Infamous Tea & Honey show
At the ripe old age of 25 Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) bid Italy a permanent goodbye. The priesthood called him to China and he established one of the first cultural exchanges between Eastern and Western civilization.
On the 400th anniversary of Ricci's death, the regional government of Marche, Italy is sponsoring the exhibit as a tribute to the first ties between Italy and China. The exhibit includes examples of Renaissance paintings and tapestries as well as Chinese paintings and ceramics from the same period - an interesting juxtaposition.
There are also several books Ricci wrote on display and examples of the wide range of Western knowledge he brought East. From the Summa Theologica to a treatise on hydraulic pumps, the Jesuit priest understood: Sharing is caring.
Ricci's home in Guangdong is believe to have been the first European house built in China. He learned to speak and write fluent Chinese, and shaved his head and wore the gray robes of his local spiritual contemporaries. But in going native, he stayed true to the Catholic Church and publicly debated Buddhist masters.
In short, if Ricci rolled up at Le Tour Hostel tomorrow, he'd smoke all y'all backpackers for authentic China travel stories.
The English reader boards are a slog, but there's an interesting story to pull out. Besides, Shanghai Museum is always free. Drop in and learn something.
