"In 1618, Fr. Johann Adam Schall von Bell, a brilliant young Jesuit scholar from Germany, set out for the mysterious and little-known land of China. Following in the footsteps of his Jesuit missionary predecessor Fr. Matteo Ricci, Schall mastered the Chinese language and diligently adapted his lifestyle to Chinese culture. When Schall's talents in astronomy and mathematics attracted the attention of the Ming Dynasty Emperor, he was appointed head of the Bureau of Astronomy and given the monumental task of renovating the Chinese calendar.

Schall retained his position even after the Ming Dynasty fell and was replaced by the Manchu Qing Empire. He became the close friend and spiritual guide of the young Qing Emperor who raised Schall to the highest official level ever attained by a westerner in Chinese history-Mandarin of the First Class. When the Emperor met with an early death, Schall was influential in choosing his successor - the great Kangxi Emperor - who came to be China's longest reigning and most respected ruler. It was the Kangxi Emperor that issued the edict giving the Catholic Church legal status in China.

This two-part TV docudrama follows Schall throughout his long and dramatic life in China, his accomplishments, his struggles with his fellow missionaries and his own conscience, his persecution and narrow escape from a cruel death, and his official burial presided over by the Emperor himself."--case insert.

See YouTube trailer.