Disruptive Foreigners or Welcomed Guests from Afar? Chinese Views of Jesuit Missionaries in the Late Ming Period.

This article analyzes Chinese perceptions of Jesuit missionaries in seventeenth-century late Ming China through two key historical dichotomies: the Hua–yi distinction, which differentiated the "Chinese" (Hua 華) from foreigners or "barbarians" (yi 夷), and the Zheng–xie distinction, separating "orthodox" Confucian teachings (zheng 正) from "heterodox" doctrines (xie 邪). Jesuits, as foreign religious figures promoting Christianity, were often labeled as heterodox foreigners disrupting Chinese social and religious order, especially amid growing anti-Christian persecutions such as the 1616–1617 Nanjing episode. However, some Chinese voices, including converts and literati, appreciated the Jesuits' efforts to adapt to Chinese culture and Confucianism, sometimes challenging or reinterpreting the Hua–yi divide by emphasizing shared virtues and cultural integration. Ultimately, the article highlights how these contrasting Chinese perspectives reveal ongoing debates about the value and impact of Jesuit contributions in China during this period.