Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/413

Rh came to be known as the Chiao-shan shu-ts'ang (書藏). A catalogue of the collection, entitled Chiao-shan shu ts'ang shu-mu (書目), 6 chüan, was published in 1934.

In 1814 Juan Yüan became governor of Kiangsi where in 1816 he reprinted from rare Sung editions the Thirteen Classics with their commentaries under the title (宋本)十三經注疏 (Sung-pên) Shih-san ching chu-shu, to which the above-mentioned Shih-san ching chiao-k'an chi was appended. Late in 1816 he was promoted to be governor-general of Hupeh and Hunan, but a few months thereafter (1817) was transferred to be governor-general of Kwangtung and Kwangsi—a post he filled until 1826. During his term of office at Canton he likewise undertook to advance scholarship in that region by establishing in 1820 the famous Academy, Hsüeh-hai t'ang 學海堂. This Academy was opened on April 14, 1820 in temporary premises in the Wên-lan Shu-yüan 文瀾書院, but late in 1824 was moved to its own buildings on the hill, Yüeh-hsiu shan 粵秀山, in the northern part of the city. Many Cantonese scholars were subsequently connected with this institution either as superintendents or as students (see under, , , , and ). The publications of the Academy include, among others, the following titles: Hsüeh-hai t'ang ts'ung-k'o (叢刻), a collectanea in two series of 6 titles each, the first series being printed in 1877, the second in 1886; and Hsüeh-hai t'ang chi (集), being 4 collections of poems and short articles in prose: the first collection, in 16 chüan, being printed in 1825; the second, in 22 chüan, in 1838; the third, in 24 chüan, in 1859; and the fourth, in 28 chüan, in 1886.

Other achievements of Juan Yüan at Canton were the compilation of the provincial gazetteer, Kwangtung t'ung-chih (see under ), the establishment of new forts below Canton, and the compilation of the famous ts'ung-shu, 皇清經解 Huang Ch'ing ching-chieh, 1,400 chüan. This collectanea contains more than 180 works, all treatises written on the Classics in the Ch'ing period. Begun in 1825 under the editorship of the above-mentioned Yen Chieh, it was printed in 1829 in 366 volumes. A copy of this work, along with others, was presented to the Government of the United States by the Government of China in June 1869 and forms the nucleus of the present Chinese Collection in the Library of Congress. A supplement, entitled Huang-Ch'ing ching-chieh hsü-pien (續編) in 1,430 chüan, and containing 209 titles, was compiled by Wang Hsien-ch'ien (see under ) and printed in 1886–88 when Wang was serving as director of education in Kiangsu.

In his capacity as an official at Canton Juan Yüan maintained a strict policy toward foreign traders, particularly the English. In 1822 some British sailors from a warship killed two Chinese villagers during a brawl. In consequence Juan suspended British trade at Canton, but could not force the foreign merchants to hand over the culprits. He had to be satisfied with a pledge of future good conduct and then permit trade to continue (1823). He was criticized by the Cantonese as being too lenient to foreigners and too amenable to compromise, but those same critics, a few years later, confessed that they preferred Juan's policy of compromise to the arrogance of the officials who brought on the War of 1840–42 (see under ).

In 1826 Juan Yüan was transferred to be governor-general of Yunnan and Kweichow, a post he held till 1835. In the meantime he was elevated to an Associate Grand Secretary (1832). In 1835 he was made a Grand Secretary and was recalled to Peking to serve in that capacity. But before long he was troubled with his right leg, and in 1838 was granted permission to retire with half pay and with the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He spent his remaining days in his home at Yangchow. In 1843, on his eightieth birthday, he was accorded some special honors; and in 1846, on the sixtieth anniversary of his becoming a chü-jên, was given the title of Grand Tutor. After his death, in 1849, he was canonized as Wên-ta 文達.

The writings of Juan Yüan, covering as they do not only the field of classical literature but also local history, epigraphy, mathematics and poetry, had a powerful influence in his day, and many of them are of lasting value. A collection of his poems and short prose writings, entitled 揅經室集 Yen-ching-shih chi, printed in 1823, is divided into five sections, of which 29 chüan are in prose and 11 chüan in verse. To this were later added two supplements: one in 9 chüan, printed in 1830, the other in 6 chüan, printed in or after 1844. A selection of his verse, entitled Yen-ching-shih shih-lu (詩錄), 5 chüan, appeared in 1833. His bibliographical notes about rare books not included in the Ssŭ-k'u ch'üan-shu were brought together and printed in 1822 under the title Yen-ching-shih wai-chi 401