Ferdinand Verbiest

Ferdinand Verbiest (born Oct. 9, 1623, Pitthem, Spanish Netherlands [now Pittem, Belg.]—died Jan. 23, 1688, Beijing, China) was a Dutch Jesuit missionary and astronomer who became an influential official in the Chinese government.

At a time when the Chinese were impressed with Western astronomical knowledge, Verbiest, a trained astronomer, took the place of his Jesuit predecessor, Adam Schall von Bell, as director of the Imperial Board of Astronomy. He advised the Chinese emperor in many matters, including the construction of more than 300 cannon when the Qing dynasty was threatened by a rebellion in South China. In 1678 Verbiest served as a translator in Chinese treaty negotiations with the Russians, in the process obtaining from the Russians knowledge of an overland route through Siberia that could be used by Jesuits coming to China from Europe. Verbiest’s correspondence with his European friends describing the achievements of Chinese civilization inspired such European Enlightenment figures as the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz.