1 Matteo Ricci pioneered the burial of foreign missionaries in Beijing.
The guardians of the cemetery are four cypresses and two bamboos, facing three tall white marble tablets, with a gray-black rectangular brick tomb behind them. The square monument in the middle is 2.7 meters high and 0.94 meters wide. In the center of the monument is the Tomb of Gong Li, a Jesuit, which was built in the thirty-eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 16 10). This is Matteo Ricci's tomb, with ferdinand verbiest's tomb in the east and Tang Ruowang's tomb in the west. Although the tomb owners are all foreign missionaries, they still do as the Romans do. The tombstone is surrounded by a thick dragon body, but the cross is engraved on the forehead, indicating that the owner of the tomb is a devout Christian.
400 years ago, Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552 ~ 16 10) came to Beijing as a western guest, which opened a new chapter in the history of cultural exchange between China and the West. Matteo Ricci entered the Jesuit school at the age of 9,/kloc-joined the Roman Jesuit society at the age of 0/9 and volunteered to teach in the Far East. 1582 (ten years of Wanli) In August, he crossed the ocean and came to Macao, where he began his missionary career in China for nearly 30 years. With the special approval of Emperor Wanli of Ming Dynasty, Matteo Ricci was buried in Beijing. When he was alive, Erligou area in Beijing was still a wasteland. He pioneered the burial of foreign missionaries in Beijing, and his cemetery later became a collective cemetery for foreign missionaries.
China's first translation of natural science was translated and published.
China's culture developed in isolation, so people in the past often felt like frogs in the well, and thought that China was the center of the world. So before Matteo Ricci, China people didn't know much about Europe, and Europeans didn't know what the ancient oriental country was like. Matteo Ricci successfully grafted Christianity and western civilization onto the trunk of ancient China, and took the lead in introducing China to the West, making immortal contributions to the cultural exchange between China and the West.
From 65438 to 0853, Matteo Ricci entered Macau and lived in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, where he established the first Jesuit church in Chinese mainland. After that, he preached in Shaozhou and Nanchang for more than ten years. Matteo Ricci believes that China has made great achievements not only in morality, but also in many branches of astronomy, traditional Chinese medicine and mathematics.
He summed up the lessons of previous missionaries, took off his dress and studied China culture sincerely. Dominated by this mentality, Matteo Ricci, like China people, is familiar with Chinese and the Five Classics, combining Confucianism with Christianity. This, of course, is also attributed to his ability to recite, and his amazing memory makes China scholars admire him deeply. Matteo Ricci also wrote a book called History of Western Countries, which specifically introduced his local memory method.
After Matteo Ricci settled in Nanchang, he made friends with senior officials of the Ming Dynasty and won the support of the upper intellectuals. He met scholars Zhai Taisu and Li Nianwu, and even met the great dramatist Tang Xianzu. Xu Guangqi, a famous scientist, is also his good friend. Their Latin translation of The Elements of Geometry was published in Beijing on 1607. This is the earliest translation of a natural science book in China, and many technical terms are still "alive" in our lives.
The learned Matteo Ricci is not only proficient in mathematics, but also in astronomy, geography, history, literature, art, mathematics, physics, philosophy, architecture and so on, and even in mechanical technology.
In order to spread Christianity better, Matteo Ricci kept clocks, Mitsubishi mirrors, books and homemade astronomical instruments brought from the west at home, and invited China people to visit. In order to better integrate into China society, he also served as a "god doctor" and cured the son of Zhaoqing magistrate Wang Pan with quinine. Wang Pan was so grateful that he won the right to build a house, live and preach for him.
A map of the world has blinded the people of China.
1595 Matteo Ricci set out from Nanchang with Shi Xing, assistant minister of the Ministry of War, to prepare for Beijing. But this is not allowed. 1597, Matteo Ricci was appointed as the president of the Jesuit Chinese Missionary Society. Later, he traveled all over the coastal areas and showed local residents western treasures such as prisms, Madonna, oil paintings, world maps, globes, astronomical instruments and chimes, all of which amazed intellectuals and literati. At this time, Matteo Ricci thought that his road to Beijing had been paved. On September 1598, he went north again and arrived in Tongzhou, but he still did not get permission to enter Beijing. Matteo Ricci "Lai" was in Nanjing at this time, and spent the Lantern Festival in the residence of Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites in A.D. 1599.
A year later, in late July of 1600, the indomitable Matteo Ricci went north for the third time with the Spanish missionary Diego de Pantoja, carrying a lot of treasures of the tribute emperor. Unexpectedly, when Japan invaded Korea, the maritime trade stopped. In the Ming Dynasty, Royal Guards went around catching Japanese spies, and Matteo Ricci was almost caught because he was a foreigner. He finally arrived in Tianjin, where he was detained for violating foreign travel laws because local officials coveted his tribute.
After half a year, Matteo Ricci's friend Xu Guangqi learned about it and lifted the ban with an imperial edict. It is also said that Emperor Wanli suddenly remembered that a Le Shu said that several westerners were coming to pay tribute, and the list of tributes included chimes, western pianos and other objects. Emperor Wanli was anxious to see the clock, so he ordered Matteo Ricci to go to Beijing.
160165438+1On October 24th, Matteo Ricci finally arrived in Beijing, lived in a eunuch's house outside Chengnan City, and then moved to Siyi Pavilion where foreign envoys lived.
When Emperor Wanli saw the chime, he was fascinated at once. Because only Matteo Ricci can repair clocks, he was chartered to move to a rental house near Xuanwumen, and he can also receive a monthly living allowance from the official bank.
Matteo Ricci paid tribute to the map of the world, which was also deeply loved by Emperor Wanli. This is the first world map drawn by Matteo Ricci for China, Kunyu and World Map. At first, he was worried that China people would attack him when they saw that their country was not the center of the world. Unexpectedly, people in China are blindsided. Emperor Wanli especially loved this map of the world and went to bed after reading it every night. This map of the world painted by Matteo Ricci was remake 12 times in China. Since then, China's world map has followed this schema.
The ancient China finally opened its doors to him. 10 years later, Matteo Ricci settled in Beijing and built the first Catholic church in Beijing at Xuanwumen.
Four officials of the Ming Dynasty attended Matteo Ricci's funeral.
In the year of Matteo Ricci's death, many unusual things happened in China. 5,000 officials from all provinces in China who came to Beijing to make a pilgrimage to the emperor and 5,000 people who came to take the exam wanted to meet Matteo Ricci.
Matteo Ricci was busy with these large-scale activities and guiding the construction of churches in his later years besides writing the history of Christianity in China. He always strictly abides by fasting, never eats meals interrupted by visitors, and never eats outside normal hours. Finally, due to overwork, I have a bad headache. Since then, I have been ill and died in bed with my eyes closed.
Matteo Ricci hopes to buy a cemetery for priests in the suburbs of Beijing. How could foreigners be buried in China at that time? According to the rules of China, foreign missionaries should be transported to Macau Theological Seminary for burial after their death. At that time, although feudal China accepted missionaries, Christianity did not gain legal status in China.
Matteo Ricci's body was put in a sealed coffin and parked in the church, waiting for a miracle. Who can believe that Emperor China would grant the privileges of the mausoleum to foreign missionaries? Only Matteo Ricci believed that something extraordinary would happen after his death.
It's time for funeral mass, and a large number of Christians have come. One of the celebrities is familiar with the rules of the court. He thought that as long as the emperor spoke, not only Matteo Ricci could be buried in Beijing as he wished, but Christianity also had a legal status in China. Celebrities consult with priests to play the role of emperor: first, thank the emperor for giving Matteo Ricci a royal allowance, and then give him a place to live a few years later; Then it is suggested to transport Matteo Ricci's body for a long distance, and the sailors will be afraid. Considering that Matteo Ricci has been living in the shadow of your majesty for many years, can he be counted as your subject ... I believe you can give Matteo Ricci a burial place.
After many twists and turns, Emperor Wanli of Ming Shenzong made an exception and allowed it.
With the imperial edict, the church immediately chose several cemeteries. There is a village temple called Ren 'en Temple in Erligou, Beijing, which is managed by only one monk. Because it was given by the emperor, the price was negotiable, but I didn't expect this land to be the property of the eunuch Yang in the palace. Eunuch Yang has been put to death by the imperial court, but before that, he transferred the temple to the big eunuch who was especially loved by the Queen Mother, on condition that he must take back Erligou's land from foreigners by all means. If the priest had known in advance, he might have chosen another cemetery, but now he has no choice.
Although Ren 'en Temple is managed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, the gifts given by the emperor should be transferred to the Ministry of Ritual Affairs, which means that both the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Ritual Affairs can intervene. With the great assistance of the minister of rites, the emperor approved it within one month. However, the director of the housing department got in the way and asked to explain why such a large manor was given to the priest. The priest explained that the emperor not only gave a cemetery, but also gave a place to live. The house is reasonable. So many foreign missionaries live in Beijing. The next day, the head of the family department sent a letter and promised to do as the priest wished.
After many twists and turns, under the supervision of foreign missionary groups, the first Christian cemetery in China was built. At one end of the garden, a small church with a hexagonal vault was built with bricks, and a place with four cypress trees was enclosed as the cemetery of the church. The location of cypress is very suitable, which makes people wonder if it was prepared for Matteo Ricci earlier.
A year later, Matteo Ricci's body was buried and hundreds of Ming officials attended the funeral.