Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period/P'an Tsu-yin
P'AN Tsu-yin 潘祖蔭 (T. 東鏞, H. 伯寅, 鄭盦), Nov. 20, 1830–1890, Dec. 11, official and scholar, was a grandson of P'an Shih-ên [q. v.]. His father, P'an Tsêng-shou 潘曾綬 (T. 紱庭, H. 1810–1883), a chü-jên of 1840, was an assistant reader of the Grand Secretariat (1851–53). P'an Tsu-yin was born and reared in Peking, but spent short intervals at his ancestral home in Wu-hsien (Soochow). Early in 1849 Emperor Hsüan-tsung conferred upon him a chü-jên degree in honor of the eightieth birthday of Pan Shih-ên. Graduated as chin-shih in 1852, P'an Tsu-yin was made a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, and thereafter filled various posts in the capital until the beginning of the year 1867 when he was appointed junior vice-president of the Board of Works. During this period he went to Shensi (1858) and to Shantung (1862) to conduct provincial examinations.
He frequently memorialized the throne about methods of reforming a corrupt administration. In 1862 he and several other officials compiled for the Dowager Empresses and Emperor Mu-tsung a book in which were gathered examples of good administration in preceding dynasties. The work was entitled Chih-p'ing pao-chien (see under Chang Chih-wan). For several months in 1867 he was dispatched to Shêng-ching (Mukden) to investigate construction in the Imperial Mausoleum. In 1868 he was transferred to the junior vice-presidency of the Board of Revenue, and was promoted to the senior vice-presidency of the same Board in the following year. Early in 1874, however, he was discharged from his position because as assistant examiner at the Shun-t'ien provincial examination he had, apparently without warrant, granted to a candidate a chü-jên degree. A month later he was again made a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, and after several promotions was appointed junior vice-president of the Board of Ceremonies (1876), and then (1878) was transferred to the Board of Revenue. In 1879 he was promoted to the presidency of the Board of Works and shortly afterwards (1879) was transferred to the Board of Punishments. In the years 1880–81, he took part, as one of the Emperor's advisers, in settling Russo-Chinese affairs in Turkestan (see under Tsêng Chi-tsê). Late in 1882 he was made a Grand Councilor, but early in the following year was obliged to leave Peking in order to observe the period of mourning for the death of his father. Returning to the capital in 1885, he was made acting president of the Board of War, and early in 1886 was named president of the Board of Works, a position he held until his death. He was posthumously canonized as Wên-ch'in 文勤. Having spent the later half of his life as a high official in Peking, he had a hand in aiding many men of talent who later became famous, among them Tso Tsung-t'ang [q. v.]. He was, however, a, conservative official, and was also anti-foreign.
P'an Tsu-yin was famous as a collector of books and of ancient bronzes and inscribed stones, although many of his bronzes and stones are said to have been forgeries. He had three studios for his collections: P'ang-hsi chai 滂喜齋 and Kung-shun t'ang 功順堂 for books, and P'an-ku lou 攀古廔 for bronzes and stones. After his death these objects seem to have been dispersed by sale. A catalogue, with bibliographical notes of his library, entitled P'ang-hsi chai ts'ang-shu chi (藏書記), 3 chüan, written by him and edited by his disciple, Yeh Ch'ang-ch'ih 葉昌熾 (T. 鞠裳, H. 緣督, 1849–1917, author of the valuable bibliographical guide, 藏書紀事詩 Ts'ang-shu chi-shih shih), was printed in 1914, but was not released to the public until 1928. Another catalogue of the Sung and Yüan editions in P'an Tsu-yin's library, entitled P'ang-hsi chai Song-Yüan shu-mu (書目), was printed in 1909 in the Ch'ên-fêng ko ts'ung-shu (see under Chu I-tsun). These two catalogues were reprinted in 1924. In 1867 he began to print rare works by Ch'ing scholars, and in 1884 completed the printing of 54 works brought together under the collective title P'ang-hsi chai ts'ung-shu. In the same year (1884) he published the Kung-shun t'ang ts'ung-shu, containing 18 works, and added two items in the following year. He left two catalogues on archaeology: P'an-ku lou i-ch'i k'uan-chih (彝器款識), 2 volumes, printed in 1872, being his notes on the ancient bronzes he had collected; and 漢沙南侯獲刻石 Han Sha-nan hou Huo k'o-shih, 1 chüan, printed in 1873, a catalogue of inscriptions on stones of the Han dynasty. Recently a catalogue of the bronzes in his collection, compiled by Ku T'ing-lung 顧廷龍 (T. 起潛), was published in the Bulletin of the National Library of Peiping (vol. VII, no. 2. 1933). In addition to the above-mentioned works P'an published several short accounts of his travels and minor collections of his verse. In bibliographical and archaeological matters he was on intimate terms with Wu Ta-ch'êng [q. v.].
[1/447/1a; 2/58/1a; 6/4/10a; Nien-p'u written by his younger brother, P'an Tsu-nien 潘祖年 (T. 西園, H. 仲午); Liu Shêng-mu 劉聲木, 萇楚齋三筆 Ch'ang-ch'u chai san-pi, 6/8a; Chin-shih jên-wu chih (1934, see under Wêng T'ung-ho), p. 33.]
Hiromu Momose