Misrepresentation, Manipulation, and Misunderstandings: The Early Jesuit Mission to China 1580-1610

The early Jesuit mission to China is widely acknowledged as a fusion of two fundamentally different cultures interacting on an equal basis and sharing knowledge about science, religion and the world. The historiography around the mission has already widely examined the misunderstandings that occurred between the cultures. However, a re-examination of the frequently applied label, a 'policy of accommodation', highlights other interpretations. By applying theories on early modern dissimulation, as well as close analysis of Matteo Ricci's The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven and his map of the world, this dissertation concludes that the mission was founded on the rigid control of information and careful selection of which aspects of Western knowledge, geography and religion were to be presented. Evidence presented suggests that the Jesuits, using elements of the practice of dissimulation, concealed certain aspects of themselves and their true aims from the Chinese. Furthermore, they exploited material exchange to ingratiate themselves with the upper echelons of Chinese society. This dissertation argues that Matteo Ricci, whilst demonstrating European cartography and mathematics in his map, distorted certain areas of the map to increase the perceived distance between Europe and China, and also misrepresented the political reality of Europe. The Jesuits' teaching style and method of recruitment of converts was one of esoteric teachings. They withheld information about Christianity, which they knew would not be well received, and only passed knowledge of the mysteries of the Christian faith to those Chinese who had already converted. It can be concluded that the Jesuits operating in China were highly perceptive as to the image of Christianity and Europe they were presenting, and it was with propaganda and the control of information that they sought to cement their position in Chinese society.