Matteo Ricci

Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) was an Italian Jesuit priest and missionary who introduced Christianity to the Ming empire. Ricci entered mainland China through Macao and established a series of residences, eventually making it all the way north to Beijing where he lived from 1601 until his death. Among his many accomplishments, Ricci created the first European-style world map in Chinese, introduced Euclidean geometry to China, helped to compile the first Portuguese-Chinese dictionary (along with the first Romanization of the Chinese language), and wrote several books in Chinese. His method of adaptation and accommodation facilitated his rise to fame and unprecedented standing in 16th century Chinese society. Despite being a prolific correspondent, only 54 of Ricci’s letters are known today.