Giulio Aleni in the context of "Jesuits in China"

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⭐ Core Definition: Giulio Aleni

Giulio Aleni (Latin: Julius Alenius; 1582 – 10 June 1649), in Chinese Ai Rulüe, was an Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar. He was born in Leno near Brescia in Italy, at the time part of the Republic of Venice, and died at Yanping in China. He became a member of the Society of Jesus in 1600 and distinguished himself in his knowledge of mathematics and theology. He is known for helping publish the Zhifang Waiji, an atlas in Chinese. Giulio Aleni also wrote a treatise criticizing the Ming dynasty, the Ming emperors and their elites, and their mistakes and errors. Near the end of his life, the Ming dynasty eventually got destroyed and replaced by the Qing dynasty founded by the House of Aisin-Gioro.

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👉 Giulio Aleni in the context of Jesuits in China

The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of knowledge, science, and culture between China and the West, and influenced Christian culture in Chinese society today.

The first attempt by the Jesuits to reach China was made in 1552 by St. Francis Xavier, Navarrese priest and missionary and founding member of the Society of Jesus. Xavier never reached the mainland, dying after only a year on the Chinese island of Shangchuan. Three decades later, in 1582, Jesuits once again initiated mission work in China, led by several figures including the Italian Matteo Ricci, introducing Western science, mathematics, astronomy, and visual arts to the Chinese imperial court, and carrying on significant inter-cultural and philosophical dialogue with Chinese scholars, particularly with representatives of Confucianism. At the time of their peak influence, members of the Jesuit delegation were considered some of the emperor's most valued and trusted advisors, holding prestigious posts in the imperial government. Many Chinese, including former Confucian scholars, adopted Christianity and became priests and members of the Society of Jesus.

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Giulio Aleni in the context of Wanguo Quantu

Wanguo Quantu or the Complete Map of the Myriad Countries is a map developed in the 1620s by the Jesuit Giulio Aleni in Ming China following the earlier work of Matteo Ricci, who was the first Jesuit to speak Chinese and to publish maps of the world in Chinese from 1574 to 1603. Aleni modified Ricci's maps to accommodate Chinese demands for a Sinocentric projection, placing the "Middle Kingdom" at the center of the visual field.

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Giulio Aleni in the context of Kunyu Wanguo Quantu

Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (Italian: Carta Geografica Completa di tutti i Regni del Mondo, Complete Geographic Map of All the Kingdoms of the World), printed in Ming China at the request of the Wanli Emperor in 1602 by the Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci and Chinese collaborators, the mandarin Zhong Wentao, and the technical translator Li Zhizao, is the earliest known Chinese world map with the style of European maps. It has been referred to as the Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography, "because of its rarity, importance and exoticism". The map was crucial in expanding Chinese knowledge of the world. It was eventually exported to Korea then Japan and was influential there as well, though less so than Giulio Aleni's Zhifang Waiji.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Jesuits in China ← Wanguo Quantu ← Jesuit China missions ← Kunyu Wanguo Quantu
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Life of Jesus in the New Testament → Colossus of Rhodes → Latin language → Jesuit → Missionary → Scholar → Brescia → Nanping → Ming Dynasty → Society of Jesus → Mathematics → Theology → Zhifang Waiji → Qing dynasty → House of Aisin-Gioro →