The life and work of Matteo Ricci, Xitai

Giulio Aleni (1582–1649)
China, Fuzhou, 1630
Woodcut on rice paper
Bibliothèque nationale de Paris

Giulio Aleni, an Italian Jesuit priest, was sent in 1610 to China. A mathematician and astronomer, he developed close connections with Chinese scholars. Aleni founded the Jesuit mission in Fujian province, where he also published several books, including a religious treatise in Chinese and this biography of Matteo Ricci.