Shen Li

Life

His father was 沈杜 and his mother 宋氏; his grandfather was 沈瀚 and his great-grandfather 沈忠. His five elder brothers were 沈光, 沈煊, 沈燦, 沈照, and 沈烈, and his five younger brothers were 沈鱗, 沈點, 沈鮥, 沈黯, and 沈魯. His first wife was 張氏 and his second wife 周氏; a son, 沈埭, is also listed.

He was registered as a shengyuan (生員) and in 1549 became a juren in the jiyou examination. After passing the 1565 yichou jinshi examination, he was selected as a 庶吉士, appointed 檢討, and served as a lecturer to the Eastern Palace (東宮講官); he then advanced through 編修, 侍講學士, and the posts of vice minister in the Ministry of Personnel (吏部右侍郎 and 吏部左侍郎). During the Wanli era he rose again to 吏部左侍郎.

In office he kept private relationships at a distance, recommended worthy men without making this known, and refused to use personal connections for advancement. The powerful minister Zhang Juzheng once invited him to draft a memorial together at Zhang's residence, but Shen Li declined, saying that state government must not be conducted through a private household and that this would be improper.

In the winter of 1584 he became Minister of Rites. He oversaw ceremonial affairs and submitted many proposals concerning ritual institutions and educational administration. During a prolonged drought in the capital, he urged relief for the people, thrift and restraint of luxury, and reductions in the imperial textile requisitions. After an earthquake he called for vigilance toward Heaven and relief for the poor; during a major famine in the metropolitan region he urged officials and people to reform themselves together. In response to disasters throughout the realm, he further asked that expenditures on court supplies and construction be sharply reduced and that the common people be rescued; the Wanli Emperor accepted these recommendations.

He repeatedly petitioned for the establishment of a crown prince, the restoration of the Jianwen era name, and the rewriting of the Veritable Records of the Jingdi Emperor. The palace eunuchs came to resent him, and he retired on grounds of illness. Powerful figures repeatedly sowed distrust of him with the Wanli Emperor; the emperor grew suspicious, reprimanded him repeatedly, and docked his salary. Shen Li consequently wished to leave office, and in 1588 the chief minister Shen Shixing obtained an edict sending him home.

In April 1594 he was recalled as Nanjing Minister of Rites and Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince; in October, after repeated petitions pleading illness, he was allowed to recuperate at home. In September 1601, as Minister of Rites, he entered the cabinet as Grand Academician of the East Pavilion to assist in state affairs, together with Zhu Geng. In July 1602 he was summoned to the capital and, as a grand academician, took part in the daily lectures of the palace lectureship, served as supervisor, participated in compiling the imperial genealogy, and attended the Crown Prince's lecture sessions.

After entering the cabinet he disagreed with Shen Yiguan; he remained in office for several years and repeatedly petitioned for the abolition of the mining tax, which was eventually carried out, but was later dismissed together with Shen Yiguan. His upright and uncompromising conduct earned him a reputation throughout the court, and Shen Yiguan became jealous of him. In 1603 he supported Minister of Rites Guo Zhengyu's call to investigate the case of the false Chu prince; in July 1606, he and Shen Yiguan were dismissed and sent home.

Shen Li died in June 1615, aged eighty-five. He was posthumously granted the title of Grand Guardian in September 1618, and in June 1619 was awarded an imperial sacrifice and burial.

Works and associations

Works listed for him include 《亦玉堂集》; the ten-juan 《亦玉堂稿》; and 《文雅社約》.

In literary affairs, he wrote a preface for a book by 曾如春, while prefaces by 于愼行 and 陳懿典 are also associated with his books; he also wrote the preface to the genealogy of his grandfather 沈瀚. He exchanged letters with 郭正域 and 趙南星, and exchanged poetry and prose with 顧憲成 and others.