Zhang Tingyu (, October 29, 1672 – May 19, 1755) was a

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

politician and historian who lived in 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 ...

Biography

Zhang Tingyu was born in Tongcheng in

Anhui 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 ...

province. In 1700, he obtained a ''

jinshi ''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referre ...

'' position in 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 ...

and shortly afterwards he was appointed to the

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed sec ...

. He subsequently rose through the ranks in the Qing civil service and served under the

Kangxi 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 ...

Yongzheng , 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 ...

and

Qianlong 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 ...

emperors. Zhang Tingyu was especially trusted by the Yongzheng Emperor, who made him one of the first members of the Grand Council, an informal state organ which would, in due course, develop into the emperor's own privy council. His colleagues included renowned figures like Maci. Zhang was an upstanding civil service officer and highly praised for both his upright character and principled background. Having considerable skill in literature, he compiled the ''

History of Ming The ''History of Ming'' or the ''Ming History'' (''Míng Shǐ'') is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the ''Twenty-Four Histories''. It consists of 332 volumes and covers the history of the Ming dynasty from 1368 to 1644. It ...

'' in 1739. There is some confusion as to whether he or another trusted officer

Longkodo Longkodo (; died 1728) was a Manchu court official who lived in the Qing dynasty. He was from the Tunggiya clan, which was under the Bordered Yellow Banner. His period of fame lasted from the late Kangxi era to the early Yongzheng era, perhaps ...

was the principal announcer of the will of Kangxi. Zhang was the only official to survive the battles of succession from Kangxi to Yongzheng to Qianlong, and was trusted by all three emperors. His Manchu rival,

Ortai Ortai (; ) (1680–1745) was the first Earl Xiangqin. He was an eminent Manchu official from the Sirin Gioro clan, belonging to the Bordered Blue Banner, during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). He served both the Yongzheng Emperor (reign 1722–1 ...

, was an official who served Yongzheng and Qianlong. However, his relationship with the Qianlong Emperor deteriorated during his final years. In 1749, Zhang requested for retirement, his second request in two years. In his letter, Zhang further requested the Qianlong Emperor to honor the Yongzheng Emperor's wish to allow his plaque to be placed at the

Imperial Ancestral Temple The Imperial Ancestral Temple, or Taimiao () of Beijing, is a historic site in the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City, just outside the Forbidden City, where during both the Ming Dynasty, Ming and Qing Dynasty, Qing Dynasties, sacrificial cere ...

. The Qianlong Emperor was displeased, but granted Zhang's request. The next day, Zhang did not visit the emperor to thank him in person, instead sending his son Ruocheng. The Qianlong Emperor was greatly angered by this, and issued an edict to rebuke Zhang. Wang Youdun, one of Zhang's students, sought clemency on Zhang's behalf, and informed Zhang of the emperor's anger. However, Zhang made the mistake of seeking an audience with the emperor even before the edict rebuking him had reached his residence. The Qianlong emperor then knew that Wang had leaked the news of his anger to Zhang. The emperor then relieved Wang of his official post (Wang had been in said position for less than a month), and Zhang of his nobility title. In the second lunar month of 1750, Zhang again requested to return to his hometown. As the emperor's eldest son

Yonghuang Yonghuang (Manchu: ''Yong huwang''; 5 July 1728 – 21 April 1750) was an imperial prince of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in China. Born in the Aisin Gioro clan, he was the eldest son of the Qianlong Emperor. His mother was Imperial Noble Cons ...

had just died, the emperor was again incensed. He then sent Zhang a list of past officials who had their plaques enshrined in imperial ancestral temples, and ordered Zhang to reflect on whether he was worthy of the honour. Zhang then requested the emperor to revoke the honor and to punish him; the Qianlong emperor agreed to the revocation, but did not punish Zhang further. In the seventh lunar month of the same year, Zhang Ruocheng's father-in-law Zhu Quan was implicated in a case, which then implicated Zhang Tingyu. The emperor then decided to punish Zhang by revoking all rewards which had been bestowed upon Zhang by himself, his father and grandfather. Zhang died of illness in 1755, and was granted a plaque at the

according to the wishes of the Yongzheng Emperor and the Qianlong Emperor, who had decided to reverse the revocation decision. He was the only Han Chinese official during the Qing Dynasty to be bestowed such a posthumous honor.

References

* * Luo, Ming
"Zhang Tingyu"
''

Encyclopedia of China The ''Encyclopedia of China'' () is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began in 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, begin ...

'', 1st ed. * ''

Draft History of Qing The ''Draft History of Qing'' () is a draft of the official history of the Qing dynasty compiled and written by a team of over 100 historians led by Zhao Erxun who were hired by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China. The draft was publis ...

'', volume 288.

Biography

References

See also