Fang Bao (; 25 May 1668 – 29 September 1749),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

s Fengjiu (), Linggao (), and Wangxi (), was a Chinese nobleman, courtier, orator, philosopher, poet, scholar, author and government official in the service of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. He is best known as an icon of the Tongcheng school of literary prose which was influential during the mid-Qing dynasty.

Family origins

Fang Bao was born in Tongcheng,

Zongyang County Zongyang County (), is a county in southern Anhui province, located mostly on the northern (left) bank of the Yangtze River. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Tongling. It has a population of 960,000 and an area of . Th ...

Anhui Province Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

in 1668 during the reign of the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

. He was the second son in a family of the Qing nobility with landed interests at Jiangning, Liuhe County and at Tongcheng, an area in the southern vicinity of

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

. His father was Fang Zhongshu (), an imperial official and second son of Fang's grandfather. His paternal grandfather was Fang Zhi (), a Xinghua County

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...

and noted scholar of the Wuhe discipline. Fang Bao was the middle son of three boys, his elder brother was Fang Zhou (方舟; 1665-1701), a scholar of the

Five Classics The Four Books and Five Classics () are the authoritative books of Confucianism, written in China before 300 BCE. The Four Books and the Five Classics are the most important classics of Chinese Confucianism. Four Books The Four Books () are C ...

, and his younger brother was Fang Lin ().

Early life

At the time of Fang Bao's birth, the Kangxi Emperor had not yet fully assumed power and the real dominance over the throne was in the hands of two of the

Four Regents The Four Regents of the Kangxi Emperor were nominated by the Shunzhi Emperor to oversee the government of the Qing dynasty during the early reign of the Kangxi Emperor before he came of age. The four were Sonin, Ebilun, Suksaha, and Oboi. Backgrou ...

Ebilun Ebilun (Manchu:, Mölendroff: ebilun; ; died 1673) was a Manchu noble and warrior of the Niohuru clan, most famous for being one of the Four Regents assisting the young Kangxi Emperor from 1661 to 1667, during the early Qing dynasty (1644–191 ...

and

Oboi Oboi (Manchu: , Mölendorff: Oboi; ) (c. 1610–1669) was a prominent Manchu military commander and courtier who served in various military and administrative posts under three successive emperors of the early Qing dynasty. Born to the Guwalg ...

. In 1669, as the Kangxi Emperor consolidated power, Oboi was also brought up on imperial charges and put to death. Fang Bao studied literature at a school which followed the teachings of

Gui Youguang Gui Youguang (; 1507–1571) was a Chinese writer of Ming Dynasty. His courtesy name was Xifu () and his art name was Zhenchuan (),'' Britannica Kokusai Dai-Hyakkajiten'' article "Gui You-guang" (帰有光, ''Ki Yūkō'' in Japanese). Shogakukan. ...

. He would go on to invent the concept of Yi Fa where ''Yi'' refers to the ideas or concept of an article and ''Fa'' to the structure and literary form. This concept is considered one of the basic theories of the Tongcheng School form of writing, which gained its name due to Tongcheng being Fang Bao's hometown. From 1692 to 1695, Fang served in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

as a senior licentiate together with his friend Zhang Boxing who shared his philosophical allegiance surrounding the teachings of the brothers Cheng Xi and

Zhu Xi Zhu Xi (; ; October 18, 1130 – April 23, 1200), formerly romanized Chu Hsi, was a Chinese calligrapher, historian, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty. Zhu was influential in the development of Neo-Confucianism. He con ...

. Fang obtained his jinshi degree or advanced scholar degree following the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

system in 1706 under the reign of the Kangxi Emperor and was given a posting at the Hall of Military Glory () as its Director-General of Compilation (). He was promoted within the hall to the position of Instructor-Bachelor () and then to Vice-Minister of Rights (). In either 1711 or 1713, whilst still at the Hall of Military Glory, Fang was involved in the Nanshan Incident (). The incident surrounded the contents of a work written by Dai Mingshi, Fang's relation via his wife, titled ''Nanshan Ji'' () for which Fang had written a preface. The book was essentially a nostalgic history of one of the author's ancestors who had fought with

Wu Sangui Wu Sangui (; 8 June 1612 – 2 October 1678), courtesy name Changbai () or Changbo (), was a notorious Ming Dynasty military officer who played a key role in the fall of the Ming dynasty and the founding of the Qing dynasty in China. In Chinese ...

against the Qing Empire. As a result of a political realignment, the work had been judged seditious by the court of the Kangxi Emperor, who previously promoted scholarly officials. The political change on the part of the Qing court was due in large part to the emperor's awareness and perception of threat from political factions that were forming for the purpose of influencing the imperial succession. Fang was arrested by the Governor of

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

, his friend Zhang Boxing. Dai was executed by imperial order, but Fang was spared death and punished instead with dismissal from his post and exile to

Gansu Province Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibeta ...

or (likely both) with the imprisonment of his entire family. Zhang would also later be accused of aiding Fang Bao before the court but he was unpunished. In 1728, the death of an Eleuth leader provided an excuse for the new

Yongzheng Emperor , regnal name = , posthumous name = Emperor Jingtian Changyun Jianzhong Biaozhen Wenwu Yingming Kuanren Xinyi Ruisheng Daxiao Zhicheng Xian()Manchu: Temgetulehe hūwangdi () , temple name = Shizong()Manchu: Šidzung () , house = Aisin Gioro ...

to continue his father's wars in Gansu Province. Fang Bao had written a bold critique of the Governor of Gansu Province, Xu Rong and the Yongzheng Emperor's strategy with regards to the effects of the war on the people of the region. Despite this writing, by the end of the Yongzheng era, Fang was back in the imperial court's favor and he was promoted to Vice-Director of the Board of Rights. Fang Bao's critical work of the Yongzheng Emperor proved influential in around 1735 when the incoming

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

used it to indict Xu Rong as a part of his larger purge of government officials to cement his hold on power. Accordingly, Fang was made the Vice-Director of the Bureau for the compilation of the Three Ritual Classics. In this role, he gained imperial support to pursue one of his most famous works, the "Imperial Anthology of Essays on the Four Books" which transformed the entire imperial writing system.

Death and legacy

Fang Bao died in 1749. One of his lasting contributions to the imperial system apart from his literary writings was the establishment of the ''guwen'' style as the essay style of the imperial examination system which thereafter put emphasis on

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

neo-Confucian Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in th ...

theory. This influence drastically changed the imperial examination system which imposed standards and made the ''guwen'' essays the foundational part of scholarly writing across the Qing Empire. Fang Bao is an ancestor of Fang Gongcheng, a tutor of the Qing imperial court, of

Fang Guancheng Fang Guancheng () (1696 or 1698–1768), also known as Yi Tian (宜田), was a Chinese Noble and government official of the Qing Dynasty, notable for being the Viceroy of Zhili. Early life and family origins Fang Guancheng was born in Tongcheng ...

, the

Viceroy of Zhili The Viceroy of Zhili, fully referred to in Chinese as the Governor-General of Zhili and Surrounding Areas Overseeing Military Affairs and Food Production, Manager of Waterways, Director of Civil Affairs, was one of eight regional Viceroys during ...

, of

Fang Chih Fang Chih or Fang Zhi (; 23 November 1895 – 28 March 1989), courtesy name: Xikong (希孔), was a politician, provincial governor, diplomat, author and a high-ranking Kuomintang official of the Republic of China. Family history and early l ...

, the influential cold war-era statesman of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

, Fang Dongmei a.k.a. Thomé H. Fang, a 20th century

Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

philosopher, and of

Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1964) is an American fashion designer. She was named one of the "Top 5 Fashion Icons of the Decade", and in 2009 earned the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (C ...

, the American

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

Published works

*The following is an incomplete list of the works of Fang Bao. * ''Fang Bao's Random Notes From Prison'' * ''Biographies of Four Gentlemen'', ''Si Junzi Zhuan'' (zh: 四君子转) * ''Critique and Punctuation of the Zuo'' ''Zuoshi Pingdian'' (zh: 做事评点) * ''Zhouguan Jizheng'' (zh: 周官集證) * ''Zhouguan Xiyi'' (zh: 周官析疑) * ''Zhouguan Bian'' (zh: 周官辨) * ''Yili Xiyi'' (zh: 儀禮析疑) * ''Kaogongji Xiyi'' (zh: 考工記析疑) * ''Liji Xiyi'' (zh: 禮記析疑) * ''Chunqiu Zhijie'' (zh: 春秋直解) * ''Sangli Huowen'' (zh: 喪禮或問) * ''Chunqiu Tonglun'' (zh: 春秋通論) * ''Chunqiu Bishi Mulu'' (zh: 春秋比事目錄) * ''Zuozhuan Yifa Juyao'' (zh: 左傳義法舉要) * ''Shiji Zhu Buzheng'' (zh: 史記注補正) * ''Lisao Zhengyi'' (zh: 離騷正義) * ''Wangxi Wenji'' (zh: 望溪文)

References

External links