Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 2.pdf/243

 pilers are reported to have consulted 1,844 different sources.

Wang Yüan-ch'i is also well known as one of the painters of a long, commemorative scroll, known as the 萬壽長圖 Wan-shou ch'ang-t'u or Wan-shou t'u. It depicts the scenes attendant on the celebration of Emperor Shêng-tsu's sixtieth birthday (which, according to the Western calendar, fell on April 12, 1713) when a procession went from the garden, Ch'ang-ch'un yüan (see under ), northwest of Peking, to the Forbidden City, a distance of some six miles. As originally designed by Sung Chün-yeh, it portrayed some fifty scenes in the celebration. It was presented to the Emperor before completion. On May 26, 1713 Wang was directed to supervise the completion, the draft on paper being finished February 10, 1714. In a memorial submitted to the Emperor on the 21st of that month Wang asked that a final copy be executed on silk, of which he requested a supply of three hundred feet (Chinese). In the same memorial he also recommended the compilation of a work containing eulogistic writings, honoring the Emperor on this occasion. Consequently he was made director of a specially-created bureau, Wan-shou shu-hua chü (書畫局) for the preparation of materials in celebration of the Emperor's birthday; and a number of officials were appointed to help him. Before the work was completed he died, and his cousin, Wang I-ch'ing (see under ), succeeded him as director of the bureau. The work was finally completed early in 1716 and was printed during the years 1716–17 under the title, 萬壽盛典初集 Wan-shou shêng-tien ch'u-chi, 120 chüan. The above-mentioned scroll, Wan-shou t'u, appears in this work as chüan 41 (with 73 woodcuts) and chüan 42 (with 75 woodcuts). When these 148 woodcuts, each 10 3/4 by 13 1/2 inches, are placed end to end in scroll form, such a scroll is approximately 166 feet long. The preparation of the woodcuts was supervised by Wang Yüan-ch'i and Wang I-ch'ing. The printing of the work was financed by the two brothers, Chao Hung-ts'an and Chao Hung-hsieh, and by a son of the former, named Chao Chih-yüan (for all see under ).

Wang Yüan-ch'i was the author of two small works, entitled: 雨窗漫筆 Yü-ch'uang man-pi, 1 chüan, which lays down ten rules for painting; and 麓臺題畫稿 Lu-t'ai t'i-hua kao, 1 chüan, a collection of his colophons. Both works appear in various collectanea. The seals most often seen on his paintings read: 蒼潤, 筆端金鋼杵, and 畫圖留與人看—the last being one conferred on him by the Emperor.

Wang Yüan-ch'i had three sons; the eldest, Wang Mu 王暮, served as governor of Kwangtung during the years 1737–40. A number of Wang Yüan-ch'i's descendants achieved fame as painters and officials, but the most distinguished was his great-grandson, Wang Ch'ên 王宸, who was a poet as well as an artist. He compiled biographical sketches of Chinese painters, under the title 繪林伐材 Hui-lin fa-ts'ai, 10 chüan, the author's preface being dated 1780.

Wang Yüan-ch'i had a number of disciples who also achieved distinction as painters, among them: Huang Ting 黃鼎 ; T'ang-tai 唐岱 ; Wên I 温儀 ; Wang Ching-ming 王敬銘 ; and Wang Yü 王昱.

[1/509/1b; 3/56/92; 4/20/29a; 19/2 shang 12b; 20/1/00; 26/1/17b; 27/5/2a; T'ai-ts'ang chou-chih (1919) 10/33a, 20/13b; L.T.C.L.H.M. 36a–39b; Ferguson, John C., Chinese Painting (1927) p. 174.]

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 WANG Yung-chi 王永吉, d. 1659, Ming-Ch'ing official, was a native of Kao-yu, Kiangsu. He became a chin-shih in 1625, and served as district magistrate at Tat'ien, Fukien and at Jên-ho (Hangchow). Later he was police magistrate at Jao-chou, Kiangsi. While at Hangchow he built public granaries and a sea-wall for the protection of the city against tides. Surrendering to the Manchu regime, he was appointed director of the Court of Judicature and Revision in 1645, and two years later a vice-president of the Board of Works. In 1651 he was made a vice-president of the Board of Revenue. He gave special attention to the lands assigned to military colonies and to plans for better control of the Yellow River and affluents of the Grand Canal. In 1653 he was made president of the Board of War, and in the following year was associated with Bahana 巴哈納 (d. 1666), Grand Secretary 1655–62, in distributing relief among eight prefectures of Chihli. In 1654 he was made a Grand Secretary.  845