The Chinese took little interest in the maps brought by Matteo Ricci because they went counter to their belief that the world was flat. The maps depicted the world as a sphere. They also showed that China was just one country in the larger map. They whined that he treated the Ming Empire as a small insignificant country.
The answer is Benjamin Franklin. He offered to print the sermons of the preachers so people could buy them. He also provided a home for the preacher and his minister.
