The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci
内容简介
Matteo Ricci (1552-1616), an Italian Jesuit, entered China in 1583 to spread Catholicism in the largely Confucian country. In order to make a persuasive argument for the educated Chinese to abandon their traditional faith for the new one he was carrying, Ricci realized that he would have to prove the general superiority of Western culture. He did so by teaching young Confucian scholars tricks to increase their memory skills--an important advantage in a nation with countless laws and rituals that had to be learned by heart. Ricci attracted numerous students with this method; more important, Ricci came to have a sympathetic understanding for China that he communicated to Rome, and thence to the European nations at large. Spence's portrait of Ricci is a gem of historical writing. --Gregory MacNamee
......(更多)
作者简介
史景迁（Jonathan D. Spence），1936年出生于英国，是国际知名的中国近现代史专家，1965—2008年在美国耶鲁大学历史系任教。著作极丰，主要有《追寻现代中国》、《雍正王朝之大义觉迷》、《太平天国》、《改变中国》、《曹寅与康熙》、《康熙》、《天安门》、《大汗之国：西方眼中的中国》、《王氏之死》、《利玛窦的记忆宫殿》、《胡若望的疑问》。
......(更多)
目录
......(更多)
读书文摘
这样的事很常见，生活在后世的人们，往往无法了解前时代的伟大事业或行动如何起源。我时常揣思，这是缘于何故，发现只能如此解释：一切事情（包括那些最后取得极大成功的）在肇始之初，是那样微弱渺小，人们自己都无法说服自己，他将来竟能成如此宏大之局面。 尽管我还年轻，我已经有了一些老年人的习性，总是喜欢称颂过去的时光。
......(更多)
