Zhong Wen: Matteo Ricci visited Nanjing three times before his death, and he purchased land and a residence there, making many friends. Today, Nanjing still preserves his former residence and the world map he produced.

Ricci arrived in Nanjing on May 31, 1595 (the 23rd year of Wanli). During his stay, he made friends with many famous figures, such as Ye Xianggao, Qu Taisu, Li Zhi, and Xu Guangqi.

Bo Ya: What did Nanjing look like in Ricci’s eyes?

Zhong Wen: Ricci wrote that the capital was called Nankin, but the Portuguese learned the city’s name from the people of Zhangzhou in Fujian, who called it Lankin, because people there often pronounced “N” as “L”. As the seat of a provincial governor, the city was also known as Yingtian Prefecture.

In the eyes of the Chinese, Ricci said, the city surpassed all other cities in the world in beauty and grandeur; and indeed, there were very few cities that could rival it.

Everywhere there were palaces, temples, towers, and bridges—structures that Europe could hardly surpass. In some respects, he believed Nanjing exceeded the cities of Europe. The climate was mild and the land fertile. The people were cheerful, courteous, elegant in speech, and the population was dense, consisting of all social classes—commoners, cultured nobles, and officials. These officials were comparable in number and stature to those in Beijing, yet because the emperor did not reside there, Nanjing’s officials were not considered equal to those of the capital. Still, throughout China and surrounding lands, Nanjing was regarded as the foremost city.

The city was surrounded by three concentric walls.

The inner wall, the most magnificent, enclosed the imperial palace. The palace itself was surrounded by three layers of arched gates and encircled by a moat filled with water. Ricci estimated the palace walls to be four to five Italian miles long. He commented that few monarchs in the world possessed a palace surpassing it.

The second wall enclosed both the palace and most of the important quarters of the city. It had twelve gates (Ricci was mistaken; it had thirteen), covered with iron plating and guarded by artillery. This great wall stretched nearly eighteen Italian miles.

The third and outermost wall was discontinuous. In dangerous areas, natural defenses were used instead. Its total circumference was hard to determine. Locals told a story of two men riding toward each other from opposite points on the wall and taking a full day to meet.

This enormous wall gave some idea of how large the city was. Built in a circular form, it enclosed more area than any other shape would. Inside were vast gardens, mountains, woods, and lakes, though residential areas still occupied most of the space. Ricci noted that the scale was almost unbelievable unless witnessed firsthand. He wrote that the city’s garrison alone numbered 40,000 soldiers.

Located at 32 degrees latitude, Nanjing lay nearly at the center of the empire mathematically. The Yangzi River flowed along its western edge. Ricci wondered whether its commercial value to the city exceeded even its beauty. The river washed against the city’s banks, entering the city through several channels forming canals navigable by large boats. These canals, he wrote, were dug by the ancestors of the current inhabitants through immense labor over many years.

The city had once been the imperial capital for centuries. Even though Beijing had become the current seat of the emperor, Nanjing had not lost its magnificence or fame.

Bo Ya: This passage seems to come from Ricci’s China Journal, Chapter 10, “Father Ricci Is Expelled from Nanjing”. It describes the shock Nanjing gave Ricci upon his arrival.

Zhong Wen: Ricci also mentioned that on the other side of the region, there was another city situated on rising ground. At the outlet of the lake stood another city of strategic importance. The lake’s calm waters flowed into the Yangzi, which led directly to Nanjing—its narrowest point still several kilometers wide. Nanjing was also known as Southern Zhili.

After 22 days of travel, they reached Nanjing on May 31—a large and heavily fortified city located on the right bank of the river, around 32 degrees north.

Jiangxi Province, Ricci noted, produced large quantities of white rice, while Jiangsu produced abundant wheat, from which delicious flat cakes were made. These cost three copper coins for three cakes. Between Nanjing and Beijing, people ate even more wheat, which was easier to obtain than rice.

The Yangzi provided plentiful, delicious fish, beloved by the Chinese. Firewood was expensive in Nanjing; people burned fine grasses instead of wood, the kind that grew along the riverbanks. Ricci was surprised how little forest he saw along the river, though he suspected inland areas had ample wood.

For safety, he wrote, boats traveled in fleets like naval groups. Near Nanjing there were many patrol boats. Their paintwork was fine, though they were not as well equipped as those in Guangdong. Boats were forbidden to travel at night, and violators could be punished or fined.

He was struck most of all by the watchtowers on hilltops—small towers visible to one another, where smoke or fire signals could be lit in emergencies to warn Nanjing and other cities instantly. Ricci called this an ingenious defensive invention. Bamboo was planted widely along the riverbanks.

Bo Ya: That’s basically beacon towers. It seems this technology hadn’t reached Europe, so Ricci found it remarkable. Ironically, the base of beacon towers later became the design foundation of Gothic church towers.

Zhong Wen: Returning to Nanjing, Ricci wrote that although Beijing had become the capital for strategic reasons against northern tribes, Nanjing still held imperial status and glory equal to the northern capital. It possessed royal palaces and authority.

The city was enormous, with three massive walls, guarded by soldiers, containing grasslands for hunting, ponds for fishing, and grand gardens—everything one could imagine.

The second wall spanned more than 20 miles, built of huge stone blocks, wide enough for three carriages to ride side-by-side.

The third wall, he wrote, seemed built to defend against rebels, for outside it stood countless houses. It was not continuous—gaps existed where rivers cut through. It was said to be over 40 miles around. Between the second and third walls were large vegetable gardens and fields.

When Ricci arrived, he rented a house just outside the wall near a city gate. He understood how important it was to rely on the influence of Vice Minister Shi. After leaving Shi’s household, Ricci traveled to Nanjing with a servant of Shi, and this connection brought him no trouble because Shi was a powerful official.

Bo Ya: Ricci was very skilled at cultivating official connections—it was indeed the key to opening doors.

Zhong Wen: Ricci later wrote that when he first arrived at his rented house, he met a doctor he had never known. The doctor immediately told others: “Look at that foreigner—he is a friend of the Vice Minister’s son.” Ricci was delighted, because nothing pleased him more than being associated with the Vice Minister’s family.

When he had been in Zhaoqing, the Vice Minister (Liu Jiezha) had lived there as governor, and Ricci had befriended his son through Qu Taisu. Liu’s son had visited Ricci twice in Shaozhou, bringing gifts and hosting banquets. Now in Nanjing, Liu’s son again visited him, praising him to many officials. Numerous people sent gifts and invited Ricci to banquets.

The person he appreciated most was a scholar of a large and influential family. Ricci was invited to his home four or five times, and his son listened with great interest to Christian teachings and Western knowledge.

(Site of Ricci’s residence: today’s 112 Shigu Road, Xinjiekou, Nanjing, where the Shigu Road Catholic Church now stands.)

Ricci wrote that everything began well, but he knew establishing residence in Nanjing would be exceedingly difficult. The city was suspicious of foreigners, and high-ranking officials—those who truly held power—were not yet his acquaintances. He tried to reach them through friends and contacts.

Bo Ya: Indeed, by June 1595, Ricci was expelled from Nanjing. He did not want to return to Guangdong. Since arriving in Zhaoqing in 1583, he had spent 12 years in Guangdong and baptized only a little over 100 converts. Apart from a few enlightened officials, the common people, scholars, and most local authorities were hostile. The residence in Zhaoqing was seized by officials; the house in Shaozhou was attacked and looted several times. Two assisting missionaries died. Michele Ruggieri, the man who first led Ricci into China, had been ordered to Rome to persuade the Pope to request religious freedom in China. Ruggieri never returned. Four popes died in short succession, hindering his efforts. He remained in Italy until his death in 1607.