1299: John of Montecorvino, Jews lived in Beijing
In 1299, Franciscan John of Montecorvino (蒙特考维诺的约翰, 1247–1328), the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Beijing, built a church in the Yuan capital of Khanbaliq (汗八里, Beijing).
He reported that Jews were living in the city.
1342: John of Marignolli (马瑞格诺力的约翰)
Sent to China by Pope Benedict XII
John of Marignolli (before 1290–?), or John of Florence, was sent by Pope Benedict XII as one of the four chief envoys to the Mongolian empire in China.
In 1341, John of Marignolli passed through Huocheng County (霍城县), in western Xinjiang, and built a church there. He reached Beijing in May 1342 and left China in 1347.
Debated with Jews on religious matters in Beijing
In Recollections of Travel in the East (东方旅行回忆录), John of Marignolli mentioned that he participated in “glorious disputations (on religious matters) in Khanbaliq (Beijing) with both Jews and Muslims.”