ALENIO, GIULIO (1582-1649), Italian Jesuit missionary, was
born at Brescia. He entered the
Society of Jesus and was sent
to the East. He landed at
Macao in 1610, and while waiting a
favourable opportunity to penetrate into China busied himself
for three years in teaching mathematics. His thirty years'
residence in China was marked by unceasing zeal and considerable
success. He adopted the dress and manners of the country,
was the first Christian missionary in Kiang-si, and built
several churches in Fo-Kien. He wrote in Chinese a life of
Christ (Pekin, 1635-1637, 8 vols.; often reprinted, e.g.
in 1887 in 3 vols., and used even by Protestant missionaries)
and a cosmography (Iche fang wai ki Hang-chow, 1623, 6
vols.), which was translated into Manchu under the title ''The
True Origin of 10,000 Things,'' a copy of which was sent
from Pekin to Paris in 1789. Alenio died at Fu-chow in 1649.
For bibliography see de Backer and Sommervogel,
Bibl. de la Cie. de Jesus, i. 158-160.
Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed