Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 2.pdf/212

 many times printed, in 6 chüan, under the alternative titles: 石渠餘紀 Shih-ch'ü yü-chi and 熙朝紀政 Hsi-ch'ao chi-chêng.

Early in 1851 Wang Ch'ing-yün was made acting prefect of the Metropolitan area, and five months later was promoted to the senior vice-presidency of the Board of Revenue—a post in which he greatly assisted. Appointed governor of Shensi at the close of the year 1853, he was busily engaged in garrisoning the fortress of Tungkuan in that province against the Taiping forces of when these invaded Honan. Early in 1855 he was transferred to Shansi, and two years later was promoted to the governor-generalship of Szechwan, where he not only cleared the province of bandits, but defended it against the invasion of insurgents from Kweichow. In May 1859 he was ordered to proceed to Canton as governor-general of Kwangtung and Kwangsi, but on his way to this post he relinquished the position in order to recover his health at Sian. In the following year he retired to his garden, styled Huich'ing yüan 匯清園, which he built in a village about fifteen li northwest of Fenchow, Shansi. Early in 1862 he was appointed president of the Board of Works, but died before he went to the capital. He was given the posthumous name, Wên-ch'in 文勤 and was enshrined (1864) in Shansi. His second son, Wang Ch'uan-ts'an 王傳璨, wrote his nien-p'u, which was published in 1933 under the title Wang Wên-ch'in kung nien-p'u.

A grandson, Wang Jên-k'an 王仁堪, obtained fame as a model official. Graduating as chin-shih with highest honors in 1877, he was made a first-class compiler of the Hanlin Academy. When concluded his humiliating treaty with Russia in 1879, Wang Jen-k'an was one of twenty-four high-spirited officials who denounced him. After several promotions, he was made prefect of Chinkiang (1891) and when he arrived at his post he suppressed anti-Christian rioters who were molesting churches in that city. During the following years, through his efforts, thousands of reservoirs and hundreds of irrigation ditches were dredged in this prefecture, these having been in disuse since the British occupation in 1842. In 1893 he was transferred to Soochow, where he died late in the same year. He was also a good calligrapher. His collected works were published in 1934, in 12 chüan, under the title 王蘇州遺書 Wang Su-chou i-shu, a supplement being issued in 1936. The former contains information about his life, including a chronological biography, Wang Su-chou nien-p'u, compiled by his sons.

[1/432/1a, 485/16a; 2/46/43b, 77/46b; Hsi-ch'ing Wang-shih tsu p'u (族譜, 1935).]

2em

 WANG Chung 汪中, Jan. 22, 1745–1794, Dec. 11, scholar and bibliographer, was a native of Chiang-tu, Kiangsu. His great-grandfather, Wang Hao-ching 汪鎬京, was a poet and calligrapher whose work, 紫泥法 Tzŭ-ni fa, on the method of making red ink for Chinese seal impressions, was printed in 1697 in the 檀几叢書 T'an-chi ts'ung-shu and was later reproduced in several other collectanea. At the age of seven (sui) Wang Chung lost his father, Wang I-yüan 汪一元, who was known for his filial piety. The family was poor and had no means to send Wang Chung to school, so it was necessary for him to obtain his early education at home with his mother. During his teens he was employed in book stores, and this experience gave him a familiarity with literature which perhaps compensated for his lack of formal education. In 1763, owing to his unusual literary ability, he took highest honors in the Chiang-tu district examination and was made a licentiate of the first class. , who was at this time director of the local Academy known as An-ting Shu-yüan 安定書院, encouraged him in the study of the classics and history. He failed, however, to pass in the provincial examination held at Nanking in 1768. His reluctance to compete again for a higher degree, he attributed to a certain nervousness.

Wang Chung then secured employment as secretary on the staffs of various officials. In 1770 he was with Shên Yeh-fu 沈業富, then prefect of T'ai-p'ing, Anhwei. Later he served on the secretarial staff of at Tang-t'u, Anhwei, where many scholars of note gathered and where, in 1772, he made the acquaintance of. About the years 1774–75 he was in Ningpo with Fêng T'ing-ch'êng 馮廷丞 who was tao-t'ai of the Ning-Shao-T'ai Circuit, Chekiang. Later he was in Nanking for a time and then at Huai-an, Kiangsu (1782). During his sojourn in Nanking his scholarship was regarded highly by Hsieh Yung 謝墉 (T. 崑城 H. 金圃, 東墅, 1719–1795, chin-shih of 814