Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 2.pdf/68

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
Sun
Sun

study and wrote on the Classics, history, geography, philosophy and art. Twenty-three of his works are noted in the Imperial Catalogue and a number were copied into the Imperial Manuscript Library (for both see under Chi Yün). Among these may be mentioned the 春明夢餘錄 Ch'un-ming mêng-yü lu, a work in 70 chüan on Peking and its environs as it was in the late Ming period. This work dealing with the palaces, gardens, temples, and public buildings of the capital, is much quoted by later writers on the topography of the Metropolitan area, notably by Chu I-tsun [q. v.] in his Jih-hsia chiu wên of 1688 (see under Chu). A rather similar work by him, entitled 天府廣記 T'ien-fu kuang-chi, in 44 chüan, has until now circulated only in manuscript, although it was utilized in the compilation of the Shun-t'ien-fu chih (see under Chang Chih-tung), the official gazetteer of Peking, published in 1889. His 元朝典故編年考 Yüan-ch'ao tien-ku pien-nien k'ao, in 10 chüan, presents events of the Yüan dynasty arranged chronologically, with quotations from sources, some of which are now rare or inaccessible and differing in some respects from the official histories. The Chih-pu-tsu chai ts'ung-shu (see under Pao T'ing-po) reproduces a small work by Sun in one chüan, entitled 閒者軒帖考 Hsien-chê hsüan t'ieh k'ao. This is a study (completed in 1647) of 38 sets of specimens of calligraphy engraved on stone, with critical comments on each.

Sun Ch'êng-tsê is best known to students of art by a work in 8 chüan entitled 庚子銷夏記 Kêng-tzŭ hsiao-hsia chi, "Notes Written to Idle Away the Summer of 1660." These notes consist of criticisms of paintings and calligraphy (from various dynasties) which he had in his own collection or had examined in the homes of others. It circulated in manuscript for more than a hundred years, that is until 1761, when it was collated and printed under the auspices of Pao T'ing-po [q. v.], the sponsor of the Chih-pu-tsu chai ts'ung-shu. Prior to its printing, however, Ho Ch'o [q. v.] issued in 1713 a series of criticisms and corrections of it under the title, Kêng-tzŭ hsiao-hsia chi chiao (校), which was included with some later editions of the original work.

The name of Sun's studio, Yen-shan chai 研山齋, which appears in the title of a number of his works, was used also, it seems, by his grandson Sun Chiung 孫炯 (T. 挈菴). A work, entitled Yen (硯) shan chai tsa-chi (雜記), 4 chüan, which was copied into the Ssŭ-k'u Library, is thought by the editors of that collection to be the work of this grandson. It was deemed sufficiently valuable to be reproduced in 1934 in the Ssŭ-k'u ch'üan-shu chên-pên (see under Chi Yün). The editors gave notice to another work by the grandson entitled Yen-shan chai chên-wan chi-lan (珍玩集覽).


[2/79/47a; 4/10/13a; Shun-t'ien-fu chih (1885) 105/33a; Wang Shih-chên [q. v.], Ch'ih-pei ou-t'an 15/14a, and I-nien lu hui-pien (see under Ch'ien Ta-hsin) for dates of birth and death; Wang Ch'ung-chien [q. v.], Ch'ing-hsiang t'ang wên-chi 5/18a.]

Dean R. Wickes


SUN Ch'êng-tsung 孫承宗 (T. 稚繩, H. 愷陽), Jan.–Feb., 1563–1638, Dec. 14, Ming scholar and general, was born in Kao-yang, Chihli. He spent much of his youth traveling in the northern part of his native province and Shansi, seeking information about the defense of the frontiers. A chin-shih of 1604, he was appointed a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, and later was connected with the Supervisorate of Imperial Instruction. When the Ming Emperor, Hsi-tsung (see under Chu Yu-chiao), came to the throne in 1620, Sun Ch'êng-tsung was his favorite lecturer; so attached did the Emperor become to him that he refused to grant him leave to take the post of vice-president of the Board of War. But the serious state of affairs in Liaotung after the fall of Kuang-ning in March 1622, induced the Emperor to make him president of the Board and concurrently a Grand Secretary. Sun began a vigorous reorganization by removing inefficient men from their posts, and after being invested with independent authority to superintend all phases of the defensive program, went to take charge personally at Shanhaikuan. Here he remained until 1625, fortifying cities and outposts, drilling armies, constructing barracks, and planting military colonies. His policy aimed at the holding of Ning-yüan as a strategic center, instead of retirement to Shanhaikuan as advocated by others. In 1624 he was much disturbed over the misgovernment of the eunuch, Wei Chung-hsien [q. v.], and tried to secure a personal interview with the Emperor, but was frustrated by Wei. Lack of support from the government led to his resignation which became effective in November 1625. Four years later, after the downfall of Wei's regime and in a new crisis caused by the Manchu invasion, he was summoned to advise the new Ming Emperor (see under Chu Yu-chien) and was charged with the defense of Tungchow, twelve miles east of Peking.

670