"A Jesuit in the Forbidden City: Matteo Ricci" By Ronnie Po-Chia Hsia (Oxford University Press, 2010).
Related: The Jesuits In China.
Ronnie Po-Chia Hsia (夏伯嘉; born November 15, 1955) is an American historian and the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor at Pennsylvania State University, where he teaches history and religious studies. His research interests are Catholic Renewal, anti-Semitism and Protestant Reformation.
Matteo Ricci SJ (Italian: [matˈtɛːo ˈrittʃi]; Latin: Matthaeus Riccius; 6 October 1552 – 11 May 1610) was an Italian Jesuit priest and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China missions. He created the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu, a 1602 map of the world written in Chinese characters. In 2022, the Apostolic See declared its recognition of Ricci's heroic virtues, thereby bestowing upon him the honorific of Venerable.
. . .Ricci could speak Chinese as well as read and write classical Chinese, the literary language of scholars and officials. He was known for his appreciation of Chinese culture in general but condemned the prostitution which was widespread in Beijing at the time. He also called the Chinese "barbarians" in letters back home to his friends, and opposed what he considered to be anti-Black prejudice among the populace. He noted this, however, in the context of his function as a slave catcher for the Portuguese. (Ricci himself also owned African slaves.
Video Title: A Jesuit in the Forbidden City: Interview with Ronnie Hsia. Source: romancesphere. Date Published: January 13, 2012.
