Fang Guancheng () (1696 or 1698–1768), also known as Yi Tian (宜田), was a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

Noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

and government official 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-spea ...

, notable for being 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 ...

Early life and family origins

Fang Guancheng was born in

Tongcheng County Tongcheng () is the governmental seat and the name of a county in Xianning City, Hubei, People's Republic of China, bordering the provinces of Jiangxi (to the east) and Hunan (to the south and west). History The Red 16th Army, stationed at 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 the Qing Empire. The Fang family of Tongcheng was notable for its many scholars and authors. He was the second son of Fang Shiji, an official of the ''Ministry of the Principal'' (官至工部主事). His elder brother was Fang Guanyong (方观永). His paternal grandfather was Fang Dengfeng (方登峄) and his paternal great-grandfather was Fang Xiaobiao (方孝标).

Nanshan Case

The Nanshan Case occurred in the fifth year 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 ...

(1713). The incident marked a period of literary inquisition that targeted various scholars with real or perceived loyalties to competing claimants to the throne and to the previous dynasty. Both Fang's father and grandfather were caught up in the action resulting in the exile of both to

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

. Due to their young age, Fang and his brother were not subjected to the same exile and were instead sent to be raised by monks from the Qingliang Temple. Following the exile of their paternal support structure, the brothers were forced to travel great distances overland from the capital at

Nanking 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 ...

to Heilongjiang beyond the

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic groups ...

for family gatherings.

Political career

In 1749, Fang Guancheng was made the

, a position he would hold until his demise. In addition to this title, he was also granted the title of Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces, a title he held until 1755.

Descendants and legacy

Fang Guancheng had one son, Fang Weidian who became the Governor of Fukien and the Governor of Zhejiang. Fang's nephew, Fang Shouchou, the son of Fang's brother Fang Guanyong served as

. His grandson Fang Chuanmu continued to become a Qing prefect.

Early life and family origins

Nanshan Case

Political career

Descendants and legacy

References

Further reading