But Ricci was no stranger to foreign lands; he had spent the previous four years in the Portuguese colony of Goa before arriving in Macau to begin learning Chinese language and culture. This endeavor, in and of itself, set Ricci apart from his predecessors: before him, only one Christian missionary, by the name of Ruggiero, had ever attempted to learn Chinese. The same Ruggiero would serve as Ricci’s guide as he penetrated the Chinese mainland, which then remained a largely unexplored frontier among Westerners.

Part of the reason for this was that in the 16th century, China was just beginning to open up to international influences again, thanks in large part to the 14th century tributary missions of Zheng He, who helped establish diplomatic relations with states throughout Southeast Asia and Africa. Western influence, however, remained scarce, especially in the holiest of holies: the recently constructed Forbidden City, which stood as an imposing symbol of Ming opulence and power.

But Ricci was not to be intimidated. In contrast to the large majority of missionary work of the time, which was predicated on the notion of Western superiority, Ricci’s approach took Chinese culture and civilization as its basis. He immersed himself, and within a few years had won over local officials, establishing himself as an indispensable intellectual resource.

In 1584, a mere two years after reaching China, Ricci was commissioned by the viceroy of Zhaoqing to create China’s first European-style map of the world, known today as “A Map of the Myriad Countries of the World.” The map was critical to expanding Chinese knowledge of the wider world. Around the same time, Ricci compiled a Portuguese- Chinese dictionary, the first Chinese dictionary in any European language. This served as a basis for transcribing Chinese words in the Latin alphabet.

Ricci also provided a window into European civilization and a valuable means of gaining access to European technological advancements. In 1601, his efforts paid off when thanks to these and other scientific contributions, he was invited by Emperor Wanli to the Imperial Court. This was a major milestone— Ricci was the first Westerner ever to be invited into the Forbidden City, and became the first Western advisor to the Imperial Court. And as Ricci’s biographer Ronnie Hsia notes, it was all off his own back: “By his intelligence, charm and endurance, the Italian missionary gained access to the inner realm of Chinese civilization, denied to almost all visitors.”

But Ricci hadn’t forgotten his original mission. After being established at his new post in Beijing, he began using his access to the higher echelons of Chinese government and society to spread Christianity from the top down. Familiar with the culture’s strong affinity with Confucianism, Ricci decided to use existing Chinese concepts to explain Christianity, and became the first scholar to translate the Confucian classics into a Western language, Latin.

Though some members of the church ultimately balked at what they viewed as Ricci’s excessive cultural appeasement, there was no doubting his influence. By the time he died in Beijing in 1610, Ricci had established himself as a respected member of Chinese society. While Ming Dynasty code normally required the remains of foreigners to be buried in Macau, Emperor Wanli granted special permission for Ricci to be buried in Beijing.

“Matteo Ricci, The Jet-Setting Jesuit” is just one of the many profiles we have in our China Dispatch only “Travel Supplement“. To read the whole piece, download the app on iOS or Android.