The Activities Of Jesuits In Shaozhou In Late Ming Dynasty

Shaozhou, the second settlement for Jesuits in late Ming Dynasty, was a hub of communications. The period for Jesuits staying in Shaozhou lasted for about 28 years, from 1589, when Matteo Ricci came to Shaozhou to set up a new settlement after being banished in Zhaoqing, to 1617, when Jesuits had to withdraw from the last spot of nanxiong in Shaozhou. The policy of "Adaptation" was preliminarily being applied and developed in Shaozhou. Matteo Ricci's integrated theories suited to Chinese realistic situation actually came into being in Shaozhou. Whatever the successful experiences or the defeatist lesson, they were both valuable wealth for the Jesuit missionary. By far, relatively speaking, fewer contributions can show us Jesuits' activities in Shaozhou compared with those in other settlements. Researches on Jesuits' missionary work in Shaozhou are only confined to the area of attached study. So, in the present thesis, the author is trying to analyze thoroughly what the Jesuits had done in ShouZhou in late Ming Dynasty using the Chinese and western historical materials.The whole thesis can be divided into six parts: 1) Jesuits' coming to Chinaand Matheo Ricci's missionary work in Shaozhou; 2) Matteo Ricci in Shaozhou; 3) Shaozhou and Macao; 4) Jesuit missionary and Chinese intellectuals; 5) conflicts caused by Jesuits and the lost of settlements in Shaozhou; 6) conclusions.