Li Shi

Life

At the age of nine, Li Shi was presented as a boys’ candidate; in Shaoxing 21 (1151), he passed the jinshi examination, described more specifically in one account as a second-class jinshi. The examination record also lists him simply as a jinshi. His first appointment was as a clerk in Chengdu’s Household Service. Summoned to the capital, he became a registrar at the National University and was promoted to Erudite of the National University; in Shaoxing 29, he was sent out as an educational official in Chengdu.

While serving there, he had more than 1,000 pupils; students from Shu came in great numbers, scholars from Fujian and Yue traveled thousands of li to study with him, and the names of several thousand pupils were carved in stone. He later served as vice-prefect of Chengdu. After the examination-office episode, he was sent out as an educational official in Chengdu. His outspoken conduct, refusal to attach himself to powerful men, and incisive arguments made his official career difficult.

He served as vice-prefect of Pengzhou and prefect of Lizhou, Hezhou, and Meizhou; during the Qiandao era he was summoned as an Assistant Director in the Duguan office, but was dismissed, then served again as prefect of Hezhou and Meizhou. In Chunxi 2 (1175), he became Circuit Transport Intendant for Chengdu and was dismissed soon afterward; his career also included service as magistrate of a county. He died in Chunxi 8, aged more than seventy.

Scholarship and networks

Li Shi was learned and accomplished in prose. His poetry and prose drew on the Su tradition of Meishan, and he was particularly accomplished in the Changes and Spring and Autumn; he also wrote brief landscape pieces in a style described as lofty and far removed from vulgarity. At nine, he studied at Zhang Zijue’s school alongside Zhi Shiqi and Wu Dejun; later, as a Chengdu educational official, he attracted many pupils.

His pupils included 馮誠之, 樂材, 王龔, 劉伯熊, and 塗森. 馮誠之 studied under him; in Shaoxing 32, Li Shi examined the local recruitment examination and selected 樂材; 王龔 first studied the Spring and Autumn and the Great Change with him; 劉伯熊, a disciple, compiled for him essays including 《易十例略》; and 塗森 studied the Spring and Autumn under him. Among his associates, 塗勉仲 was his closest friend and sent his two sons to study with Li Shi; 趙樗年, who kept a library of a thousand juan, was also his literary friend.

His writing activity included epitaphs, sacrificial texts, studio and hall inscriptions, Buddhist temple records, colophons, biographies, and poems, records, and names for buildings; 《隆州重修起覺禪寺記》 is associated with his 《方舟集》.

Works

His writings included 《方舟易學》, also titled 《方舟易說》; 《方舟經說》 in six juan; 《續博物志》 in ten juan; 《開城錄》 in one juan; 《世系手記》, also 《世系手紀》, in one juan; and 《李氏家譜》. 《方舟集》 originally had fifty juan and a twenty-juan sequel but was later lost; Qing bibliographers compiled twenty-four juan from the 《永樂大典》. The poems now available under Li Shi’s name use the facsimile Wen-yuan Pavilion 《四庫全書·方舟集》 as their base text, with newly collected poems outside the collection appended at the end.