Mission to China: Matteo Ricci & the Jesuit Encounter with the East

The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco continues the Humanities West Book Discussion.

In the 16th century, the vast and sophisticated empire of China remained almost unknown to the West. As global trade expanded, legends fed the fantasies of European merchants, and the Catholic Church imagined the saving of millions of souls, but the first Jesuits in China confronted enormous challenges when they settled in the fabled Forbidden City. Lynn Harris will moderate this discussion of Mary Laven’s fascinating book. The author will not be present.