ship sink into the sea, and everyone could only survive in the huge waves of the vast sea."

on July 22nd, 1578, the St. Louis sailed into the port of Mozambique, where it stayed for three weeks to make necessary repairs, replenish water and supplies, and prepare slaves to be taken to India and the Far East for trading.

After a six-month voyage, I arrived in Goa, India on September 13th, 1578, and continued to study theology, teaching students humanities in boarding schools in Goa and Kochi. Goa, India is the most important colony of Portugal in Asia. The journey was very hard. Before reaching Goa, 13 of the 4 slaves from Mozambique on board died.

Before Matteo Ricci came to India, he was fascinated by what he heard about India because of the praise of Shabulio and the apotheosis of the church, and it was easy to preach here, but he was puzzled by the contrast of reality.

In p>158, he wrote a letter in Portuguese to Ma Fei, a Jesuit historian, saying, "If you look at the explanatory books and maps about India and Japan, you will find obvious fallacies everywhere." However, the Jesuits spread religion very smoothly in Japan, and followers of Nie Storey Sect (Nestorianism) were also found in India. This made Matteo Ricci and them very excited mentally. Matteo Ricci preached in India for four years.

On July 26th, 158, after he was promoted to priest, he studied theology. In India, he realized that local people should also be allowed to learn European cultures such as philosophy, teachings and theology, and wrote to the Jesuit headquarters to raise this issue. He thinks that if "they are prevented from holding positions in association with others-getting ahead through learning-I am worried that they will hate us, and the main purpose of our Jesuits in India, the mission of influencing pagans and converting them to our sacred beliefs, will come to naught." Traveling in Macao

In p>158, Matteo Ricci was conferred as a priest, and Father Luo Mingjian recommended Matteo Ricci to Fan Lian, the general inspector of the East. Father Fan Lian was the general inspector of the Jesuits in the East at that time. His main mission was to send Christian missionaries to China. Due to the maritime ban policy of the Ming Dynasty, none of the previous missionaries were able to enter China to preach. Because the Portuguese in Europe obtained the right of residence in Macao, the missionaries from Europe could only stay in Macao.

On April 26th, 158, Matteo Ricci set sail from Goa and sailed along the coast of Ceylon. In his Map of the World, he described this: "This sea area produces beautiful gems. Residents on the shore will swim to the sea to find gems. "

On June 14th, 158, he arrived in Malacca and stayed in this Portuguese-guarded city for two weeks. It is not only an important business center, but also an important sea route from India to the Philippines, China and Japan.

On July 3rd, 158, Matteo Ricci set sail for Macau again, and he was seriously ill during the trip.

On August 7th, 1582, he arrived in Macau Port.

Missionaries want to attract China people by writing Catholicism in Chinese. "Practice writing in their language as a means to attract and capture their hearts." Therefore, they first worked hard to learn Chinese in Macao, and Matteo Ricci, who began to learn Chinese, was very excited about Chinese characters that were completely different from pinyin, and felt very incredible. In addition, when I was in Macau, it happened that a Japanese envoy was sent by, and Matteo Ricci took this opportunity to learn a little Japanese.

Living in Zhaoqing

On September 1th, 1583, Matteo Ricci and Luo Mingjian entered China, sought the permission of the magistrate Wang Pan, built a small house with a church beside the Congxi Tower, and established the first missionary station in Zhaoqing. Matteo Ricci published the first map of the world in Chinese, and drafted the first Ten Commandments of Ancestral God in Chinese and Luo Mingjian. After several attempts, Matteo Ricci and Luo Mingjian failed to establish a new residence. Luo Mingjian was recalled to Rome by the Pope to arrange for the papal envoy to see the Emperor China, while Matteo Ricci and Father Mai Andong remained in Zhaoqing.

In p>1584, Matteo Ricci and Father Luo Mingjian were allowed to live in Zhaoqing, Guangdong. They claimed to be from "Tianzhu" to China officials, which made China people think they were Buddhists. Matteo Ricci explained why he came to China: "We are priests from the far west, because we admire China and hope to stay and serve God here until we die." He dare not answer the purpose of missionary directly, otherwise he may be expelled. In order to preach, they brought many articles from the west, such as the Madonna, maps, astrolabes and prisms. Among them is Euclid's Elements of Geometry. Matteo Ricci brought various new things from the West, which attracted many curious people in China. In particular, the map he brought has opened the eyes of China people.

Matteo Ricci, who entered China, praised China civilization very much: "China's greatness is unparalleled", "China is not only a kingdom, but China is actually a world". He lamented that "Plato's ideal as a theoretical narrative in The Republic of China has been put into practice in China." Moreover, he also found that China people are very knowledgeable. "Medicine, natural science, mathematics and astronomy are all very proficient." But he also found that "science is not the research object among China people."

In August, 1584, Matteo Ricci established the "Fairy Flower Temple" in Zhaoqing and began his missionary work. At first, preaching was very low-key. Priests are cautious and concentrate on learning Chinese and etiquette and customs in China, so as to win the trust of China people, especially officials. They wear the costumes of Buddhist monks, thinking that this will win people's favor, and they also think that this is not much different from the costumes of Catholic priests. This also makes China people more convinced that they are monks from afar. They hung a portrait of the Virgin Mary here, and many scholars, officials and even monks came to bow down. They were very excited. But from the Chinese point of view, this is more out of courtesy than religious significance. There are also accounts that they are worried that when people in China see the portrait of Mary, they will mistakenly think that their God is a woman and hang up the image of Christ instead.

In p>1584, Matteo Ricci produced and published The Whole Map of Mountains, Seas and Lands, which was the first time that China people came into contact with the knowledge of modern geography. Matteo Ricci took the opportunity to explain various western things and introduced their Catholic beliefs at the same time. They translated the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Praise of the Virgin and the catechism. And distributed the Record of God written by Luo Mingjian, explaining Catholic teachings in Chinese. Matteo Ricci lived in Zhaoqing for six years. In addition to the achievements of the European Renaissance, he systematically studied the traditional culture of China, and introduced modern mathematics, geometry, world map, western music and other western civilizations.

moved to Shaozhou

In the summer of p>1589, that is, in the seventeenth year of Wanli, the new governor of Guangdong expelled the missionaries from Zhaoqing. In 159, Matteo Ricci was instructed by Fan Li 'an to draft a letter to Emperor Daming in the name of the Pope, in which it was also said that Pope Sixtus V (R.1585-159) was the "monk emperor" living in the "Tianzhu country" and was on a special mission in the hope of spreading "the orthodox religion of God" and "promoting compassion and benefiting the world". After many efforts, Matteo Ricci was sent to Shaozhou, where he established a second missionary station. While in Shaozhou, Matteo Ricci had an accident. They were robbed by robbers. Although Matteo Ricci was slightly injured, fortunately, they scared off the robbers, and they were arrested soon. During his stay in Shaozhou, another misfortune was that two of Matteo Ricci's subordinates died one after another.

Father Mai Andong died in p>1591.

In the early spring of p>1592, Matteo Ricci went to Nanxiong to visit Qu Rukui (Qu Taisu), and Qu immediately urged him to grow a beard and keep his hair, and to take off his monk's clothes and wear Confucian clothes instead. He also tried to introduce Matteo Ricci into the circle of literati and officialdom through his network of contacts.

Father Shi Fangxi died in p>1593. While another priest, Luo Mingjian, has already returned to Europe, leaving Matteo Ricci alone to do missionary work in China. I am gratified that Qu Taisu, a scholar he met in Zhaoqing, became his good friend and disciple, and also helped Matteo Ricci translate the first volume of Euclid's Elements of Geometry. Through Qu Taisu's propaganda, Matteo Ricci's reputation gradually spread among local dignitaries, as well as gifts to senior officials such as planetarium, globe and sundial made by Matteo Ricci himself.

In Shaozhou, he studied the Four Books and translated it into Latin for the first time. Through the contact with Qu Taisu and many other upper-class people in China, Matteo Ricci found that his previous Buddhist monk costume was not respected in China society at that time, and his social status was relatively low. In order to communicate with officials in China more conveniently, Matteo Ricci began to grow hair and beard in 1594 with the consent of Fan Lian, and put on the clothes of Confucian scholars at that time.

Return to Nanchang

In p>1594, Matteo Ricci, together with a general sent to the Korean border, made a preliminary attempt to enter Beijing. But when I arrived in Nanjing, I had to return to the station. In 1595 (23rd year of Wanli), Matteo Ricci got the opportunity to go to Nanjing on the pretext of treating the son of an official who worked in the north. However, after arriving in Nanjing, the officials accompanied by Matteo Ricci gradually lost interest in him, so Matteo Ricci had to try to stay in Nanjing by himself. However, this time it failed. He had to return to Nanchang, where he was allowed to live and set up a third missionary post. Members of the Ming Dynasty royal family and officials at all levels were very interested in gifts such as globes, glassware and books bound in western style. Matteo Ricci once again held a "popular science" exhibition in his residence, performed advanced memory methods, published "On Making Friends", and began to write "The True Meaning of God", choosing quotations from western great men suitable for China people's ethics to publish. He gave up the method of building a church and publicly preaching, and further traded the concept of "God" with the "God" that China had since ancient times.

Matteo Ricci's three years of missionary work in Nanchang was also a process in which his missionary strategy was gradually formed in his exploration and practice. He had close contact and friendly dialogue with the officials and gentry in Jiangxi, and in the process, he formed a set of successful missionary strategies-"Nanchang missionary model".

In his report to the Jesuits, he explained the reasons for his success in missionary work in Nanchang:

First, he had never seen foreigners there;

Second, Matteo Ricci's memory is so good that many people in China want to learn it. Therefore, he wrote a book "The Law of the West" in Chinese to introduce his memory methods.

Third, it can use the Four Books and Five Classics to preach the teachings of Christianity;

fourth, his knowledge of natural science;

Fifth, it is said that he knows alchemy;

Sixth, he was asked for advice on Christianity.

In p>1596, Matteo Ricci was appointed by Van Lian as the head of China parish of Jesuits, and Matteo Ricci was in charge of missionary activities in China. And instructed Matteo Ricci to find a way to go to Beijing to see the emperor of China, so as to achieve a strong guarantee for missionary work in China. But also sent many gifts from Macau for Emperor China. In Nanchang, Matteo Ricci met Lu Wanxi, the governor of Jiangxi Province, and showed him the prism, western notation and clock, and explained the contents of western books. He also explained mathematics and sundial timing to local scholars.

On September 22nd, 1596, Matteo Ricci successfully predicted a solar eclipse here, making him a famous figure soon. During this period, he made many Confucian dignitaries, was invited by Zhang Huang, a famous scholar at that time, to give lectures and exchange in the famous Bailudong Academy, and established friendly relations with Wang Jian and Wang Jian, descendants of the royal family who were enfeoffed in Nanchang.

In p>1597, Matteo Ricci was appointed as the director of missionary work in China.

Go to Nanjing

On June 25th, 1598, Matteo Ricci left Nanchang for Nanjing with another priest, Lazzaro Cattaneo, and Wang Zhongming. At the beginning of July, 1598, they arrived in Nanjing. In 1598, Matteo Ricci's first visit to Beijing was facilitated by Wang Zhongming, the minister of Nanjing. Wang Zhongming was an old friend of Matteo Ricci's when he was preaching in Shaozhou, and he was about to go to Beijing to report on his work. On the birthday of Emperor Wanli, Wang Zhongming invited Matteo Ricci to join him in Beijing to celebrate his birthday, and Matteo Ricci also prepared a bell, a musical instrument and other European objects for the emperor. The group left Nanjing by water and went north along the Grand Canal.

On September 7th, 1598, Matteo Ricci arrived in Beijing after two months. The long journey and the heat of summer made the missionaries fall ill once, but the joy of coming to Beijing made them forget the hardships of the journey. Matteo Ricci wrote in his notes: "This is really a happy thing, and we should not let it go in silence;" Just think about how many oceans the Christian faith has crossed. After such a long period of approaching, it finally entered this country, and its messenger finally entered the imperial capital. " However, what happened afterwards was far less smooth than Matteo Ricci imagined. At that time, as Japan invaded Korea, the whole capital was heavily guarded and tense, and people were afraid of getting into trouble by making friends with foreigners. First, the eunuch contacted by Wang Zhongming refused to introduce Matteo Ricci into the palace.