An Italian Jesuit who reached Macau in August 1582, studied Chinese language and customs there, and entered mainland China from 1583. His scholarly and missionary achievements — and his fame — belong mainly to the mainland (Zhaoqing, Nanjing, Beijing). This archive frames his Macau link through the gateway of his entry into China. He died in Beijing in 1610.
A Jesuit renowned for his learning in mainland China — whose first step onto Chinese soil fell in Macau.
Matteo Ricci was a Jesuit who entered China by way of Macau in 1582. In honesty, his fame rests chiefly on the mainland rather than Macau; this archive includes him through the lens of "Macau as the gateway into China".
Profile
- Chinese Name: 利瑪竇
- Western Name: Matteo Ricci (Portuguese: Mateus Ricci)
- Born: 6 October 1552 (Italy)
- Died: 11 May 1610 (Beijing)
- Region: Italy / Macau · mainland China
- Domains: Culture · Religion · Scholarship
- Subject type: Historical figure · Jesuit missionary
Background
Ricci was born in Italy on 6 October 1552. After joining the Society of Jesus he was sent east. In the late sixteenth century Macau was the place where missionaries settled and studied before entering China; Ricci's road into China began there.
Career
I. Arrival in Macau and study of Chinese (1582)
In August 1582 Ricci reached Macau and studied the Chinese language and customs at the Portuguese trading post in preparation for the mission. Macau was his first stop in understanding Chinese language and culture and his gateway into contact with China.
II. Entering mainland China (from 1583)
In 1583 Ricci and Michele Ruggieri received permission to settle at Zhaoqing in Guangdong, entering the mainland. He gradually travelled north — through Shaozhou, Nanchang, and Nanjing — eventually reaching Beijing, earning a reputation among Chinese literati for his learning, maps, astronomy, and his "accommodation" approach to mission.
Defining Moments
I. Macau as the gateway into China
Ricci's case clearly illustrates Macau's role at the end of the sixteenth century as the "gateway of the China mission": missionaries first settled in Macau, learned the language and culture, and then entered the mainland. This archive includes Ricci through that lens rather than claiming his chief work took place in Macau.
II. A reputation made in the mainland
In honesty, Ricci's scholarly and missionary achievements occurred mainly in mainland cities — Zhaoqing, Nanjing, Beijing — and his fame rests there. Macau was the starting point of his journey, not the stage of his renown.