Xu Guangqi
Xu Guangqi or '''Hsü Kuang-ch'i
(April 24, 1562– November 8, 1633), also known by his baptismal name Paul
or Paul Siu''', was a Chinese agronomist, astronomer, mathematician,
politician, and writer during the late
Ming dynasty. Xu was appointed by the Chinese Emperor in 1629 to be the leader of the
Shixian calendar reform, which he embarked on with the assistance of Jesuits. Xu was a colleague and collaborator of the Italian
Jesuits
Matteo Ricci and
Sabatino de Ursis and assisted their translation of several classic Western texts into Chinese, including part of
Euclid's ''
Elements''. He was also the author of the ''Nong Zheng Quan Shu'', a treatise on agriculture.
He is one of the "
Three Pillars of Chinese Catholicism". The
Roman Catholic Church considers him a
Servant of God, one of the stages towards formal sainthood. On April 15, 2011,
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi announced the start of a
beatification process for Xu Guangqi, which has stalled.
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