author
Juan González de Mendoza
1545–1618
A sixteenth-century Augustinian friar and bishop who helped shape Europe’s early picture of China, he became widely known for a vivid account of Chinese history, customs, and geography. His writings carried reports from Asia to readers who had never seen the region for themselves.
2 Audiobooks
The History of the Great and Mighty Kingdom of China and the Situation Thereof, Volume 1 (of 2)
by Juan González de Mendoza
The History of the Great and Mighty Kingdom of China and the Situation Thereof, Volume 2 (of 2)
by Juan González de Mendoza
About the author
Born in Spain in 1545, Juan González de Mendoza was an Augustinian religious who spent part of his early career in New Spain before taking on major church roles in the Spanish world. He later served as bishop in places including Chiapas and Popayán, and he died in 1618.
He is best remembered as the author of Historia de las cosas más notables, ritos y costumbres del gran reino de la China (1585), one of the earliest widely read European books about China. Although he never reached China himself, he gathered reports from missionaries, travelers, and earlier texts, helping introduce many Western readers to Chinese society, government, and daily life.
That mix of religious career and globe-spanning curiosity gives his work lasting interest today. For audiobook listeners, he stands out as a figure from the age of exploration whose book shows how knowledge traveled across oceans long before modern journalism or academic sinology.