The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci - Softcover

Spence, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847243444 ISBN 13: 9781847243447

Publisher: Quercus Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

In 1577, a Jesuit priest named Matteo Ricci set out from Italy on a long journey to bring the Christian faith and Western thought to Ming dynasty China. He spent time in India and Macao before entering China in 1583 to undertake mission work. Travelling widely, Ricci learned local languages, mastered Chinese classical script, drew the first-ever map of the world in Chinese and acquired a rich appreciation of the indigenous culture of his hosts. In 1596, Ricci wrote a short book in Chinese on the art of memory for the governor of Jiangxi province, who was preparing his three sons for China's demanding civil service examinations.In it, he described a 'memory palace' in which to hold knowledge such as might help the three brothers and their peers in the Ming social elite to pass their exams with flying colours. Ricci must have hoped that, in gratitude to him for instructing them in mnemonic skills, they would use their newly won prestige to further the cause of the Catholic Church in China. To capture the complex emotional and religious drama of Ricci's life, author Jonathan Spence relates the missionary's experiences via a series of images. Four of these images derive from events described in the Bible, the others from Ricci's book on the art of memory that was circulated among members of the Ming dynasty elite. A rich and compelling narrative about a remarkable life, "The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci" is also a significant work of global history, juxtaposing the world of Counter-Reformation Europe with that of Ming China.

About this title

About the Author

Jonathan Spence is the author of more than a dozen books on China, including the Gate of Heavenly Peace, The Search for Modern China, Mao Zedong and God's Chinese Son. A Sterling Professor of History at Yale, he is a past president of the American Historical Association and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He lives in Westhaven, Connecticut.

From the Back Cover

"An extraordinary tour de force, a work of literature and at the same time a remarkable wide-ranging use of historical sources" John King Fairbank, Harvard University
In 1577 an Italian Jesuit priest named Matteo Ricci set out from Italy on a long journey to bring the Christian faith to Ming dynasty China. Travelling widely, Ricci learned local languages, mastered Chinese script, and acquired a rich appreciation of the indigenous culture of his hosts. In 1596 he wrote a short book on the art of memory for the governor of Jiangxi province, who was preparing his sons for China's demanding civil service examinations. Ricci's Treatise on Mnemonic Arts, with its striking metaphor of a "memory palace" for the storing of knowledge, was widely circulated among members of the Ming dynasty elite.
To capture the complex emotional and religious drama of Ricci's life, Jonathan Spence relates the missionary's experiences via a series of images. Four of these images derive from events described in the Bible, the others from his Treatise on Mnemonic Arts.
A rich and compelling narrative of a remarkable life, The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci is also a significant work of global history, juxtaposing the world of Counter-Reformation Europe with that of Ming china.

Edition details

• Publisher: Quercus Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847243444
• ISBN 13: 9781847243447
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368