Xu Guangqi
(1562–1633), Chinese official and scholar. Born in Shanghai, China, in 1562, Xu Guangqi was baptized by Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci in 1603 and took the name Paul. He spent the next three years collaborating with Ricci in translating Western texts on mathematics, astronomy, and geography into Chinese. Their most famous translation was Euclid's Elements, which exerted a great influence on Chinese mathematics. Xu also wrote original works on trigonometry and agriculture, notably the Book of Agriculture, which advocated the adoption of Western agricultural practices, such as surveying, mapping, and irrigation. His interest in practical subjects marked a departure from the dominance of neo-Confucian thought. After he became a high official in the Ming court, Xu sponsored the Jesuit missionaries in China.
Xu believed that Western scholarship, particularly geometry, could complement Confucianism and replace Buddhism by undermining the tendency toward vague speculation. In 1629 Xu demonstrated the use of Western science for predicting solar eclipses and other astrological events. When the Manchus invaded China in 1630, he convinced the emperor to use Western armaments to defend the capital.
Further Reading
Engelfriet, Peter. (1998) Euclid in China: The Genesis of the
First Chinese Translation of Euclid's Elements, Books I–VI (Jihe yuanben, Beijing, 1607) and Its Reception up to 1723. Boston: E. J. Brill.
Jami, Catherine, Peter Engelfriet, and Gregory Blue. (2001) Statecraft and Intellectual Renewal in Late Ming China: The Cross-Cultural Synthesis of Xu Guangqi, 1562–1633. Boston: E. J. Brill.
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