Matteo Ricci (1552 - 1610) was a Italian Jesuit priest whose missionary in China since 1582 during the Ming Dynasty marked the beginning of modern Chinese Christianity. His introduction of western science, material and thoughts has inspired some traditional Confucianist literati and officials.
Ricci arrived in south China in 1682, and he arrived at Beijing in 1601 where he presented himself at the Imperial court of Wanli.
Ricci is one of the Life magazine's 100 most important people of the last millennium.
See also: Religion in China
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