2010 was the 400th. anniversary of the death of Padre Matteo Ricci. He was born in Macerata in 1552, and died in Beijing in 1610. Padre Ricci was a Jesuit missionary, but also a man of science, letters, astronomy, mathematics and diplomacy. He acted as a bridge between the cultures of Europe and China. Among the Chinese he is better known than Marco Polo, they have a great respect for his memory, considering him to be a man of dialogue between east and west. A man who was given privileges normally reserved for high ranking Chinese. He was introduced to the Forbidden City to the court of the Ming dynasty becoming an advisor to the Emperor. The 400th. anniversary of his death was celebrated with big fairs in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanking and Macao. In China Ricci is considered to be a kind of Leonardo da Vinci – a genius, they called Xi Tai (grand master of the west) or Li Madou. Continue reading →