A Chinese Biographical Dictionary/Ch'ên Hung-mou
228 Ch'ên Hung-mou 陳宏謀 (T. 汝咨 H. 褣門). A.D. 1695—1771. Graduated as chin shih in 1723. After serving in the Censorate he was sent to the provinces, and soon rose to be Governor; and during the next twenty years he was moved about from province to province over half the empire. In 1757 he was Viceroy of the Two Kuang, but lost the post in consequence of alleged incapacity in dealing with a plague of locusts. In 1763 he was President of the Board of War, and in 1767 Grand Secretary and President of the Board of Works. In 1771 he retired from ill-health, with the title of Senior Tutor to the Heir Apparent, and died soon afterwards. Ch'ên was a most successful administrator. He always had his room hung round with maps of the province in which he was serving, so as to become familiar with its geography. He was severe but just to his subordinates, and always anxious to improve the condition of the people. He encouraged the production of copper in Yünnan by allowing the sale of all in excess of the government quota, by which means he rendered importation from abroad unnecessary. He established free schools, and spread education among the aborigines of various provinces. Canonised as 文恭.