Matteo Ricci was born on 6th October 1552 in the Macerata, Italy, and he died on 11th May 1610 (aged 58 years) in Beijing, China. A Jesuit Priest, Matteo was the first European to enter the Forbidden City and was wanted for his services in astronomy and calendrial science. His accurate predictions of Solar eclipses were valued as they were considered significant in the Chinese culture. He managed to convert several Chinese officials to Catholicism. Matteo Ricci composed the first western style map of the world in Chinese which is now known as ‘Impossible Black Tulip’ because of its rarity.
Do you know: Matteo Ricci and his mate Ruggieri also compiled the first ever Portuguese-to-Chinese dictionary, the first in any European language.
