Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/148

Rh the second class to third of the first class (t'an-hua 探花) with a compilership in the Hanlin Academy. In 1699 he acted as Assistant examiner for the Shun-t'ien provincial examination at Peking, the Chief examiner being Li P'an 李蟠 who took his chin-shih in the same year as Chiang (1697) but with the rank of chuang-yüan or optimus. Both were accused of irregularities in the examination; Li P'an was banished, and although it was generally acknowledged that Chiang was innocent he died in prison before he could be cleared of the charge, much to the regret of who was then president of the Board of Punishments.

Some critics of the famous novel, Hung-lou mêng or "Dream of the Red Chamber" (see under ), have professed to find in the plot and characters of that novel reflections (影射) of episodes in the life of Chiang Ch'ên-ying. This theory which arose in the middle of the last century was sponsored by Ts'ai Yüan-p'ei 蔡元培, but has been emphatically refuted by Hu Shih (see under ). In addition to his fame as an essayist and poet, Chiang Ch'ên-ying gained distinction as a penman, following calligraphic styles set by Chung Yu 鍾繇 (151–230 A.D.) and Wang Hsi-chih (see under ). Several of his published works obtained notice in the Imperial Catalogue and two were copied into the Ssŭ-k'u Manuscript Library (for both see under ). His complete works 姜先生全集 Chiang hsien-shêng ch'üan-chi were collected and printed in 1889 in 33 chüan. His miscellaneous notes on the classics, entitled Chan-yüan cha-chi (札記), 1 chüan, is included in the Huang-Ch'ing ching-chieh (see under ).

[2/71/20b; 3/122/1a; 4/47/1a; 20/2/00 with portrait; 26/11/22b; 29/3/1a; 32/8/29a; Tz'ŭ-ch'i-hsien chih (1899) 21/18b, 31/17a; 胡適文存 Hu Shih wên-ts'un III, p. 192; M.1/233/1b.]

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 CHIANG Chung-yüan 江忠源, Aug. 1, 1812–1854, Jan. 15, a native of Hsin-ning, Hunan, was the organizer of a detachment of Hunan volunteers known as Ch'u Yung 楚勇 in who fought against the Taiping rebels. A chü-jên of 1837, he lived in Peking for several years until 1844 when he took the, special examination (大挑) granted to those who had failed three times for the chin-shih degree. After passing the examination he was made an expectant director of district schools. Upon his return to his native place he perceived that rebellion was imminent and began to train volunteers to combat it. In 1847 an uprising took place in Hsin-ning which he put down with the help of volunteers. He was rewarded with an expectant magistracy and later received appointment to Hsiu-shui (1849–50) as acting magistrate, and then to Li-shui as magistrate. As all high officials were requested, at the accession of Emperor Wên-tsung (1850), to recommend persons worthy of important office, Chiang was so recommended by his friend,. But instead of proceeding to Peking, he returned home to observe the period of mourning for the death of his father.

About this time initiated his rebellion in Kwangsi. Grand Secretary Sai-shang-a (see under ) was sent to quell the insurgents and Chiang Chung-yüan was called from mourning to assist at the front. His volunteers became known in Kwangsi as the Ch'u Yung and were the first contingent of Hunanese to fight outside their province in the Taiping war. As the war progressed in Kwangsi Chiang won a battle and was rewarded with the promise of an appointment as first-class sub-prefect, after his period of mourning was ended. Involved in disagreement among the generals about military tactics (see under ), he became discouraged and retired for a time from active service. But in 1852, when the Taipings threatened Kuei-lin, he summoned a detachment of 1,000 recruits and rushed from Hsin-ning to the front. After winning three battles the siege of Kuei-lin was raised and Chiang was rewarded with the rank of a prefect (1852). When the Taipings retreated to Ch'üan-chou with the intention of invading Hunan by boat, he held them for a time, but soon they altered their plans and proceeded to Hunan overland, taking Tao-chou, Chiang-hua and other districts. Although Chiang besieged some of them at Ch'ên-chou for more than a month, the Taipings forced their way through and advanced on Changsha, the capital of Hunan. There Chiang helped to defend the city. Later the Taipings abandoned the siege of Changsha but advanced northward through Yochow to Wuchang and other places on the Yangtze. Chiang and his men remained in Hunan in the winter of 1852 to suppress small uprisings. The following year, as a reward for his prowess in defending Changsha, he was elevated to the rank of an intendant and then was appointed provincial judge of Hupeh where he 136