"The subject of Dr. Lippiello's study is one of bewildering complexity and variety. The book presents the proceedings of the international conference in Leuven in 1988, held in commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of the death of the Belgian Jesuit Ferdinand Verbiest. Scientist, engineer, and diplomat, he was above all a missionary who contributed significantly to the growth of Christianity in China and to Sino-Western cultural exchange.