Kangxi had sent missions to Europe in 1706 and 1708 to obtain clarification from Pope Clement XI about his decree Cum Deus optimus from 1704 in which the pope condemns the accommodation of Chinese rites in the practise of Christianity in China. Nothing had been heard from this missions. In 1716 Kangxi decided to send an open letter, to be given to foreign merchants returning to Europe, enquiring about their fate. The text is in Manchu , Chinese and Latin.