Jump to content

Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/717

From Wikisource
This page needs to be proofread.
698
A Chinese Biographical Dictionary


breach in the Yellow River embankment caused his dismissal. For a time he was Governor of Euangtnng, where he pnt down the Swatow clan- fights and tried to stop the system of bribing pirates to submit. In 1802, as Governor of Euangsi,- he induced the Coort to recognise ^ ^ Fu Yang, the de facto king of Annam, and to allow the country to be again called ^ jj^ Nan-yQeh. In 1816 he advised the Emperor Ghia Ch^ug to dispense with the customary prostriEitions and kotowing in the case of Lord Amherst^s Mission. At the same time he assured his Majesty that vnthoat tea the English could not live, and that to prohibit its export from China would soon bring England to her knees!

1827 Sung Oh*! ^ ^ (T. ;^ ^). A.D. 918-996. A native of ^ Ya-chou in Chihli, who served in his yonth ander the Later Chin dynasty until Chihli was ceded to the Eitans. Graduating as chin shi/i, he drifted towards the capital and was employed, first by the Emperor Shih Tsung of the Later Chou dynasty and afterwards by the Emperor T^ai Tsung of the Sung dynasty under whom he was raised to be Minister of State. His flippancy and love of jest led to his dismissal, but he was subsequently appointed President of the Board of Civil Office. Canonised as ^ ^ .

1828 Sung Cll*i ^ fU (T. -^ ;^ ). A.D. 998-1061. Younger brother of Sung Hsiang, and known as >/)> ^^ the Younger Sung. He really beat his brother at the graduates' examination, but was placed tenth instead of first by Imperial command and in accordance with the precedence of brothers. Appointed to the Imperial Academy he presented a vigorous memorial on religions worship, and proposed to limit the number of persons allowed to be priests and nuns. But his career was chiefly in the western provinces, where he distinguished himself by his scheme of frontier defence against the Hsia State. He worked on the New History of the Vang Dynasty with Ou-yang Hsiu, and the biographical section is attributed to