Wang Shenzhong (1509–1559) was a Ming official. He established himself as a distinguished writer of classical prose. His courtesy name was Daosi; he first used the sobriquets Nanjiang and later Zunyan, and was also known as Zunyan Jushi. As the second in birth order, he was also called Wang Zhongzi. He was from Quan'an in Jinjiang County, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian—also known as Anping and now Anhai.
Life
At four, he could recite poetry. In 1526, the fifth year of the Jiajing era, he passed the jinshi examination and was ranked 50th in the second class; one account gives his first appointment as Hubu zhushi, while another places him first as Libu yuanwailang, followed by promotion to langzhong.
While serving in the Ministry of Revenue, he studied with noted scholars and advanced in learning. When the court ordered departmental officials to be selected for the Hanlin Academy, he was the leading nominee; Grand Secretary Zhang Cong wished to meet him, but Wang firmly declined, after which he was moved to a langzhong post in the Ministry of Personnel. His career subsequently took him through the Ministries of Rites and Personnel, as yuanwailang and langzhong; after being demoted to tongpan at Changzhou, he moved to the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue, then served as yuanwailang in the Ministry of Rites, Shandong educational commissioner, Jiangxi canyi, and finally Henan canzheng. The title Right Assistant Provincial Administration Commissioner is also associated with his career.
Vice Minister Wang Gao admired his talent and wished to recommend him, but because Wang Shenzhong had earlier offended Grand Secretary Xia Yan, Xia caused his dismissal and he returned home. His younger brother, Wang Weizhong, appears in the Jiajing 20 jinshi register, ranked 106th in the third class. Wang Shenzhong studied under Yi Shizhong; while serving in a bureau, he was a colleague of Hua Cha and studied poetry and classical prose with Hua, Tang Shunzhi, and others.
Literature and thought
Wang was a major figure of the Tang–Song school. He advocated Tang and Song classical prose rich in content and plain in language, and opposed the revivalist style of the Former and Later Seven Masters. While in the Southern Capital, he discussed Wang Yangming’s legacy with Longxi Wang Ji and added his own views; he then began reading Song writers, found their work rich in flavor, especially admired Zeng Gong and related writers, burned his old works, and devoted himself to this method, drawing particularly on Zeng Gong.
His prose was expansive and richly detailed, and he was ranked with Tang Shunzhi; the pair were known as Wang and Tang. Wang himself claimed that his poetry and prose surpassed Tang’s. His poetry initially favored ornate styles and showed deep craftsmanship; after returning to the countryside, it incorporated lecture-like discourse and became freer in manner. Zhu Yizun praised the precision of his five-character verse and saw it as continuing Yan and Xie’s tradition; other critics held that his prose was superior to his poetry.
Writings and literary circles
His literary activities included writing prefaces for works by Cai Qing, Zhang Yue, and others; he also composed epitaphs, biographical notices, and sacrificial texts for many people, and exchanged letters with Tang Shunzhi. He wrote 《遵巖集》; the title also appears as 《遵巖先生文集》, with its length given variously as 25 and 40 juan. 《遵巖子》, in two juan, is also attributed to him.
References
- CBDB Wang Shenzhong (34700)
- 搜韵 王慎中 (51032)
- Wikidata Wang Shenzhong (Q11573075)