Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/325

306 without a book in his hand. He was the author of a work on military dress, and was considered to be an eminent authority on all matters of ceremonial etiquette.

Hsü Kuang-ch'i  (T.  ). A.D. 1562-1634. The famous statesman of the Ming dynasty, generally regarded as the only influential member of the mandarinate who has ever become a convert to Christianity. After graduating as first chujen in 1597 and taking his chin shih degpree in 1604, he enrolled himself as a pupil of Matteo Bicci and studied under his guidance to such purpose that he was able to produce works on the new system of astronomy as introduced by the Jesuit Fathers, besides various treatises on mathematical science. He was also author of the ^^ j^ ^ ^ , an encyclopaedia of agriculture of considerable value. With the aid of his foreign teachers he devoted considerable attention to the art of casting cannon, and never ceased to impress upon the last two Emperors of the Ming dynasty the necessity of employing artillery against the rebels. After a somewhat chequered career he rose in 1628 to be President of the Board of Bites and was ordered to reform the calendar, but by the time he had obtained any real power he was already too old for active service. The Jesuit establishment of ^ ^ GS (^^ ^ ) Sicawei, near Shanghai which was his birthplace, is named after him. Canonised as ^^•

Hsü Ling  (T. ^^). A.D. 507-583. A native of modern Ejangsu, whose mother, just previous to his birth, dreamt that a rainbow-coloured cloud changed into a phoenix and settled upon her left shoulder. As a youth he was precocious, being able to compose essays at eight years old. At thirteen, he had mastered the philosophy of Lao Tzti and Ghuang Tzti. A Buddhist priest, named Pao Chih, stroked his head and said, **You have here a unicorn!** Eventually he rose, under the Emperor Wu Ti of the Liang dynasty, to be a Minister of State. He had a son named ^