China: a kingdom of dreams, surrounded by walls so imposing that they remained practically insurmountable until the end of the 16th century. However, there is no place on earth, however inhospitable, where the sweet timbre of Christ’s voice cannot resound.

For the then-called Middle Kingdom, the Word of God used an instrument to manifest Himself: Fr. Matteo Ricci, a missionary of the Society of Jesus.

His desire was to convert the entire nation, but to do so he needed to reach the head. Emperor Wanli lived in the Forbidden City, the residence of the “son of heaven.” Combining the cunning of the serpent with the innocence of the dove, the Jesuit priest offered the monarch sixteen gifts, among them a clavichord, so that music could penetrate where words could not reach; a clock, to arouse curiosity; and a painting of Our Lord, so that the “son of heaven” might know the Son of God.

The gifts caused great astonishment at court. And, to satisfy the demands of the Orientals, missionaries were called to the Forbidden City, where the first Westerners finally entered in 1601. The Jesuits, responding to the scientific and musical aspirations of the Chinese, simultaneously taught them the superior wisdom of the Faith by echoing the Gospel precept: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). And there are no walls or prohibitions that can thwart this command…