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A Chinese Biographical Dictionary

a lieutenant under Chêng Chih-lung, he submitted to the Manchus in 1646, and remained loyal in spite of Koxinga's efforts to seduce him. In 1662, as Admiral of Fuhkien, he defeated Cheng Chin with a fleet of chartered Dutch vessels; and in 1668 he went to Peking to urge an attack on Formosa, now left in the hands of Chêng K'o-shuang. His policy was not adopted until 1680; and owing to the appearance of a comet, his fleet of 300 ships did not set sail until June, 1683. After a desperate naval battle, Liu Kuo-hsüan was driven from the Pescadores with the loss of almost all his fleet, and in the following September Formosa was occupied. He kept the Emperor from abandoning the island by suggesting that the red-haired foreigners would probably seize it. Ennobled as Marquis, canonised as 襄壯, and in 1732 included in the Temple of Worthies.

1719 Shih Lin 石琳. A.D. 1639-1702. Fourth son of Shih Ting- chu. A distinguished provincial administrator, who introduced many reforms into Yünnan.

1720 Shih Lo 石勒 (T. 世龍 ). A.D. 273–332. A native of Wu-hsiang in modern Shansi, of Turkic descent, remarkable for his physical strength and courage. After a chequered youth, in which he was once sold as a slave, he rose in the service of the so-called Han dynasty (see Liu Yüan) to high military command. He took advantage of the disturbance consequent upon the death of Liu Ts'ung to seize the throne for himself. In 319 he assumed the title of king of Chao, aud got possession of territory bounded on the north by the Great Wall, on the west and on the south by the Yellow River, on the east by the Gulf of Pechili; and in 325 he extended his rule as far as the northern banks of the Han and the Huai. In 328 he assumed the Imperial title. He had at his Court an Indian Buddhist, Fo-t'u-ch'êng, who pretended to be able to foretell events. He was modest in demeanour; and on one