Gong Maoliang

Life

He first served in a series of prefectural and county posts, as registrar of Nan'an, judicial officer of Shaowu, and assistant judge at Quanzhou, and was then given the rank of Xuanjiao lang (宣教郎), summoned to a court appointment, and made a proofreader of the Palace Library (秘書省正字), rising to be an official of the Ministry of Personnel (吏部郎官). He was appointed investigating censor (監察御史) and promoted to right reminder (右正言), and submitted a memorial fiercely attacking Long Dayuan (龍大淵) and Zeng Di (曾覿), whereupon he received the honorary title of junior academician of the Palace Library (直秘閣) and was made prefect of Jianning Prefecture.

After the two men were dismissed, he was appointed judicial commissioner of Guangdong and in 1167 took charge of Guangzhou; one account has him taking charge of Xinzhou instead. He received the honorary title of junior academician of the Xianmo Hall (直顯謨閣) and was made transport supervisor of Jiangxi and concurrent prefect of Longxing Prefecture. When Jiangxi suffered several successive years of drought, he devised famine-relief measures for the whole circuit, remitting taxes and issuing grain from the granaries, and saved many lives; he was reappointed with the honorary title of compiler of the Youwen Hall (右文殿修撰). He was promoted to auxiliary academician of the Fuwen Hall (敷文閣待制) and appointed vice minister of rites.

In 1174 he was appointed assistant councillor of state and petitioned for grain from the imperial reserves to relieve the famine victims of Huainan. In 1175, after Ye Heng was dismissed from the chancellorship, Gong carried on the business of government as senior assistant councillor. In 1177 he was brought down by the censor Xie Kuoran (謝廓然), stripped of his offices and demoted to residence in Yingzhou — one account ascribing his fall to his support for a peace policy; he died in exile in 1178. He was posthumously restored to the honorary title of academician of the Zizheng Hall (資政殿學士). His biography appears in juan 385 of the Song History (宋史).

Writings

During the Chunxi period he served as supervisor of the codification of edicts (提舉修敕令) and joint supervisor for the review and codification of statutes (同提舉詳定一司敕令), directing the compilation of the personnel statutes of the Ministry of Personnel; the resulting compilations were the Chunxi Revised Edicts, Ordinances and Regulations for the Left Selection of the Ministry of Personnel (淳熙重修吏部左選敕令格式申明), in 300 juan, and the Chunxi General Classified Statutes of the Ministry of Personnel (淳熙吏部條法總類), in 40 juan. Six of his poems are extant.

Associates

He associated with Zhu Xi (朱熹), Lu You (陸游), Yang Wanli (楊萬里), Hu Quan (胡銓) and Lou Yue (樓鑰). Zhu Xi wrote to him and composed a colophon for one of his writings; Lu You presented him with poems and prose and, together with Lou Yue, wrote sacrificial addresses for him; Hu Quan and Yang Wanli also wrote to him.

He composed the conduct record (行狀) for Huang Gongdu (黃公度), and Wang Shipeng (王十朋) wrote a school record (學記) for him; Lou Yue likewise drafted a letter on his behalf. While in command at Guangzhou he invited Pan Yu (潘預) to Panyu to instruct the students, and as prefect of Longxing Prefecture he held the Jinxian magistrate Jiang Jie (江介) in high regard. Hu Yi (胡沂) once recommended him. He was on bad terms with the inner-court attendants Liang Ke (梁珂), Zeng Di (曾覿) and Long Dayuan (龍大淵), and sought to leave office.

Family

His father was Gong Qixian (龔齊賢); his younger brothers were Gong Mengliang (龔夢良, 1132–1172) and Gong Suiliang (龔遂良), and his younger cousins were Gong Shiliang (龔史良) and Gong Youliang (龔友良). His sons were Gong Sheng (龔昇) and Gong Zheng (龔晸, 1159–1229), his nephews were Gong Rizhang (龔日章) and Gong Riyan (龔日嚴), and his son-in-law was Fang Zhen (方縝, 1151–1223). His grandson was Gong Kan (龔堪, 1170–1211), and his granddaughter married Xue Jiliang (薛季良, 1198–1257).