Li Yingshi
Encyclopedia
Li Yingshi was a Ming
Chinese military officer and a renowned mathematician, astrologer
and feng shui
expert, who was among the first Chinese literati to become Christian. Converted to Catholicism by Matteo Ricci
and Diego de Pantoja
, the first two Jesuits
to establish themselves in Beijing, he became a zealous Christian, and was instrumental in the advancement of Catholicism in China.
class. He commanded a unit of 500 soldiers during the Korean War of 1592-98. In recognition of his military valor, he was awarded a lifetime pension by the Wanli government
, which was to continue to be paid to his heirs in perpetuity.
During peacetime, he became renowned as an expert on "divination", i.e. astrology
and geomancy
.
and Diego de Pantoja
became the first Christian missionaries
to be settled in the Ming
capital. They appreciated Confucian learning and wanted to establish good relations with the Chinese literati
, but strongly disparaged the "ridiculous wizardry" of Chinese occult practices. This is why, perhaps, Ricci described the Jesuits' conversion of Li Yingshi to Christianity - which was accomplished on the Feast of St Matthew
(i.e., September 21) of 1602 - as nothing less than "extraordinary".
Once Li became a Christian, it took him, Ricci, and de Pantoja three days to go through his "beautiful and well stocked library" to identify all books and manuscripts "forbidden by ecclesiastical regulations". The forbidden books and manuscripts, mostly dealing with the "art of divination" were then burned
, some at Li's own courtyard, and others at the Beijing Mission House, to demonstrate Li's commitment to Christianity. This apparently was not an uncommon practice in Ricci's day: when another celebrated convert, the mathematician Ignatius Qu Taisu (瞿太素; Chiutaiso in Ricci's transcription) became Christian, he also sent his library of books on "the dogma of the sects" to the Nanjing Mission House to be burned, along with book printing plates
and non-Christian religious statues.
Li Yingshi became a zealous member of the Catholic church. He proselytized among his friends and families, and got all his servants to join the church as well. He had a chapel built at his home and had his son study at the Beijing Mission House, so that soon enough the young Li was able to celebrate a Mass
himself.
As a person highly knowledgeable about the "sect of idol worshippers", Li was able to supply the Jesuits with a large amount of information that they found helpful in converting other non-Christians.
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
Chinese military officer and a renowned mathematician, astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
and feng shui
Feng shui
Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
expert, who was among the first Chinese literati to become Christian. Converted to Catholicism by Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....
and Diego de Pantoja
Diego de Pantoja
Diego de Pantoja or Diego Pantoja, Chinese: 龐迪我, or Pang Diwo 龐迪我 , was a Spanish Jesuit and missionary to China who is best known for having accompanied Matteo Ricci in Beijing. His name also appears in some sources as Didaco Pantoia.He came to Macao on 20 July 1597...
, the first two Jesuits
Jesuit China missions
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
to establish themselves in Beijing, he became a zealous Christian, and was instrumental in the advancement of Catholicism in China.
Early life
Li Yingshi was a member of the Chinese literatiScholar-bureaucrats
Scholar-officials or Scholar-bureaucrats were civil servants appointed by the emperor of China to perform day-to-day governance from the Sui Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, China's last imperial dynasty. These officials mostly came from the well-educated men known as the...
class. He commanded a unit of 500 soldiers during the Korean War of 1592-98. In recognition of his military valor, he was awarded a lifetime pension by the Wanli government
Wanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor was emperor of China between 1572 and 1620. His era name means "Ten thousand calendars". Born Zhu Yijun, he was the Longqing Emperor's third son...
, which was to continue to be paid to his heirs in perpetuity.
During peacetime, he became renowned as an expert on "divination", i.e. astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
and geomancy
Geomancy
Geomancy is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground or the patterns formed by tossed handfuls of soil, rocks, or sand...
.
Conversion
In the meantime, in 1601 the Jesuits Matteo RicciMatteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....
and Diego de Pantoja
Diego de Pantoja
Diego de Pantoja or Diego Pantoja, Chinese: 龐迪我, or Pang Diwo 龐迪我 , was a Spanish Jesuit and missionary to China who is best known for having accompanied Matteo Ricci in Beijing. His name also appears in some sources as Didaco Pantoia.He came to Macao on 20 July 1597...
became the first Christian missionaries
Jesuit China missions
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
to be settled in the Ming
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
capital. They appreciated Confucian learning and wanted to establish good relations with the Chinese literati
Scholar-bureaucrats
Scholar-officials or Scholar-bureaucrats were civil servants appointed by the emperor of China to perform day-to-day governance from the Sui Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, China's last imperial dynasty. These officials mostly came from the well-educated men known as the...
, but strongly disparaged the "ridiculous wizardry" of Chinese occult practices. This is why, perhaps, Ricci described the Jesuits' conversion of Li Yingshi to Christianity - which was accomplished on the Feast of St Matthew
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
(i.e., September 21) of 1602 - as nothing less than "extraordinary".
Once Li became a Christian, it took him, Ricci, and de Pantoja three days to go through his "beautiful and well stocked library" to identify all books and manuscripts "forbidden by ecclesiastical regulations". The forbidden books and manuscripts, mostly dealing with the "art of divination" were then burned
Book burning
Book burning, biblioclasm or libricide is the practice of destroying, often ceremoniously, books or other written material and media. In modern times, other forms of media, such as phonograph records, video tapes, and CDs have also been ceremoniously burned, torched, or shredded...
, some at Li's own courtyard, and others at the Beijing Mission House, to demonstrate Li's commitment to Christianity. This apparently was not an uncommon practice in Ricci's day: when another celebrated convert, the mathematician Ignatius Qu Taisu (瞿太素; Chiutaiso in Ricci's transcription) became Christian, he also sent his library of books on "the dogma of the sects" to the Nanjing Mission House to be burned, along with book printing plates
Woodblock printing
Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper....
and non-Christian religious statues.
Li Yingshi became a zealous member of the Catholic church. He proselytized among his friends and families, and got all his servants to join the church as well. He had a chapel built at his home and had his son study at the Beijing Mission House, so that soon enough the young Li was able to celebrate a Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
himself.
As a person highly knowledgeable about the "sect of idol worshippers", Li was able to supply the Jesuits with a large amount of information that they found helpful in converting other non-Christians.