After meeting Liang Ren Gong, Mao decided to go outside Fuchengmen to see Matteo Ricci.

After forty years of reflection, Mao had come to feel deeply that communism no longer worked and could not save China. Social morality had declined; to rejuvenate China, moral reconstruction was necessary. Confucius must be welcomed back, and China must combine East and West in accordance with global trends. Matteo Ricci was the first missionary to bring Western culture to China and to introduce Confucius to the West—thus pioneering Sino-Western cultural exchange. Nearly five hundred years ago, during the Ming dynasty, he became the first foreigner permitted by a Chinese emperor to reside in Beijing, where he engaged in missionary and scholarly work for decades. He died in Beijing and was the first foreigner granted imperial permission to be buried there.

Ricci’s tomb is located in what is now the rear courtyard of the Beijing Municipal Party School (the former Zhalan Cemetery). The cemetery is enclosed by a low wall, with a stone archway at the entrance and two gray iron gates. Several verdant cypress trees stand around the grounds. Inside stands a white marble stele about one and a half times the height of a man, originally erected in 1610 during the Ming dynasty. It was damaged during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 and later restored under Empress Dowager Cixi; it was again damaged during the Cultural Revolution in 1966 and restored in 1978 with approval from Deng Xiaoping. Though scars remain visible, the original Ming stele is still in use.

At the top of the stele, carved amid dragon motifs, is a cross symbol representing the Catholic Church, indicating the tomb’s occupant was a Catholic. In the center are engraved the large characters: “Tomb of the Jesuit Father Li.” Since Ricci’s burial, hundreds of missionaries had been interred there over several centuries, but after the destruction of the Cultural Revolution, most graves are no longer identifiable.

That evening Mao read materials about Ricci. The noble image of this foreigner filled his mind—coming alone to an unfamiliar China, never returning home, never marrying, without descendants or even romantic companionship, living a life completely without women—utterly devoted to religion and science. As he pondered, Ricci’s figure gradually emerged from blur to clarity and approached him.

Ricci spoke first: “Master Mao, thank you for coming from afar to see me.”

Mao replied: “Only after forty years of reflection have I gained a historical perspective and come to understand you. You devoted your life to China; the Chinese people will never forget you.”

Ricci said: “The Wanli Emperor of the Ming dynasty granted me burial in Beijing—an extraordinary honor. In the centuries that followed, hundreds of missionaries were also buried here. We are deeply grateful.”

Mao said: “You not only preached the Gospel, but also introduced Western science—astronomy, mathematics, geography. In Beijing you produced the first world map of China, broadening the Chinese people’s horizons.”

Ricci answered: “That map was based on an original I brought from Italy. Some scholars later suggested that earlier versions of such maps may have originated in China—quite possible. I arrived after Zheng He’s voyages; the Chinese had already made remarkable discoveries about the world. But who came first matters less than sharing knowledge and advancing civilization together.”

Mao said: “It was not easy to come to China alone from afar. The Chinese people revere you.”

Ricci replied: “It was indeed difficult. The voyage by ship took months. Four of us traveled together—first to India, then to Macau, where I studied Chinese for two years before entering Guangdong. We preached there for many years; two missionaries died in Guangdong, one returned to Italy. I alone remained. Later I went to Jiangxi and Nanjing, and finally gained the opportunity to enter Beijing.”

Mao said: “You devoted yourself to learning Chinese. You even used the language of the Four Books and Five Classics to explain biblical doctrine, quoting Confucius so people could easily understand. You translated Confucius’ Analects into Latin—you were the first to introduce Confucius to the West.”

Ricci replied: “At the time, travel was difficult. I did not live to see the Analects published in the West; it appeared in Paris years after I had returned to Heaven. Confucius is extraordinary—he should be studied worldwide.”

Mao said: “You opened the path between China and the West—allowing Chinese people to maintain faith in Confucius, Heaven, and their ancestors, while also believing in Jesus. You demonstrated compatibility between civilizations. Your contribution is immense.”

Ricci responded: “Through deep study, I found that the Chinese concept of ‘Heaven’ corresponds to the Western idea of God—similar in essence, though expressed differently. God is, in a sense, Heaven made more concrete. The forms differ, but the fundamental meaning is close. Confucius represents practical philosophy and ethical morality—indispensable. Reverence for ancestors exists in both East and West; only the forms differ.”

Mao said: “If everyone understood as you do—with openness and magnanimity—there would be no conflict between East and West, and peace would prevail. Your contribution is truly remarkable.”

Mao continued: “I have come to seek your advice. I practiced communism for thirty years and made a complete mess of it. Communism no longer works. We must find another way.”

Ricci said: “Does not your Party constitution still speak of building ‘socialism’ and striving toward ‘communism’?”

Mao replied: “That is official rhetoric—mere formality. In reality, things have changed. Deng Xiaoping used my body but removed my internal organs—my ‘class struggle.’ He replaced them with his ‘black cat, white cat’ principle. It is the old bottle with new wine; the flavor has completely changed.”

Ricci said: “Ah, I see. In China’s long history, appearances and reality can differ greatly.”

Mao continued: “For thirty years, I controlled all the ‘cats,’ gathered all the grain in the nation to feed them, and forbade them from finding food themselves. As a result, tens of millions of ‘cats’ starved, and resentment filled the country. When Deng came to power, he said: ‘One, two, three—release!’ Whether black cat or white cat, all were freed to fend for themselves. Now all the cats are plump; none starve. They roam not only locally, but across the nation—and even around the world. In the past, only a few foreign cats came to China; now Chinese cats invest everywhere.”

Ricci said: “I never imagined that Deng’s ‘black cat, white cat’ remark would wield such transformative power. If things have changed so dramatically, what remains the problem?”

Mao answered: “Food and clothing are no longer issues. But as the Chinese saying goes, ‘When food and clothing are sufficient, one thinks of honor and shame.’ Civilization and ethics have become the issue. The Cultural Revolution destroyed traditional morality; it has not yet been restored. Many moral failings are visible. That is why I seek your counsel.”

Ricci replied: “I have no new method—only the old method from five hundred years ago. In the West there is God; in the East there is Heaven. Heaven is not merely nature—it contains your deeper cultural meaning: reverence for Heaven, for ancestors, for the Yellow Emperor, Yandi, Yao, Yu. In Beijing you have the Temple of Heaven, where emperors offered annual sacrifices. That tradition embodies your reverence. To say ‘Heaven’s will must not be violated’ means your ancestral spirit must not be violated, regardless of which emperor rules. Master Mao, your greatest lesson was abandoning your ancestors and recognizing Russia as your forebear, bringing decades of disaster. Now it is simply a matter of welcoming back your ancestors and Confucius. It is the same old method—what else is needed?”

Mao said: “I understand now. Invite back our ancestors, invite back Confucius, and abandon the Russian model.”

Ricci, satisfied, said: “I remain forever at rest in China. From Heaven I await China’s cultural rejuvenation. I hope to see you honor Heaven, your ancestors, and Confucius.”

With that, he gradually withdrew.

After hearing Ricci’s words, Mao felt suddenly enlightened.

NEXT: 11. Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925)