Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 2.pdf/83

 one of the supervisors for the compilation of the early history of the Manchus, entitled (皇清)開國方略 (Huang-Ch'ing) K'ai-kuo fang-lüeh, 32 + 1 chüan, which was commissioned in 1774, completed in 1786, and printed in 1789. This work was translated into German by Erich Hauer under the same title, with notes, and printed in 1926.

The eldest son of Sun Yü-t'ing, named Sun Shan-pao 孫善寶, was a chü-jên of 1807 who served as governor of Kiangsu from 1843 to 1845. He assumed office just after the Treaty of Nanking was concluded and did much to reconstruct Kiangsu after the First Anglo-Chinese War. The third son, named Sun Jui-chên 孫瑞珍, served as president of the Board of Revenue from 1850 to 1854, at a time when the national treasury was exhausted by expenditures for war. He served for many years as tutor in the Palace School for Princes and in 1852 became chief tutor. In that year he and led other officials in contributing silver to the national treasury. He was canonized as Wên-ting 文定.

A Son of Sun Jui-chên, named Sun Yi-wên 孫毓汶, was a chin-shih of 1856 who rose to be president of the Board of War (1894–96). He was a Grand Councilor after 1884 and a member of the Office of Foreign Affairs after 1885. In the politics of those days he sided with and Shih-to (see under ) in opposition to. Being an intimate friend of, he advocated ratification of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 when many courtiers opposed a peace on such humiliating terms. He is regarded as one of the officials responsible for the corrupt practices in government after 1884. He retired in 1896 and after his death was canonized as Wên-k'o 文恪.

In addition to these descendants, Sun Yü-t'ing had a grandson, Sun Yü-kuei 孫毓淮, who was chuang-yüan (chin-shih with the highest honors) of 1844. A great-grandson, Sun Chi 孫楫, was a chin-shih of 1852 and also a member of the Hanlin Academy.

[1/372/1a; 3/36/1a; 7/21/10a; 1/442/4a; 2/62/45b; 濟寧直隸州續志 Tsining chih-li-chou hsü-chih (1927), passim.]

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 SUN Yüan-hsiang 孫原湘, Dec. 17, 1760–1829, Mar. 6, poet, was a native of Chao-wên, Kiangsu. He began seriously to write verse after he married in 1776 the poetess, Hsi P'ei-lan 席佩蘭. In 1779 he went to Mukden where his father, Sun Hao 孫鎬, was serving as sub-prefect of Fêng-t'ien-fu. When the father was promoted to prefect of Lu-an-fu, Shansi, the whole family, including Sun Yüan-hsiang and his wife, joined him there. In 1784 when the father was degraded to a second-class sub-prefect of Chengtu, Szechwan, the family went back to Chao-wên. After Sun Yüan-hsiang returned home he made the acquaintance of the older poet,. In the meantime he competed unsuccessfully in the provincial examinations, but finally obtained the chü-jên degree in 1795. In 1800 he began to teach in the Academy, Yü-wên Shu-yüan 玉文書院, Kunshan, and in 1803 printed his first collection of verse, entitled 天眞閣集 T'ien-chên ko chi, 4 chüan. He became a chin-shih in 1805 and was selected a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, but took leave that same year. He never returned to Peking for official appointment, being prevented by illness in 1808, and subsequently by poverty. (It should be explained that in those days members of the Hanlin Academy had a very small income and often had to wait many years before rising to profitable positions). In 1818 and 1819 Sun taught in the Yü-wên (毓文) Shu-yüan at Ching-tê, Anhwei, and later directed other Academies, until his death.

Sun Yüan-hsiang was highly praised by Yüan Mei as a poet of outstanding ability. Another poet,, also praised him highly and referred to Sun, , and Wang T'an (see under ) as "The Three Gentlemen [Poets]" 三君. Sun Yuan-hsiang counted among his other literary friends:, , , , , , , , , Yang Fang-ts'an 楊芳燦 , and Wu Sung-liang 吳嵩梁.

The collected works of Sun Yüan-hsiang, entitled T'ien-chên ko chi, 54 chüan, contain 32 + 6 chüan of poems, 6 chüan of poems in irregular meter (tz'ŭ), and 16 chüan of essays. The collection was printed in or after 1829 and was reprinted about 1891. To it was appended a collection of poems by his wife, Hsi P'ei-lan, 685