Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) was an Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar who served in China during the Ming dynasty. He spent 30 years engaged in missionary work and intellectual exchange. Ricci was the first to translate Confucius’ Analects and other Four Books into Latin, published in Paris, introducing Confucius to Europe for the first time and elevating him onto the global stage. In Beijing, he was highly respected by Chinese scholars, who called him the “Western Confucian.” Ricci adopted Chinese clothing and the Confucian scholar’s hat, spoke Mandarin, and explained Catholic doctrines in the language of Confucius. He thus simultaneously introduced Jesus to China and presented Confucius to the world, making him both a Jesuit and a Confucian scholar. He was the first to bring God to China and the first to bring Confucius to Europe.

At age 26, Ricci was sent to India for missionary work, where he stayed for four years and studied local humanities. In 1582, he was summoned to China, arriving in Macau, where he learned Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) and read extensively. He possessed an extraordinary memory, reportedly “retaining everything at a single glance.” In 1583, he traveled with Italian priest Michele Ruggieri (1543–1607) to Zhaoqing, Guangdong, then the provincial capital, to begin missionary work. Catholicism was unknown in China; locals assumed the missionaries were Buddhist monks from India. Ricci and his colleagues displayed images of the Virgin Mary and world maps, broadening the horizons of Chinese scholars. He also collaborated with local literati to translate Euclid’s Elements, introducing geometry to China for the first time. Ricci compiled his observations and knowledge in The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven (Tianxue Shiyi), remarking that Plato’s Republic had already been realized in China. He found the Chinese highly learned in medicine, natural science, mathematics, and astronomy.

In Zhaoqing, Ricci and his fellow missionaries initially wore Buddhist monk-like robes (similar to Jesuit cassocks). Many scholars, officials, and even monks would kneel before images of the Virgin Mary. Concerned that the Chinese might mistake Catholicism for goddess worship, Ricci replaced the images with those of Jesus. The missionaries translated the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, hymns to the Virgin Mary, and catechisms into Chinese, generating local interest in Catholicism. Ruggieri’s Records of the Lord of Heaven was also translated, explaining Catholic doctrines, though the Chinese continued to interpret them in a Buddhist framework.

In 1588, Ruggieri returned to Italy to report to the Pope and request formal approval for missions in China. However, the Pope died shortly thereafter, and Ruggieri did not return to China.

In 1589, the new governor of Guangdong, Liu Jiwen, declared Ricci and his companions heretics and expelled them from Zhaoqing. They moved to Shaozhou, where Ricci survived a robbery with minor injuries. Conditions were difficult over the next two years; two fellow priests died, leaving Ricci as the sole missionary. In Shaozhou, he adopted Confucian scholar attire, began teaching the Four Books, translated them into Latin, and grew his hair and beard in the Confucian style.

In 1595, Ricci treated the son of an official traveling north and accompanied him to Nanjing, though he was unable to remain. The following year, he successfully predicted a solar eclipse in Nanchang, gaining fame. He befriended influential literati such as Zhang Huang and lectured at the White Deer Cave Academy, receiving warm support from Prince Jian’an. Ricci explained Christian teachings using the Four Books and Five Classics, winning acceptance among many scholars. He began writing in Chinese, producing works such as On Friendship, admired by local intellectuals.

In 1596, Ricci was appointed by the Far East Jesuit superior, Fan Li’an, as head of the Catholic mission in China. He was authorized to manage missionary activities and instructed to seek an audience with the emperor in Beijing, ensuring stable conditions for the mission. He also sent numerous gifts to the emperor from Macau.

Ricci accepted the new assignment, completing Ruggieri’s unfinished work. He planned a journey to Beijing, coordinating with Wang Zhongming, Minister of Rites in Nanjing. After two months in Nanjing, they traveled toward Beijing, but the Japanese invasion of Korea interrupted the mission. Ricci remained in Beijing for just over a month before returning to Nanjing. During his stay, he made friends with scholars and high officials, including thinkers Li Zhi and Xu Guangqi, and debated monks from the Sanhuai region, prevailing through logical and scientific argumentation. He also established a Catholic church in Nanjing.

In 1600, Ricci and another priest returned to Beijing with gifts. In 1601, Emperor Wanli received him and granted permission for the missionaries to reside in Beijing. Ricci presented a self-striking clock, the Bible, the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (world map), and a transverse-keyed instrument.

In Beijing, Ricci’s broad knowledge of Chinese and Western learning earned him friendships among scholars. He discussed God, Heaven, the soul, and the afterlife, while writing new works in Chinese, including The Twenty-Five Words, which received wide acclaim. By 1605, about 200 people in Beijing had converted to Catholicism, including several high-ranking officials, most notably the scholar-official Xu Guangqi.

Ricci died in Beijing in 1610 at age 58. Emperor Wanli granted the exceptional honor of burial in Beijing, making Ricci the first foreigner officially allowed to be buried there and signaling imperial approval of Catholic missions. From then until the late 19th century, over a hundred European and American missionaries were buried in Ricci’s cemetery. During the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, the cemetery was damaged; Empress Dowager Cixi later restored it and erected an apology stele. By 1949, several hundred missionaries were buried there. During the Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards again destroyed the cemetery and tombstones. In 1979, under Deng Xiaoping’s approval, the cemetery was restored and designated a cultural relic.

Ricci spent 28 years in China, never leaving after his first arrival. As a missionary, he propagated Catholicism, and as a Confucian scholar, he promoted Confucius to the West. He recognized that Chinese rituals honoring Heaven, ancestors, and Confucius did not conflict with Catholic faith. He equated the Chinese concept of Tian with the Western God and allowed converts to maintain these rituals. This “Ricci Rule” was sanctioned by the Roman Curia and observed until Emperor Kangxi’s reign. When Spanish missionaries petitioned Rome to revoke it, Kangxi rejected the petition, asserting, “There is no god who is disloyal or unfilial.” Consequently, Catholicism in China faced difficulties until 1939, when the Ricci Rule was reinstated, achieving harmony between Jesus and Confucius.

Ricci pioneered a successful missionary strategy: missionaries would focus on education, healthcare, and charity, with evangelization secondary. This approach earned trust among the Chinese population. By 1949, countless Catholic schools—from primary to university—had been established in mainland China, often exceeding domestic schools in quality. Some missionaries dedicated their lives to education.

Ruggieri, who first brought Ricci to Zhaoqing, later translated the Four Books into Latin and Spanish upon returning to Rome, completing the work around the same time as Ricci. In 1687, Ricci’s Latin translation of Confucius (Analects, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean) was first published in Paris.

Ricci also translated The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven (Tianxue Shiyi) into Chinese, systematically explaining God’s existence, the immortality of the soul, moral distinction between humans and animals, and the afterlife rewards and punishments—widely accepted by the Chinese. The Qianlong Emperor later included it in the Siku Quanshu, with translations into Mongolian, Manchu, Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese.

Ricci, together with Xu Guangqi, translated Euclid’s Elements, producing the first geometry text in Chinese. His Chinese translation of the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu was China’s first world map.

Ricci wrote On Friendship in Chinese, collecting over a hundred maxims on friendship from Renaissance humanists, alongside his reflections on Confucian gentlemen. He also authored The Twenty-Five Words, presenting Catholic moral principles, widely welcomed by Chinese readers. His Italian diary was later translated into Latin and published in 1615 as De Christiana Expeditione apud Sinas (Ricci’s Notes on China).

Ricci’s arrival in China inspired Chinese scholars and officials to study Western learning. In the late Ming, Empress of the Chongzhen Emperor wrote to the Pope seeking support and expressed willingness to convert to Catholicism. During the Qing dynasty, Emperor Kangxi employed missionaries extensively.

Pope John Paul II, in the 400th anniversary commemoration of Ricci’s arrival in Beijing, said: “Father Ricci’s greatest contribution was cultural integration. His genuine approach to ‘becoming a Chinese among the Chinese’ amazed the people, fostering faith in Christ without harming Chinese culture, enriching it instead.”

Japanese author Hirakawa Yuhiro remarked: “Ricci was the first person to unite Renaissance learning and Confucian scholarship in one individual. He was the world’s first global citizen.”

Mathematician Shing-Tung Yau commented: “Ricci was the first to bridge Chinese and Western cultures; modern Chinese mathematics originated in Zhaoqing.”

Life magazine listed Ricci among the 100 most influential people in the world over the past 2,000 years.