China was bulked large in the imagination of the Catholic Church for 500 years. It had been central to the missionary dream of the Jesuits for almost as long. However, only with this book’s appearance has the detailed focus of attention shifted to the substantial and neglected period of catholic and Jesuit engagement with china - the almost 120 years from the second arrival of the Jesuits.
Matteo Ricci the polymath, Ferdinand Verbeist and Adam Schall von Bell the astronomers and the exquisite painter who in uenced Chinese painting beyond measure, Giuseppe Castiglione, have been written about, made ls of and been the heart and soul of the rst stage of Jesuit impact on China - in the 17th and 18th Centuries. They brought Western learning and art to China and took Chinese language and literature to Europe.
The Jesuits were the rst multinational to be welcomed in China and they came with a speci c method of engagement - to make friends build relationship
