Jiang Zhiji

Life

His father was Jiang Pang (蔣滂), and his father-in-law was Shen Fu (沈扶); Jiang Tang (蔣堂) was his paternal uncle, and Jiang Zhiji was described as his nephew. His elder brother was Jiang Zhihan (蔣之翰), his younger brother Jiang Zhimei (蔣之美), and his collateral nephew was Jiang Can (蔣璨). His sons were Jiang Zhen (蔣珍) and Jiang Xie (蔣瑎), the latter his youngest; his grandson was Jiang Xingzu (蔣興祖), and his great-grandson was Jiang Fu (蔣芾).

He passed the Presented Scholar examination in the second year of Jiayou (1057), then took the Xianliang Fangzheng examination and was promoted to Investigating Censor; at the beginning of Yingzong's reign, also placed in the Zhiping period, he became Palace Attendant Censor. After Shenzong's accession, he was demoted to supervising Daozhou's wine tax for impeaching Ouyang Xiu and was later transferred to supervise the Xuanzhou tax. The charge is variously described as a false impeachment, an unfounded accusation, or an allegation that Ouyang Xiu was vacillating and inconsistent. During Xining, while the new policies were being implemented, he served as Transport Circuit Judge in Fujian and then Vice Transport Commissioner of Huainan East, where he recruited refugees to repair waterworks; he later served as Grain-Transport Vice Commissioner on the Jiang-Huai-Jing-Zhe circuits and became Grain-Transport Commissioner. In that office he was known for financial administration and grain transport, was praised for competence, and was appointed an Attendant Academician of Longtu Hall. His appointments included Transport Circuit Judge in Fujian (1070–1071), Transport Circuit Judge in Huainan (1071), Vice Transport Commissioner in Western Jiangnan (1078–1080), Grain-Transport Vice Commissioner (1082–1085), and Transport Commissioner in Hebei (1089–1090).

Under Zhezong, he was promoted during Yuanyou to Expectant at Tianzhang Hall and Expectant at Baowen Hall, and served as prefect of Tanzhou, Guangzhou, Yingzhou, Hezhong, and Xizhou; he was later made a Direct Academician of Longtu Hall. During Shaosheng, he was summoned as Drafter in the Secretariat, became prefect of Kaifeng, was promoted to Direct Academician of Longtu Hall, and was appointed Hanlin Academician兼Reader; at the end of Yuanfu, he was demoted to administer Ruzhou and Qingzhou. After Huizong's accession, he was restored as Hanlin Academician, appointed Associate Director of the Privy Council, and advanced to Director of the Privy Council; the sequence also includes Signing Secretary of the Privy Council in 1100 and Director of the Privy Council in 1101. In the first year of Chongning (1102), he was appointed Grand Academician of Guanwen Hall and became prefect of Hangzhou, where he served until 1103; he also held the office of prefect of Yangzhou in 1102. He retired because of illness, although he is also said to have lost office over a proposal concerning the abandonment of He and Huang. He died in the third year of Chongning (1104), aged seventy-four, and received the posthumous name Wenmu. He was known for financial administration and grain transport, was included in the Yuanyou Party Register, and had an interest in epigraphy.

Associations and writings

His friends included Zhang Ju (張巨), Hu Zongyu (胡宗愈), and Ding Zhi (丁隲); he was both the patron of and an admirer of Zhong Zhengfu (鍾正甫). Wang Jian (王薦) studied under him, and he discussed learning with Dong You (董逌), sharing an interest in epigraphy. His correspondence included letters sent to Qian Gongfu (錢公輔) and Tang Shuwen (唐淑問), as well as an exchange of letters with Wang Anshi (王安石), Mi Fu (米芾), and Hua Zhen (華鎮). He wrote a preface for Chen Shunyu's *Du Guan ji*, postfaces for works by Zhong Bing (仲并) and Zhou Bida (周必大), and prefaces to epitaphs for Diao Yue (刁約) and Yu Lianghong (余良肱); he also wrote a biography of Jiang Tang.

Works

His works included *Sanjing ji* (《三經集》), also written *Sanjing ji* (《三徑集》), as well as *Mengzi jie* (《孟子解》), *Laozi jie* (《老子解》), and others. He also produced a prose collection and miscellaneous writings of more than one hundred juan, now lost; one juan of 《三徑集》 survives in *Liang Song mingxian xiaoji*, and a one-juan compilation appears in *Chunqing yigao*. His poems were arranged with the *Chunqing yigao* compilation as the first juan, while a reprinted *Siku quanshu: Liang Song mingxian xiaoji* and poems newly gathered from scattered works were assembled as the second juan; *Guangzhou shi xian zan* (《廣州十賢贊》), in one juan, is also listed as his work.