Jesuit Missions in China in the 1620s (Post-Matteo Ricci Period)

Timeline

1. 1621–1623Macau to Beijing · ChinaThe German Jesuit Johann Adam Schall von Bell entered mainland China from Macau in the early 1620s, continuing the China strategy of the line of Ricci and Nicolas Longobardi, seeking the trust of scholar-officials and the court through scientific skills and an accommodationist approach to mission work.
2. 1623–1629Beijing · ChinaSchall von Bell worked outside the Astronomical Bureau system in Beijing during the 1620s, serving Ming military and ritual needs with Western astronomy, calendrics, and cannon-casting technology; in 1629 the court ordered a calendar reform, and the scientific authority of the Jesuits received further institutional recognition.
3. 1621–1630Jiangnan · JiangnanIn the 1620s the Jesuits maintained churches and networks of scholar-official contacts in Jiangnan cities such as Nanjing and Hangzhou; Trigault's History of the Mission in China and other works spread the image of China in Europe; missionaries in China continued Ricci's accommodation strategy, coexisting with the undercurrent of the Chinese Rites Controversy among conservatives.