text: Siamese court, which granted Mergui as a naval base to France. However, the death of 
  Narai, King of Ayutthaya, the execution of his pro-French minister Constantine Phaulkon, 
  and the siege of Bangkok in 1688 ended this era of French influence.[55] 
  
  France also attempted to participate actively in Jesuit missions to China. To break the 
  Portuguese dominance there, Louis sent Jesuit missionaries to the court of the Kangxi 
  Emperor in 1685: Jean de Fontaney, Joachim Bouvet, Jean-François Gerbillon, Louis Le 
  Comte, and Claude de Visdelou.[56] Louis also received a Chinese Jesuit, Michael Shen 
  Fu-Tsung, at Versailles in 1684.[57] Furthermore, Louis's librarian and translator Arcadio 
  Huang was Chinese.[58][59] 
  
  Siamese embassy of King Narai to 
  Louis XIV in 1686, led by Kosa Pan. 
  Engraving by Nicolas Larmessin. 
  **Height of power**