Xu Xuemo (徐學謨; his birth year is given as 1521 or 1522, his death year as 1592 or 1593, and another account gives 23 November 1522–22 January 1594) was a Ming official and poet. Originally named Xueshi (學詩), he was styled Ziyan (子言), later Shuming (叔明), and is also given the style name Sichong (思重); his sobriquet was Taishi Shanren (太室山人). He ranked second in birth order. He was a native of Jiading County, Zhili (now Jiading District, Shanghai), in Suzhou Prefecture.
Family and examinations
His great-grandfather was Xu Jie, his grandfather Xu Jing, and his father Xu Fu; his mother was Chen. He had a brother, Xu Xueli. His wives were Ou and, in a second marriage, Wang.
He first studied as a licentiate. In 1543, the twenty-second year of the Jiajing era, he placed twenty-eighth in the Yingtian prefectural examination and received the juren degree; in the 1550 metropolitan examination of the twenty-ninth Jiajing year, he ranked 194th and placed thirty-third in the second class for the jinshi degree.
Official career
His first appointment was as 兵部職方司主事. In the ninth month of the thirtieth year of the Jiajing era, he transferred to 吏部主事 and then to 稽勳司; he later served as 禮部主事, rising to 員外郎 and 精膳司郎中. He subsequently became prefect of Jingzhou.
When Prince Jing, Zhu Zaizhen, was enfeoffed at Dean, he sought to seize the fertile land around Shashi north of the city. Xu refused on the ground that the move violated established regulations; the prince impeached him, and Emperor Shizong ordered him arrested and questioned. A censor reported the facts, and Xu's punishment was reduced; he left office and returned home. The people of Jingzhou consequently called Shashi “Xu City”.
After the accession of the Muzong emperor, he was recalled as prefect of Nanyang; in the first month of Longqing 2 (1568), he became a deputy surveillance commissioner of Huguang and was assigned to patrol Xiangyang. When the Prince of Liao was falsely accused of an “extraordinary plot,” Xu defended him, but was again impeached and sent back to his native place; in the twelfth month of Longqing 5 he was reappointed at his former rank.
After the accession of the Shenzong emperor, he was restored in the eleventh month of Longqing 6 as a Huguang deputy commissioner, with responsibility for military colonies and water conservancy. In the third month of Wanli 1 (1573), he became Left 參政 of Jiangxi; in the ninth month he was promoted to 湖廣按察使, in the first month of Wanli 2 to 右布政使, in the sixth month of Wanli 3 to 左布政, and in the sixth month of Wanli 4 to 右副都御史, with responsibility for 鄖陽.
In Wanli 6, after Zhang Juzheng’s father died, Xu went to Jingzhou for the funeral; soon afterward he entered the capital as 刑部右侍郎. He rose to 左侍郎 in the fourth month of Wanli 8 (1580) and became Minister of Rites in the twelfth month. In the ninth month of Wanli 11 (1583), he received the title 太子少保; the following month he was impeached and retired. Returning home, he built the Guiyou Garden southwest of the drill ground, on the site of today’s Jiading Stadium. He died in the twelfth month of Wanli 21 (1593), aged seventy-two.
Poetry and works
Xu was accomplished in poetry and prose and was praised as a “great hand in composition.” He wrote prefaces for books by Yang Bo and Hua Shuyang and composed an epitaph for Gu Zhangzhi.
His works and associated titles include 《世廟識餘錄》, 《萬曆湖廣總志》, 《徐氏海隅集》, the two collections 《海嵎》 and 《春明》, 《春秋億》 in six juan, 《歸有園麈談》 in one juan, 《歸有園稿》 in thirty-two juan, and 《徐氏海隅集文編》 in forty-three juan. The title 《歸有園塵談》 also appears.
His poems on the Yellow Crane Tower include the qilu poems 《黃鶴樓獨眺》, 《登黃鶴樓觀漲》, and 《黃鶴樓感舊》, as well as the wugu poem 《飲餞黃鶴樓》 and other works.
References
- CBDB Xu Xuemo (30593)
- 搜韵 徐學謨 (46116)
- Wikidata Xu Xuemo (Q11070467)