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A Chinese Biographical Dictionary

saluted him, saying, "A foot is oft-times too short; an inch, too long. The implements of my art are not adequate to your requirements. Think for yourself and translate your thoughts into action. The divining-rod and the tortoise-shell would avail you naught."


264 Chêng Ch'êng-kung 鄭成功 (T. 錦). A.D. 1623–1662. Son of Chêng Chih-lung, under whom he served with great distinction for many years. In 1649, he attacked Ch'ao-chou, and in 1657 he took both T'ai-chou and Wênchow. In 1659, he made an attack upon Nanking, but was beaten off with great loss, five hundred and more of his ships being burnt. In 1660, a few months before the death of the Emperor Shun Chih, the populations of no less than eighty-eight townships on the coast of Fuhkien and Kuangtung were removed inland, in consequence of the piratical attacks organised by Ch'êng Ch'êng-kung. This was done under the advice of La Shuai-t'ai, Governor of Fuhkien. In 1661, he attacked the Dutch in Formosa, whence their expulsion was effected in the following year; and a valuable possession came through his instrumentality to be added to the Chinese empire. Succeeding in 1662 to his father's command, he determined to avenge the latter's treacherous death, and declared an implacable warfare against the new Manchu dynasty. About this time the last scion of the Mings honoured him by bestowing upon him the surname 朱 Chu, which was that of the Imperial House. Hence he came to be commonly spoken of as 國姓爺 Kuo hsing yeh, which title was corrupted by the Portuguese into the well known Koxinga or Koshinga. Meanwhile, several of his late father's chief adherents tendered their submission to the Manchu cause, his own brother, 鄭成賜 Chêng Ch'êng-tz'ŭ, falling into the hands of the enemy at Amoy. In the sixth moon it was reported to the Throne that Chêng Ch'êng-kung had gone