The personal journal of Jesuit priest and scientist Sabatino de Ursis (1575-1620), a successor of Matteo Ricci in the Ming court of China, was rediscovered recently in the royal library of Ajuda in Lisbon, Portugal.
The journal brings a new understanding of how Western science was introduced into China during the Ming dynasty, and of his treatise, “Hydromethods of the Great West”, which was published in Beijing in 1612 and sponsored by important Ming scholar-officials. The treatise includes a preface by Xu Guangqi, distinguished scientist and collaborator of Matteo Ricci.
Apart from references to the scientific work of famous Portuguese Jesuits, such as Fr João Rodrigues on geography and Fr Manuel Dias’ “An Explanation of the Celestial Sphere” that introduced Galileo’s work into China, the manuscript shows how Sabatino de Ursis systematically discussed practical problems and a number of theoretical questions related to hydrology, water technology and water management in his treatise.
Fr de Ursis’ journal was rediscovered by Professor António Vasconcelos de Saldanha of the University of Macau, who is a renowned specialist on the history of Macau and the Society of Jesus in China. He recently presented it at a conference held in the Department of Sinology at the University of Tübingen in Germany.
The journal used to belong to the Jesuit archives in Macau, but was moved in the mid-18th Century to the famous Jesuit collections in the royal library of Ajuda, where it was “lost”.
Further results of the analysis of this hitherto unknown but important historical source will be presented at an international conference to be held in Beijing in November this year. [University of Macau]
Main photo: Prof António Vasconcelos de Saldanha (left)