1583–1615

Matteo Ricci's mission to China and the method of cultural accommodation

Unlike earlier missionaries, the Jesuit Matteo Ricci developed a strategy of cultural accommodation. He learned Chinese and studied the Confucian tradition. His world map and knowledge of astronomy earned him a reputation as the "Wise Man from the West".

In 1601 he was invited to the court in Beijing. He lived there until his death in 1615, converting a narrow circle of educated Chinese. A similar strategy of accommodation to local culture was pursued in India by the Jesuit Roberto de Nobili. He dressed as a Brahmin and studied Sanskrit.

Disputes later arose over whether converts could keep venerating ancestors and Confucian rites (the "Chinese Rites Controversy"). These disputes angered the Chinese emperor and divided missionaries of different orders.