Jump to content

Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/386

From Wikisource
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
A Chinese Biographical Dictionary
367

958 Kao P'ing 高駢 (T. 千里) Died A.D. 887. A native of Po-hai in Shantung, who distinguished himself by his energy in suppressing a serious rebellion in Annam in 864, and by his re-organisation ten years later of the province of Ssŭch'uan, for which services he was ennobled as Prince. He was appointed to take the field against Huang Ch'ao, but after a short campaign he withdrew in 880 from the command and devoted himself to spiritualistic studies, leaving all power in the hands of a Kiukiang trader, named 呂用之 Lü Yung-chih. He was eventually seized and put to death by 畢師鐸 Pi Shih-to. A clever poet, he was also noted for having pierced two eagles with one shaft, from which feat he was known as 雙鵰侍郎.


959 Kao Sêng 高僧. 6th cent. A.D. A Buddhist priest of the Liang dynasty, who failing to obtain a hearing from the public, collected a number of large stones and preached to them so eloquently that they nodded as it were their heads in approval.


960 Kao Shih 高適 (T. 達夫). 7th and 8th cent. A.D. A native of 滄 Ts'ang-chou in Shantung, who passed his early youth in poverty. He fell in love with an actress, and travelled far and wide with her, writing operatic pieces for the company to which she belonged. He acted as secretary to a high official on a diplomatic mission to Tibet. He became a soldier. When he had already passed fifty years of age, he took to poetry; and in this line he succeeded so well as to rival the fame of Ts'ên Ts'an, writing very much in the same style and earning for himself the nickname of 高岑. Only in his old age did he begin to reap the reward of his labours, being then ennobled as Marquis.


961 Kao Shih-ch'i 高士奇 (T. 澹人. R. 江村). A.D. 1645—1704. He failed at the metropolitan examination; but on a couplet of his being seen by the Emperor, he was called to Peking and for many years employed in preparing Decrees and other