Herbert A. Giles

“ Countless are the princes and prophets that the world has seen in its time; glorious in life, forgotten in death. But Confucius, though only a humble member of the cotton-clothed masses, remains among us after many generations. ”

“ Yet though my days be few, my heart remains firm; and were I to die nine deaths, I would not change my views." "This old fool," cried Ch'in Kuei, on reading these words, "is as obstinate as ever!" Three years afterwards he fell ill, and indited the following epitaph: "My grosser self has mounted upon the stars to heaven, but my spirit will remain under the form of hills and rivers as a line of defence for the Throne." He then refused all nourishment and died. ”

“ While on this mission, Li Hsi-lieh's brother was put to death for his association with Chu Tz'u's revolt; and this act, coupled with the approach of the Imperial troops, so enraged Li Hsi-lieh that he forthwith caused Yen to be strangled by his eunuchs. One of Yen's sons carried back his father's body; and the Emperor, overwhelmed with sorrow, not only appointed the dead man to high posthumous rank, but even suspended all Court functions for five days. Yen's character was firm and uncompromising. "Save in the interests of truth and justice, no thought ever budded within his mind." ”

“ He put his cook to death for serving up some badly prepared bear's-paws, and committed similar atrocities. Chao Tun felt bound to remonstrate, and accordingly fell into disfavour. The Duke employed an assassin to kill him, and with that intent the latter approached his house early in the morning; but finding Chao in his robes of State, ready to go to Court, he was unable to do the deed, and dashed out his own brains in despair. ”

“ Early in 1279 the Mongols under Chang Hung-fan beleaguered the last stronghold of the Sungs by land and sea. Shut up in their ships, which they formed into a compact mass and fortified with towers and breastworks, the patriots, deprived of fresh water, harassed by attacks during the day and by fire-ships at night, maintained the unequal struggle for a month. ”

“ Under the Emperor Ming Huang his career was one of alternate favour and disgrace; however at his death he was once more a Minister of State. His fame rests chiefly upon his poems, the pathetic beauty of which was said to have improved under the reverses of his later life. ”

“ At ten years of age he went with his father to Lo-yang, where Li Ying was at the height of his reputation. Unable, from the press of visitors, to gain admission, he told the doorkeeper to inform Li Ying that he was a connection, and thus succeeded in getting in. When Li Ying asked him what the connection was, he replied, "My ancestor Confucius and your ancestor Lao Tzǔ were friends engaged in the quest for Truth, so that you and I may be said to be of the same family." Li Ying was astonished, but 陳韙 Ch'ên Wei said, "Cleverness in youth does not mean brilliancy in later life;" ”

“ After holding some petty post in connection with the grain administration, he took to teaching, and soon surrounded himself by a school of eager and earnest disciples. He visited the ancient capital, whence he returned to be Magistrate at Chung-tu in his native State. His success in that capacity was so marked that he was raised by Duke Ting of Lu to be Minister of Justice, and "became the idol of the people, and flew in songs through their mouths." The State prospered under his guidance, and its influence and well-being became conspicuous. ”

“ Then, noticing that the court-yard was in a neglected state, he turned to Ch'ên Fan and asked him why he did not sweep it against the arrival of guests. "A hero," replied the lad, "should sweep the empire, and not court-yards." ”

“ In his youth, he and Su Ch'in were servants in a school, and picked up an education by copying the pupils' exercises on their palms and legs, and transcribing them at night when they got home. Subsequently, they both went to study under Kuei-ku Tzǔ, and then became itinerant politicians who laid themselves out for official employment with one or other of the Feudal States. Su Ch'in embraced the federal cause, and induced the Six States Ch'i, Ch'u, Yen, Chao, Wei, and Han, to band together to resist the growing power of the Ch'ins ”

“ Being ordered to proceed on a commission to examine into the morals of the empire, he buried his carriage-wheels at the gates of the capital, saying, "While wolves are in office, why seek out foxes?" Thereupon he boldly set to work to impeach the corrupt oficials who occupied high places. ”

“ When acting as Governor of Yüeh-chou, the region of Chehkiang was afflicted by famine caused by drought and locusts, and the price of grain went up. His brother officials forbade the raising of prices; but Chao Pien pursued a different policy. He proclaimed in his district that every one with grain to sell might raise the price as he pleased; the consequence being an influx of supplies which made provisions abundant at a low rate. His example is still appealed to as that of a saviour of the people in times of distress. ”

“ The disturbed state of the empire led men to look to him for the restoration of order; and when he was sent to repel a reported inroad of the northern Han State and the Liao Tartars, his army invested him with the yellow robe at 陳橋 the Bridge of Ch'ên in K'ai-fêng Fu. He professed surprise and reluctance; but there is little doubt that he knew of the design, to which his brother and successor and Chao P'u were privy. He used his authority well. The power of the satraps was taken away, and Magistrates were appointed by the Emperor only. ”

“ A good-hearted but feeble ruler, he fell under the domination first of Han T'o-chou, whose niece he married, and on his assassination in 1207, under that of Shih Mi-yüan. Han T'o-chou, by accusing his opponents of caballing, and stigmatising as false learning the teachings of the two Ch'êngs and their followers, was enabled to fill all offices with his own creatures, and to enter upon a war with the China Tartars in 1206. The war proved disastrous, and ended in the assassination of Han and the acceptance of burdensome conditions of peace in 1208. ”

“ In spite of strict training, he turned out a mere debauchee, who let his country go to ruin, and believed the fables of peace and prosperity told to him by Chia Ssǔ-tao. Chia was treated almost as an equal, and a threat to retire never failed to enable him to carry his point. All matters were left to his decision. He sold office, concealed the disasters of the war, and left the grievances of the people unredressed. Warnings of impending Mongol invasion were disregarded, until in 1268 siege was laid to Hsiang-yang in Hupeh. ”

“ In 1699, while in mourning, he was ordered to place in the ancestral temple of the first Emperor of the Ming dynasty a tablet on which K'ang Hsi had inscribed, "Good government surpassing that of the T'aug and Sung (dynasties) ," while the Emperor himself poured a libation at the dead monarch's tomb. He died while attending K'ang Hsi to Jehol. He is said to have been a learned and dignified man, a vegetarian and a misogynist, who slept in his clothes so as to be ready to rise at the first streak of dawn. ”

“ He was a devoted student of the Analects of Confucius, and once said to the Emperor T'ai Tsung, "With one half of this work I helped your father to gain the empire, and now with the other half I am helping your Majesty to keep it." During all his years of official life, he never asked a favour for any of his own relatives. ”

“ Chang Shih-chieh, who had made the last attempt to hold the Yang-tsze with the fleet, and Wên T'ien-hsiang, also rallied to his standard; but the Mongol armies overbore all opposition, and the boy-sovereign had to be taken to sea, escaping the Mongol fleet only by a lucky fog. He wandered south along the coast, driven from refuge to refuge, until in the spring of 1277 an alarm in the north recalled the enemy's forces. ”

“ He was constantly being summoned by K'ang Hsi, whom he always accompanied on tours of inspection. He was Chancellor of the Han-lin College and Chief Supervisor of Instruction until 1697, when he was relieved of these posts at his own earnest request. From 1699 to 1701 he was a Grand Secretary; and after his retirement to his lifelong hobbies, music and gardening, K'ang Hsi twice went to visit him, and loaded him with marks of esteem. He was notably modest and affable, fond of giving secret aid to rising talent, and absolutely incorruptible. ”

“ And when a friend offered him a comfortable home instead of his poor boat, he replied, "I prefer to follow the gulls into cloudland, rather than to bury my ethereal self beneath the dust of the world." ”

“ A.D. A military leader who married the Princess P'ing-yang, a daughter of the Emperor Kao Tsu, founder of the T'ang dynasty, and distinguished himself as a general against the Turkic invaders. On one occasion, when he was attacking the Turkic forces which then threatened the frontier, his army was almost overwhelmed by a dense shower of arrows from the enemy's bows. But Ch'ai Shao sent forward some girls to play and dance to the Tartar guitar, which so fascinated the Tartar soldiers that they desisted from the fight to watch. ”

“ An official and poet of the Sung dynasty, who when quite a boy attracted the notice of Wang An-kuo. At the age of 17 he accompanied his father to Hangchow, where the great Su Shih was stationed. There he produced such an exquisite poem on the beauties of Ch'ien-t'ang that Su Shih said: "I may now lay down my pen!" Graduating first on the list of chin shih, he entered upon a public career, in which he rose to high office. ”

“ All chance of peace was lost by the murder of Mongol envoys near Soochow, and a great naval defeat near Chinkiang sealed the fate of the dynasty. Bayan received the surrender of Hangchow early in 1276, the few patriots who had clung to the falling throne joining one or other of the Princes set up in Fuhkien. The Emperor and most of the Imperial family were sent to Peking, and the former died a year later in the desert of Gobi. ”

“ A man of the Han dynasty, famous for his friendship with one 范式 Fan Shih. On one occasion, they arranged to meet again on a certain day, after an interval of two years; and Chang insisted on his mother cooking a fowl in readiness for his friend, who arrived at the appointed time. When Chang died, he appeared in a dream to Fan, who at once set off to be present at his obsequies. ”

“ Among these counsels must be mentioned the treacherous violation of the treaty of Kuang-wu, by which Liu Pang compassed the defeat and death of his great rival Hsiang Chi, and which has been censured by Chinese historians as quite unworthy of the otherwise upright character of Chang Liang. From this date he took no further interest in public affairs. "With my three inches of tongue," he said, "I have risen to be the teacher of princes, and have been ennobled. 'Tis all that a man of the people could expect. ”

“ The last Emperor of Liang, in grateful recognition of his aid, bestowed on him a Dukedom and the military command of the Kingdom; and he made himself Prime Minister and a Prince. He compelled his sovereign to abdicate in his favour at the end of 557, and mounted the throne as first Emperor of the Ch'ên dynasty. ”

“ A native of Ssǔch'uan, who after studying under Ch'iao Chou took service under the Minor Han dynasty, and alone ventured to oppose the all-powerful eunuch Huang Hao. He brought himself into notice by collecting the public papers of Chu-ko Liang, and was employed under the Chin dynasty to edit the History of the Three Kingdoms, which was much admired. His biographies of Chin men, however, are marked by personal bias. ”

“ Aided by Li Kang, he strove to reform the Government. A new siege of his capital in 1126 by the China Tartars resulted in the cession of territory and the payment of all his own and the inhabitants' treasure. The Tartar army had no sooner withdrawn than the Emperor, who would not allow its retreat to be harassed, denounced the extorted treaty and attempted to raise the siege of T'ai-yüan in Shansi. His advisers disbanded the forces which had gathered to save the capital and which had contributed to the Tartar retreat ”