In Father Ricci's writings, he only mentioned that the surname of his visitor was Ai.

Ai Tian was originally from the county of Xiang-fu in Kaifeng, Henan Province.

In 1573, he received a Master’s Degree (举人) due to his excellent standing in the Imperial Examinations, but he had not been delegated any official position. He was discontent as he had worked extremely hard for the exams. Therefore, he travelled 600 kilometres from Kaifeng to Beijing to petition against the unfair treatment he had received.

Indeed, it was the standard for people to travel to China's capital city to pursue a job, promotion, or alternative postings.

It was a long journey, indeed, but the trip was fruitful. A local gazetteer mentioned that Ai Tian took up a new position later in the year as the superintendent of the Baoying (宝应) school district in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. He held this post for roughly three years until 1608.

The only demographic that Ai Tian has ever encountered, other than the Jews themselves, that met the two uncommon criteria of (i) being a foreigner and (ii) being a monotheist were the Muslims. However, he was told that this group was not Muslim; he therefore pre-emptively concluded that these foreign monotheists must be Jewish.

In Beijing, Ai Tian successfully located Ricci’s house of worship. Ai Tian was sure it was a synagogue because he believed that Father Ricci was Jewish.

Ai Tian did his best to clothe himself professionally — in line with his position in society as a holder of a Master's Degree. This, he believed, would not only show respect to the people he would meet but would be crucial to creating a solid first impression of himself and the Kaifeng Jewish community.

Ai Tian introduced himself to be from the city of Kaifeng and a fellow-servant of the one true God — which he distinguished from the other idols that the Chinese population believed in. He was quickly ushered to meet Father Ricci, the head of the Christian Missionaries in Beijing.

When Father Ricci first saw Ai Tian, he noted a distinctly foreign look. This was clearly a man of non-Han Chinese ancestry; his eyes, nose, mouth, and facial bone structure all were inconsistent with the typical Chinese profile.

There was also a picture of the four evangelists displayed on the chapel wall; Ai asked why there were only four of them and what happened to the other eight, as he believed this must have been an incomplete picture of the twelve sons of Jacob.

Father Ricci thought Ai must have been referring to the twelve apostles and that Ai was confusing the evangelists with the apostles.

Ai again knelt before the image believing they were the sons of Israel; however, Father Ricci thought he was kneeling to the apostles.

As the conversation continued, Father Ricci tried to re-assess the person in front of him. Ai clearly knew about the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the content of the Old Testament (旧约). He was able to recite the stories of Abraham (亚伯拉罕), Judith (犹谪), Mardochee (末底改) and Esther (以斯帖) with relative ease and accuracy.

Ai Tian’s pronunciation of the names of the biblical characters was difficult to understand, perhaps because he was speaking a more ancient version of Hebrew.

Many in Kaifeng were much more steeped in studying the Hebrew language, culture and traditions, including his two brothers, who were both rabbis fluent and versed in Hebrew literature.

Only then did Matteo Ricci realise that he was, in fact, speaking to a Jew, not a Christian. Father Ricci then asked Ai Tian a series of questions about his identity to better understand his background.

Out of all the various Jewish settlements throughout the country, only the one in Kaifeng survived.

Their synagogue recently went through a large-scale restoration; it was now far more grandiose than it was previously.

Ai Tian further explained that they circumcised their infant boys, observed most of the traditional festivals, and followed the laws of Moses in a way that was quite similar to what was practised in traditional Jewish communities.

They refrained from eating pork, just like the Muslims, meaning their Chinese neighbours were unable to distinguish them from the followers of Islam, who also lived in Kaifeng.

To Father Ricci, the fascinating part of what he had learned from Ai was that there were potentially a few families of Christian descent in Kaifeng and that a man who went by the surname Zhang was going on the same trip. Zhang was also seeking promotion for his posting within the government bureaucracy, and he was in Beijing at that time.

The very next day, Ai returned to the chapel to see Father Ricci, but this time, he arrived with a companion, Zhang.

Over the next six days, while Zhang was still in Beijing, Father Ricci did his best to get Zhang to renounce his Chinese pagan ways and accept baptism. However, Zhang refused to do so. Father Ricci attributed Zhang's stubbornness to his unwillingness to denounce and abandon polygamous practices, as he was married to more than one woman.

Content extracted from: Studies of the Chinese Jews, Hyman Kublin.

Opere storiche del P. Matteo Ricci S.I.

Vol. II, pp. 289–193. Letter no. 35 to the P. Claudio Acquaviva, Prep. Gen., S.J., Peking July 26, 1605

P. 289. Families descended from ancient Christians in Honan province.

A few days ago we learned that in the central region of China there lived for 500 years a considerable number of Christians and that there have remained important traces of them in many places. During the past three years I have written to you, Venerable Father, that we had discovered a Christian community in territory conquered by China, but (they lived) outside of the Great North Wall. Until now, for the lack of a few ducats to undertake this trip, we have not sent anybody to investigate how many there are and where they came from. Now we know that in the central part of China, half a month’s (travel) from here and equally far from Nanjing, there live five or six Christian families in Kaifeng fu, the capital of Honan province. But, what little there existed of Christianity is almost entirely extinguished due to the fact that already several years ago their church was changed into a temple of idols, called Quanguam. What prevented us until now from knowing of it was that they did not call themselves by the name of Christians, but people of Terza; according to the name of the kingdom from which they came to China and from the law of the shi-tzu 十字, i.e., from the character for ten. This character forms a perfect cross, in this way +. Because of their general features and because of the fact that they did not worship idols they resembled the Moors and Jews.

We learned this through a Jew by profession of his faith, nationality, and features, who came to visit me during the past days because he had heard of my reputation and because of the many printed books concerning our activities. He, therefore, understood that we were neither Moors nor gentiles and thought that we were of his faith. This man, whose name was Ai 艾, lived in the capital of Honan province. His father had three sons. He had studied Chinese literature and thus graduated as a licentiate. He was already sixty years old and had come this year to ask for an office which he was given in a school in the city of Yangchow. His two brothers studied Hebrew and are, apparently rabbis in the Jewish community. Ai said that on their land there was a great synagogue on which 10,000 ducats had been spent and that six of eight families of his co-religionists were living there.

He came to our house during the octave of St. John the Baptist and we had placed a large and beautiful image of the Madonna with the Infant on one side of the alter and on, the other, of St. John the Baptist. This man did not know the designation of Jew, but called himself only Israelite. When he saw the image, he thought it represented the two children, Jacob and Esau. He, therefore, said: “Although I do not worship images, I want to offer reverence to my earliest ancestors.” Therefore, he knelt and worshipped. At the beginning of the conversation he told that the head of his sect had twelve sons, so that I thought he was a Christian and that he spoke of the Twelve Apostles. Ultimately I discovered that he was not a Christian, but was not much opposed to Christianity; because he admitted to me that they were unable to keep their law in China, owing to the fact that the circumcision, the purification, the (eating of) pork, and other things impeded their relations with others, especially for those, who wanted to become officials. He also gave us to understand that factus erat extra synagogam (he had been excluded from the synagogue) and did not know much, although he told many stories from the Old Testament, of the Twelve Tribes, of Moses, (down) to the story of Haman and Mordecai. He also stated that his brothers knew everything written in the books of his law and I think that they also had other books dealing with superstitions.

He said that they had preserved the traditions that many Moors, Christians and Jews had come with the king Tamerlane, when he conquered the whole of Persia and also China 800 years ago and that the Moors were predominant, while the Christians and Jews remained (only) a few. In the Honan region, however, there existed all of the three sects, although the Christian one was almost extinct. But among them there were many literati and high officials. Among the others there lives now a Nanjing Shang-shu 尚书 by the name of Chang Meng-nan 张孟男, a good friend of ours when we stayed there. He was extremely friendly, as he was with the Nanjing fathers. He stated that the descendants of Christians did not want to admit this fact, because in China it is seemed little honourable to be of foreign descent. This Chang Meng-nan, from his appearance, looked like one of our people.

The following day the Jew brought to our house somebody from his region by the name of Chang (keng) 张(赓) who, he said, was a descendant of the Christians and was likewise to receive an office, which he (actually) obtained in Shensi province.