With today’s seemingly irreversible trend toward globalization, countries interact with each other more often and more intensely. As a result, worldwide interest in intercultural communication has risen. Although we are familiar with the introduction of western culture into China by Chinese scholars, whose aim is “to learn others’ strong points in order to surpass them”, ways of spreading Chinese culture to the west remain a mystery to most of us. Who are the harbingers of culture? The answer may be surprising: religious missionaries.

Stirred by accounts of a prosperous and civilized China in The Travels of Marco Polo, Europeans began to explore the mysterious eastern empire in the late 15th century. Christian missionaries joined the expeditions to spread their religion. At this time, China was under the rule of the Ming dynasty. Harassed by the frequent lootings of foreign pirates in its coastal areas, the Ming government implemented a “closed door” policy, banning foreign trade and prohibiting foreigners from entering China. Despite these difficulties, missionaries managed to land in China and made great achievements in intercultural communication.

Matteo Ricci, Italy born missionary to China in Ming Dynasty

The first missionary we’ll mention is Matteo Ricci, better known as Li Madou in China. Ricci was born in Macerata, Italy in 1552. In 1571, he entered the Society of Jesus at the Roman College to study philosophy and theology. Endowed with great talents, he also devoted himself to mathematics, cosmology and astronomy. Later, he asked to be sent on the missions to Far East Asia. In 1582, he arrived in Macao. In order to preach, he learned Chinese assiduously. After a couple of years, he grasped Chinese with such proficiency that he could understand the Chinese classics. As he moved northward from Guangdong province, he made acquaintances with Chinese intellectuals along his journey. After a long delay, he was finally permitted to enter Peking in 1601, where he stayed for the rest of his life preaching and teaching science, mathematics and Christianity to Chinese intellectuals.

Matteo Ricci’s contributions to intercultural communication were many. From 1584 to 1588, he and Michele Ruggieri, another Italian missionary, co-edited “Pingchang Wenda Ciyi” ( “The Meaning of Daily Used Sentences”). In this book, they used Latin words to explain Chinese characters, the first work of its kind. He also finished the translation of “Sishu” (“The Confucian Classics”) and sent it to Italy. From then on, Western intellectuals had access to the core of Chinese Culture. He recorded in his dairy the novelties he encountered in China and his reflections on Chinese society and Chinese government, all of which serve as eye –openers during a period when China was closed to foreign visitors.

Nicolas Trigault  in Chinese Costume

Nicolas Trigault (1577—1628), a French missionary, also plays an important role in spreading Chinese culture into the western world. Diligent and intelligent, he became a knowledgeable person in his manhood and mastered several languages. He arrived in China in 1610, preaching in Nanjing and Hangzhou. Two years later, he was sent back to Europe to present a Chinese Missionary report. On his return journey, he translated Matteo Ricci’s Italian posthumous manuscript into Latin and wrote his famous “History of Christianity in China” according to Ricce’s material. Although mainly a systematic introduction of western missionaries’ experiences in China dating back to the Tang dynasty, the book also comprehensively depicts Chinese culture and society. It evoked a fervent response in the western world and was reprinted many times.

During his sojourn in Europe, Nicolas Trigault travelled far and wide to introduce Chinese culture, raising funds and gathering thousands of books for his second visit to China in 1618. Most of the 7000 books he brought to China were on theology and science, others concerned philosophy, literature and the arts. He wrote a book titled “Xiru ermu zi” (“An Aid to the Eye and Ear of Western Scholars”), written primarily for Western scholars to help them learn and pronounce Chinese characters. Previously Matteo Ricci had written “Xizi qiji” (“Western Words’ Wonder”), which aroused great admiration among his fellow scholars. Trigault’s book made an equally great impression on the literati of the time and had a definite influence on Chinese scholars of phonology.

Other missionaries also engaged in intercultural communications. Italian Prospero Intorcetta, and Portuguese Inacio da Costa co-translated “The Analects” (“Lun Yu”) and “The Great Learning” ( “Da Xue”), by its western name “The Wisdom of China.” Philippe Couplet, a Belgian missionary, edited a collection titled “Chinese Scholarship” (“Zhong guo xue wen”), dedicated to Louis XIV, the French King. The collection not only won its editor more funds but also aroused Louis XIV’s interest in sending more people to China.