The Learning from Heaven (tianxue 天學) brought a new worldview to Chinese intellectuals, especially the concept of a spherical earth, challenging the traditional belief of a flat / square earth. Liu Ning 劉凝, when compiling local gazetteers, utilized western geographical knowledge to refute the traditional theory of fenye 分野 (field allocation) to deemphasize the significance of the earth in the universe, thereby criticizing sinocentric world views. Using the life of Liu Ning as a case study, Pingyi Chu examines how Chinese intellectuals employed the Learning from Heaven introduced by the Christian missionaries in China during the Ming and Qing periods to construct an intellectual lifestyle.