The Three Pillars of Chinese Catholicism (聖教三柱石, literally the "Holy Religion's Three Pillar-Stones") refer to three Chinese converts to Christianity, during the 16th and 17th century Jesuit China missions:
- Xú Guāngqǐ (Wade–Giles: Hsü Kuang-ch'i; 徐光啟, 1562–1633) of Shanghai
- Lǐ Zhīzǎo (Wade–Giles: Li Chih-tsao; 李之藻, 1565–November 1, 1630) of Hangzhou
- Yáng Tíngyún (Wade–Giles: Yang T'ing-yün; 楊廷筠, 1557–1627) of Hangzhou
Their combined efforts helped lead Hangzhou and Shanghai to become centres of missionary activity in late Ming China.[1] These men shared an interest in Western science and mathematics, and it is probable that this was what first attracted them to the Jesuits responsible for their conversion.[2]
- ^ 我存网站 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "第三部 福音三临?第一章 明末天主教东来". Retrieved 6 May 2016.