Jesuit mission in China (17 - first quarter of the 19th century)

These days due to development of international between Europe and countries of the Asia-Pacific region, European historical science shows the increased interest in studying the interaction of cultures. The Jesuits were one of the first to establish interaction between East and West and acted as intermediate in the exchange of science achievements between Europe and China. The major purpose of this bachelor thesis is to investigate how Jesuit missions in China affected both Europe and China. In order to achieve this aim, in this bachelor thesis I asked three research questions: 1) What goals did the Order and missionaries set for themselves? 2) What problems did the Jesuits face in China and how did they manage to solve them? 3) What did help the Jesuits to gain a foothold in China and expand their influence? With the use of monographs and historical sources, I analyzed how the method of cultural accommodation was formed - a unique approach to the spread of Christianity, which became the main reason for the success of the order. Having considered how tasks and methods were transforming depending on the state of society in China and in European countries, I formulated the reasons for the gradual successful development of the mission, and its subsequent sharp decline.