Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/49

Rh [qq.v.]. The following scholars deserve also to be mentioned in this connection: Chou Hsing-fang 周杏芳 ; Shao Ên-to 邵恩多 ; Ch'ên Hsiang-jung 陳向榮 ; Chang To 張鐸 ; Shêng Ta-shih 盛大士 ; and Huang T'ing-chien 黃廷鑑. Shêng Ta-shih left a literary collection entitled 蘊愫閣集 Yün-su ko chi, 12 chüan, printed in 1801—revised and reprinted in 10 chüan, in 1807. He was a painter as well as a scholar. Huang T'ing-chien wrote prolifically, though owing to poverty he was able to publish only a part of his works. He compiled the 琴川三志補記 Ch'in-ch'uan san-chih pu-chi, 10 + 8 chüan, printed in 1831 and reprinted in 1898—being a supplement to an ancient gazetteer of his native district, entitled Ch'in-ch'uan chih, which had been written in 1196 and supplemented in 1363 and 1426-36. He also compiled the 琴川黃氏三集 Ch'in-ch'uan Huang-shih san-chi, printed in 1840-41—a collection of literary works by members of the Huang family in his district. It includes certain prose works by himself, entitled 第六絃溪文鈔 Ti-liu hsien-hsi wên-ch'ao, 4 chüan; and his verse, entitled Ti-liu hsien-hsi shih-ch'ao (詩鈔), 2 chüan. The former was later reprinted in the Hou Chih-pu-tsu chai ts'ung-shu (see under ).

[Ti-liu hsien-hsi wên-ch'ao, 2/23a, 4/8a, 11a, 25a; 常昭合志稿 Ch'ang-Chao ho-chih kao (1904), chüan 27, 29–32; Yeh Ch'ang-ch'ih, Ts'ang-shu chi-shih shih (see under ) chüan 6; preface to Index to T'ai P'ing Yü Lan—Harvard yenching Institute Sinological Index Series, no. 23 (1935).]

2em

 CHANG Hsien-chung 張獻忠, c. 1605–1647, Jan. 2, notorious freebooter in the last years of Ming rule, was a native of Yen-an-wei, Shensi. Early in life he entered the army. While there he was sentenced to death for disobedience to military rules, but a superior officer, Ch'ên Hung-fan (see under ), impressed by his appearance, secured his pardon. The province of Shensi, harassed by years of corrupt government and economic depression, was in 1628 afflicted by a disastrous famine. By the year 1630 it was over-run with brigands and robbers. Chang Hsien-chung established himself in the district of Mi-chih as the leader of a band of freebooters, styling himself Pa-tai-wang 八大王. In the winter of 1631 he surrendered to, but soon broke away and went into Shansi. Such outlaws were difficult to suppress, for in the mountains they could assemble or disperse at will. When opportunity permitted they could advance in strength, and when hard-pressed they found safety in the hills. As the result of a conference of thirteen bandit leaders, held in Jung-yang, Honan, in 1635, Chang Hsien-chung carried on his activities farther eastward in Anhwei. He returned to Shensi, and once more proceeded eastward through Honan to Hu-kuang where he was decisively defeated by government forces. Learning that Hsiung Wên-ts'an (see under ) was in 1637 placed in charge of bandit suppression in the afflicted provinces, with Ch'ên Hung-fan as his assistant, Chang Hsien-chung sent a messenger to the latter with a present of money requesting that he be allowed to surrender to Hsiung Wên-ts'an. This was granted and in 1639 his men were quartered at Ku-ch'êng, Hupeh.

After this breathing-spell Chang Hsien-chung rebelled again early in the summer of the same year. In the following spring he was defeated by on the border of Shensi and Szechwan. From his retreat in the mountains he made several forays into Hupeh and then entered Szechwan. From there he advanced to the northeast and was again defeated in 1641 by Tso Liang-yü at Hsin-yang, Honan. For a brief time he co-operated with, but the two were not friends; hence he shifted his activities to Anhwei where in 1642 he recovered much ground and from there entered Hupeh. After the fall of Wuchang he styled himself "King of the West" (西王), changing the name of Wuchang prefecture to T'ien-shou-fu 天授府. Twenty-one districts of Hupeh were under his sway. When Li Tzŭ-ch'êng heard of Chang's success he was further embittered and sent him a letter couched in harsh and threatening language. Meanwhile Tso Liang-yü's forces were also advancing toward him. Under this double pressure Chang Hsien-chung retreated into Hunan, harassed Kiangsi, moved along the Yangtze into Szechwan, and finally took Chengtu. There on December 4, 1644, he enthroned himself "King of the Great Western Kingdom" (大西國王) with the reign-title, Ta-shun 大順. His capital, Chengtu, was renamed Hsi-ching 西京 "Western Capital", where government departments 37