Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 2.pdf/237

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Wang
Wang

book form, and that several others were in the press. One source asserts that he died on May 2, 1890, but several of his works bear prefaces of a later date—namely 1895 and 1897.

Wang T'ao was fond of discoursing on the status of woman—a topic to which he devoted several long articles. While in Scotland, he wrote to a friend in praise of the beauty and chastity of Western women. His first wife, née Yang 楊 ((T. 夢蘅), died in 1850 leaving a daughter named Wang Wan 王婉 (T. 苕仙, 1847–1878?), who married Ch'ien Chêng. Later, in Shanghai, he married Lin Lêng-lêng 林冷冷 (T. 懷蘅) who bore him a daughter who lacked the power of speech. This wife is reported to have had a jealous nature which evoked from Wang some rather vehement complaints.


[Hung Shên, "Wang T'ao" (in Chinese), in 文學 Wên-hsüeh, vol. 2, no. 6 (June 1, 1934); Ko Kung-chên, Chung-kuo pao-hetieh Shih (History of Journalism in China, 1927), pp. 76, 121; Ch'ên Chên-kuo, “Wang T'ao" (in Chinese), I-ching (see bibl. under Jung-lu), no. 33 (July 5, 1937); 吳縣志 Wu-hsien chih (1933) 23 shang 10b; Hsieh Hsing-yao, "Wang T'ao's Memorial to the Taiping Government" (in Chinese), Kuo-hsüeh chi-k'an (Journal of Sinological Studies), vol. 4, no. 1 (1934); Lo Êr-kang, "Huang Wan's Memorial to the Taipings" (in Chinese) ibid., vol. 4, no. 2; Wên-hsien ts'ung-pien (see bibl. under Dorgon) no. 20.]

Roswell S. Britton


WANG Tsai-chin 王在晉 (T. 明初), 1564–1643, Ming official and scholar, was a native of T'ai-ts'ang, Kiangsu, and a chin-shih of 1592. In his official career, he rose to the post of governor of Shantung. In 1620 he was transferred to the Board of War as senior vice-president, becoming its president in 1622. On April 18, 1622, he was sent to Liaotung as generalissimo, replacing Hsiung T'ing-pi [q. v.]. The cornerstone in his policy for that territory consisted in an extensive settlement of the land by Mongol tribes to act as a buffer state between China and the Manchus, and in the withdrawal of the defenses to a point just outside Shanhaikuan where he advocated the erection of a second wall. These projects were opposed by Yüan Ch'ung-huan and Sun Ch'êng-tsung [qq. v.], and in consequence Wang was recalled on September 21, 1622. After holding a series of minor posts, he was again made president of the Board of War for six months in 1628, but owing to dismissal in connection with a bribery case, he remained thereafter in retirement until his death.

The index of banned books drawn up during the Ch'ien-lung period contains the titles of ten works by Wang Tsai-chin, of which two are known to be extant. The 三朝遼事實錄 San-ch'ao Liao-shih shih-lu, first printed in 17 chüan in the Ch'ung-chên period (1628–1644) and reprinted by the Kuo-hsüeh Library of Nanking in 1931, treats in chronological order and in detail the history of events in Liaotung from 1618 to the end of 1627. A group of Wang's memorials on administrative policy in Liaotung comprise chüan 32–40 of his 寶善堂集 Pao-shan t'ang chi. Others of his works, which deal with Liaotung, seem so far not to have been recovered.


[M.1/257/9b; T'ai-ts'ang chou-chih (1919) 19/18a; Ch'ing k'ai-kuo shih-liao k'ao (see bibl. under Abahai), 3/3h, 4/12b.]

George A. Kennedy


WANG Tuan 汪端 (T. 允莊, H. 小韞), Feb. 28, 1793–1839, Feb. 1, poetess, a native of Ch'ien-t'ang (Hangchow), was the wife of Ch'ên P'ei-chih 陳裴之 (T. 孟楷, H. 小雪, 朗玉仙人, 1794–1826), official and poet. Her mother was a daughter of Liang Tun-shu (see under Liang Shih-chêng), and her father, Wang Yü 汪瑜 (T. 季懷, H. 天潛, d. 1809), was a son of the famous bibliophile, Wang Hsien [q. v.]. She is said to have begun reading in infancy and to have written poetry at the age of seven (sui). After the death of her parents she was cared for by her aunt, Liang Tê-shêng (see under Hsü Tsung-yen). When she married Ch'ên P'ei-chih she became not only his wife but also his collaborator in the writing of poetry; and her father-in-law, Ch'ên Wên-shu [q. v.], greatly admired her verse. When Ch'ên P'ei-chih died at Hankow (see below) their only son, Ch'ên Pao-yung 陳葆庸, overcome by the news, became seriously ill and thereafter was mentally deranged. To assuage her grief Wang Tuan took consolation in Taoism to which her father-in-law was devoted. She assumed the Taoist names, Lai-han 來涵 and Hsin-ch'ê 心澈.

The literary works of Wang Tuan were collected and printed in 1839 under the title 自然好學齋集 Tzŭ-jan-hao-hsüeh chai chi, 4 chüan. Her anthology of verse from thirty poets of the Ming period, entitled 明三十家詩選 Ming san-shih chia shih-hsüan, in 2 series, each in 8 chüan (reprinted in 1873); and the supplement con-

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