There had been Christians and Christian missionaries in China going back to at least the 7th century. Mostly they had ministered to Europeans and other immigrants rather than to the Chinese themselves.1 But in 1368, there came a new dynasty in China that sought to lift up Chinese culture and force out outside influences. By the time the 16th century rolled around, we can’t find any reliable records of Christians in China.
Enter the Jesuits. In 1563, they were allowed to establish a settlement in China. They knew that if they were going to make it, they would need to do a lot of work first. Italians Michele Ruggieri and Matteo Ricci were tasked with learning the language, studying the culture, and making inroads to connection. In the 16th century, most missionaries believed that it was their role to teach not just Bible and theology, but also their own cultural values, mode of dress, and style of conduct. They didn’t separate any of these things, but traveled the world to impose them as part of the Gospel. The Jesuits came to understand that this approach wouldn’t work in China – they’d get run out of the country as soon as they said, “Hi, you have to wear this suit for Jesus.”
Ruggieri and Ricci learned Chinese – the language, alphabet, and how to write it. They studied the culture and the major religions. They wanted to know what the people connected to spiritually so that they could speak with them and hear them. Fr. Ricci arrived in China in 1582 at the age of thirty. He wrote that any priests joining him would have to be, “good [but also] men of talent, since we are dealing here with a people both intelligent and learned.”2
Fr. Ricci became well known as a mathematician and cartographer, which brought him to the attention of the governor of the province, gaining him greater access. “In 1601, [Fr.] Ricci was invited to become an adviser to the imperial court of the Wanli Emperor [and was] the first Westerner to be invited into the Forbidden City.”3 He established a Cathedral there and even received a large grant from the emperor for his work. Ricci did not come to them as an outsider; he honored their manner, dressed in the robes of a Chinese scholar, and he met them where they were, as they were. Because of this, many Chinese people converted.4
Part of his success, I think, is that he wasn’t shoving Christianity onto them as something that was foreign. Much like the missionaries to Ireland working with the Celts, he sought to show them that Christianity fit their core values and understanding of the world. You didn’t have to become a Westerner to be a Christian; you could be 100% Chinese and 100% Christian, too.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europeans_in_Medieval_China#Missionaries_and_diplomats
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesuit_China_missions
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteo_Ricci
[4] Ibid.