Matteo Ricci thought that his tough way of preaching in China and other regions might not work, so he turned to the academic missionary route and took the initiative to introduce some western scientific knowledge to China. He first aroused the curiosity of high-ranking officials and celebrities with ingenious gadgets such as prism, clock and sundial, and then drew a map of the world to introduce the knowledge of western astronomy. During his conversation with Matteo Ricci, Xu Guangqi repeatedly asked for cooperation in translating western science books brought by Matteo Ricci from Rome into Chinese for more people to learn. At the request of Xu Guangqi, from 1605 (thirty-two years of Wanli) to 1606 (thirty-four years of Wanli), they began to translate the classic works of western mathematics, namely Euclid's Elements of Geometry.

Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi