Ji Xiaolan
Encyclopedia
Ji Yun also known as Ji Xiaolan or Ji Chunfan (紀春帆) is a well-known scholar in the Qing Dynasty
's history and many anecdotes have been recorded about him. Ji Yun left behind a book entitled Notes of the Thatched Abode of Close Observations, and another book named Wenda Gong Yiji (Collected Works of Lord Wenda, i.e. Ji Xiaolan), which was edited by later generations.
Province. When he was young, he was deemed intelligent. His Father, Ji Rongsu was a civil minister and famous archaeologist.
.
Ji Yun's career was not, however, smooth sailing. In 1768, he became an accessory in a bribery case after he tipped off a brother-in-law about the severity of charges pending against him, for which crime he was banished to Urumqi
in Chinese Turkestan.
On arriving back in China, Ji was received by the Qianlong Emperor in 1771 when the ruler happened to be returning from Jehol
to Beijing
, and he was ordered to write a poem on the return of the Turgut Mongols from the banks of the Volga. Ji's rendition of the inspiring tale of the return of the exiled Mongols, later celebrated in English by another poet Thomas de Quincey
(1785–1859) in his epic Revolt of the Tartars, delighted the emperor, for whom he became an unofficial poet laureate. The job of compiling Siku quanshu was his dubious reward.
One year later, Ji Yun was pardoned from his sentence, and, on his return journey in 1771, he wrote a travel account distilled into 160 poems titled Xinjiang zalu (Assorted verses on Xinjiang). This remains one of the most useful sources in Chinese on life in Chinese Turkestan
in the late-eighteenth century.
In Ji Yun's late life, he was inspired by Pu Songling
's Liaozhai Zhiyi to compile his own collections of remarkable tales, many of which were held to be satirical portraits of prominent Neo-Confucian scholars.
In between 1789 and 1798, Ji yun published five collections of supernatural tales, and in 1800 the five volumes were produced under the collective title Yuewei Caotang Biji(Jottings from the grass hut for examining minutiae),an obscure title for an otherwise earthy and enjoyable collection of imaginative fiction.
In addition, Ji Yun was also well known as magnum opus of Qing editorial achievement, Siku quanshu
(The Complete Library in Four Branches), where he edited this massive work together with Lu Xixiong, in compliance with an imperial edict issued by the Qianlong Emperor
.
my eyes are lit up as soon as I’m out of hangzhou,
misty river banks with mixed sky and green,
a sail in the glass.
, who is one of the most renowned figures in Chinese history. General Yue fought alongside General Nian Gengyao
in quelling Muslim and Tibetan rebels in what is today Qinghai, and was highly honoured in Beijing
. He never lived for very long in the capital, his base being in Sichuan and Gansu. However, he was rewarded for his service to the throne by the Kangxi Emperor and raised to the position of duke of the third class.
Ji Yun lived in the mansion for thirty years and several features of the dwelling that the visitor can still see today are associated with him. A tree in the garden is said to be more than two hundred years old. Few original items from the time of Ji Yun remain in the house but the caretaker claims that the desk and mirror in the main study are original items. The glass mirror in the zitan timber frame is one of the earliest mirrors produced with lead paint in China.
After Ji Xiaolan's death, his descendants rented half of the mansion complex out to Huang Antao (1777–1847), a jinshi scholar, Hanlin scholar and poet, like Ji Yun. Huang was a renowned calligrapher; several of his calligraphic pieces are in the collection of the Palace Museum.
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
's history and many anecdotes have been recorded about him. Ji Yun left behind a book entitled Notes of the Thatched Abode of Close Observations, and another book named Wenda Gong Yiji (Collected Works of Lord Wenda, i.e. Ji Xiaolan), which was edited by later generations.
Background
Ji Yun was born in Xian County of HebeiHebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
Province. When he was young, he was deemed intelligent. His Father, Ji Rongsu was a civil minister and famous archaeologist.
Career
In 1747, Ji Yun rose to intellectual prominence after winning the highest distinction in the provincial examinations. Several years later, in 1754, he attained the jinshi degree, whereupon he entered the Hanlin AcademyHanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution founded in the eighth century Tang dynasty China by Emperor Xuanzong.Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed secretarial and literary tasks for the court. One of its main duties was to...
.
Ji Yun's career was not, however, smooth sailing. In 1768, he became an accessory in a bribery case after he tipped off a brother-in-law about the severity of charges pending against him, for which crime he was banished to Urumqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
in Chinese Turkestan.
On arriving back in China, Ji was received by the Qianlong Emperor in 1771 when the ruler happened to be returning from Jehol
Jehol
Jehol could mean either a province or a city:* Jehol Province, former province in northeastern China* Chengde, the capital of above provinceNamed after the province:* Jehol Biota* Jeholodens* Jeholopterus* Jeholornis* Jeholosaurus...
to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and he was ordered to write a poem on the return of the Turgut Mongols from the banks of the Volga. Ji's rendition of the inspiring tale of the return of the exiled Mongols, later celebrated in English by another poet Thomas de Quincey
Thomas de Quincey
Thomas Penson de Quincey was an English esssayist, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater .-Child and student:...
(1785–1859) in his epic Revolt of the Tartars, delighted the emperor, for whom he became an unofficial poet laureate. The job of compiling Siku quanshu was his dubious reward.
One year later, Ji Yun was pardoned from his sentence, and, on his return journey in 1771, he wrote a travel account distilled into 160 poems titled Xinjiang zalu (Assorted verses on Xinjiang). This remains one of the most useful sources in Chinese on life in Chinese Turkestan
Turkestan
Turkestan, spelled also as Turkistan, literally means "Land of the Turks".The term Turkestan is of Persian origin and has never been in use to denote a single nation. It was first used by Persian geographers to describe the place of Turkish peoples...
in the late-eighteenth century.
Late Life
During first year of Emperor Jiaqing's reign, he was appointed as the secretary of defense. However, Ji Yun died of illness at the age of 82 in 1805.In Ji Yun's late life, he was inspired by Pu Songling
Pu Songling
Pu Songling was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.-Biography:Pu was born into a poor landlord-merchant family from Zichuan...
's Liaozhai Zhiyi to compile his own collections of remarkable tales, many of which were held to be satirical portraits of prominent Neo-Confucian scholars.
Achievement
- 1747- Ranked number one provincial graduate (乡试解元)
- 1754- Ranked number one graduate of the palace examination (中进士)
- 1773- Chief editor for Siku QuanshuSiku QuanshuThe Siku Quanshu, variously translated as the Imperial Collection of Four, Emperor's Four Treasuries, Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, or Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, is the largest collection of books in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial...
; largest collection of books in Chinese history - 1796- Minister of war (兵部尚书)
- 1797- Minister of Personnel (吏部尚书)
In between 1789 and 1798, Ji yun published five collections of supernatural tales, and in 1800 the five volumes were produced under the collective title Yuewei Caotang Biji(Jottings from the grass hut for examining minutiae),an obscure title for an otherwise earthy and enjoyable collection of imaginative fiction.
In addition, Ji Yun was also well known as magnum opus of Qing editorial achievement, Siku quanshu
Siku Quanshu
The Siku Quanshu, variously translated as the Imperial Collection of Four, Emperor's Four Treasuries, Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, or Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, is the largest collection of books in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial...
(The Complete Library in Four Branches), where he edited this massive work together with Lu Xixiong, in compliance with an imperial edict issued by the Qianlong Emperor
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
.
A Sail in the Glass
countless welcoming good mountains along the river,my eyes are lit up as soon as I’m out of hangzhou,
misty river banks with mixed sky and green,
a sail in the glass.
Mansion
The mansion in which Ji Yun lived for the last thirty years of his life was originally the residence of General Yue Zhongqi (1686–1754), the twenth-first generational descendant of the renowned Song dynasty loyalist and general Yue FeiYue Fei
Yue Fei , style name Pengju, was a military general of the Southern Song Dynasty. His ancestral home was in Xiaoti, Yonghe Village, Tangyin, Xiangzhou, Henan...
, who is one of the most renowned figures in Chinese history. General Yue fought alongside General Nian Gengyao
Nian Gengyao
Nian Gengyao Nian Gengyao Nian Gengyao (Manchu: niyan geng yoo）was a Chinese military commander of the Qing Dynasty. He was born a member of the Chinese Bordered Yellow Banner and had extensive military experience on the western frontier of the Qing empire...
in quelling Muslim and Tibetan rebels in what is today Qinghai, and was highly honoured in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. He never lived for very long in the capital, his base being in Sichuan and Gansu. However, he was rewarded for his service to the throne by the Kangxi Emperor and raised to the position of duke of the third class.
Ji Yun lived in the mansion for thirty years and several features of the dwelling that the visitor can still see today are associated with him. A tree in the garden is said to be more than two hundred years old. Few original items from the time of Ji Yun remain in the house but the caretaker claims that the desk and mirror in the main study are original items. The glass mirror in the zitan timber frame is one of the earliest mirrors produced with lead paint in China.
After Ji Xiaolan's death, his descendants rented half of the mansion complex out to Huang Antao (1777–1847), a jinshi scholar, Hanlin scholar and poet, like Ji Yun. Huang was a renowned calligrapher; several of his calligraphic pieces are in the collection of the Palace Museum.
External links
- http://history.cultural-china.com/en/47History2631.html