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In 1580, Italian Jesuit priest Luo Mingjian first entered Guangzhou, attempting to establish relationships with local officials in order to obtain missionary permits. Although he did not have the right to preach freely, he won the trust of an official and was given a small house along the Pearl River for religious ceremony after transformation. Once, a drunken man broke into a church and was injured, accusing Luo Mingjian and causing a commotion. With the help of officials and friends, Luo Mingjian clarified the allegations and continued to preach. Luo Mingjian mentioned this matter multiple times in his report and copied a Latin poem to record it, but did not mention the author. This article explores the literary background, content, historical basis, author, and significance of this poem in the cultural exchange between China and the West.

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The background and content of the report were discussed, and it was pointed out that the report was written by Luo Mingjian after he returned to Europe, recording his experiences from joining the Jesuits to his first visit to Guangzhou and being accused. The report mentioned a Latin poem written by a priest and handed over to Luo Mingjian. The content of the poem mainly involves Luo Mingjian's missionary activities in Guangdong, without mentioning his later experiences in China. By analyzing the timeline of Luo Mingjian's missionary activities in China, it is speculated that the poetry may have been completed in March 1583 or earlier. When Luo Mingjian returned to Europe in 1588, he may have carried this poem with him.

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This is a Latin epic poem that praises Luo Mingjian's missionary work in China. The poem consists of 428 lines and has a compact structure, covering Chinese geography, nature, climate, products, craftsmanship, and religious beliefs. The epic mainly tells the early experience of Luo Mingjian introducing Catholicism into China, including his interactions and success with Chinese officials. When Luo Mingjian first entered Guangzhou, he was accused, but eventually successfully defended himself and continued to preach. The poet portrays the first conflict between Western Catholic priests and non Christians in China, as well as the collision between different civilizations, through the image of Luo Mingjian. Luo Mingjian obtained permission to build a residence and a small church in Zhaoqing, and is full of hope for his future career. The poet compares Luo Mingjian to the new Aeneas, who wants to build a church for the Virgin Mary in the Eastern world, which is different from Aeneas' martial arts achievements. The whole poem combines ancient European classics to express Luo Mingjian's achievements in spreading Catholicism in the New World.

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Explored the creator identity of the Latin epic depicting the Jesuit figure of Luo Mingjian. Luo Mingjian attributed his poetry creation to one of his companions, but the specific identity is unknown. The librarian of the Jesuit Archives in Rome also believed that the poem was written by a Jesuit priest, describing Luo Mingjian's journey to China and his labor there. There are differences in details between the poems and Luo Mingjian's report, such as the reasons for Chinese head injuries. In a letter to the President of the Society of Jesus in 1583, Luo Mingjian mentioned the accusation, but the details were different from the report and the poem, providing clues that the poem may have been created based on the letter. Father Bafanji had the opportunity to read this letter, but his evaluation of the missionary work was cautious and he did not mention poetry in the letter, so the author's identity is questionable. Luo Mingjian is familiar with Western literature and has a preference for poetic genres. He has created Chinese poetry and incorporated Western literary materials, possibly as the author of Latin poetry. The content of the poem corresponds to Luo Mingjian's missionary strategy in China, such as communicating with Chinese officials through gifts and compiling Chinese teaching materials. In 1584, Luo Mingjian explained the significance of the spread of the doctrine manual in China in the "Record of the Catholic Church", which echoed the warning at the end of the poem, indicating that Luo Mingjian may have seen this poem and remembered it in his heart. However, due to a lack of information, the author's identity cannot be determined yet, and new materials need to be excavated.

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Italian poet Tasso depicted a missionary figure in a sonnet, possibly his friend Luo Mingjian. Tasso's poetry reflects the revival of ancient Greek and Roman literature in the missionary's overseas adventure against the backdrop of the expansion of the geographical scope of the New World in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Jesuit priests in Rome praised their fellow missionaries who devoted themselves to preaching in foreign lands in the form of poetry, projecting their deeds onto ancient heroes, forming a new type of "Jesuit epic". The Five Martyrs, published in 1591, is the earliest Jesuit epic. The author Benchi, based on Virgil's Aeneas, tells the story of five Jesuit priests who died in Goa, India. And this Latin poem about Luo Mingjian also originates from a real historical background, using Luo Mingjian's letters as the source of information. Influenced by classical writers such as Virgil, although it is short in length, like "The Five Martyrs", it has transformed from a historical text to a literary text, from a record of historical events to a hymn to the Christian missionary cause, reshaping Luo Mingjian's image.