The Introduction of Ideas of the Antarctic Region into China during the past 400 Years

The ancient Chinese had no knowledge of the Antarctic region until the European Jesuit missionaries first introduced such knowledge into China in the late 16^th century. This article demonstrates the history of the introduction of the knowledge of the Antarctic region into China. The history of this process is composed of three stages： （1） the Magallanica continent during the 1580s-1670s; （2） the Antarctic Ocean during the 1760s-1900s; and （3） the Antarctic continent after the 1830s. During the 1580s-1670s, Matteo Ricci and other missionaries introduced the idea of the Magallaniea continent （Terra Australis Ineognita） into China. Ever since the 1760s, Michel Benoist and other missionaries brought the idea of ＂Antarctic Ocean＂ to China and replaced the idea of ＂Magallaniea continent＂. From the 1830s until the early 20^th century, the concept of the Antarctic Continent was introduced into China. During the 16^th and 18^th centuries, all the knowledge was imported to China by the Catholic （Jesuit） missionaries. During the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Christian （Protestant） missionaries and societies played a significant role.