Fan Chunren

Life

He was the second son of Fan Zhongyan, and his mother was Li. He studied under Hu Yuan and Sun Fu in his youth. He passed the jinshi examination in the first year of the Huangyou era (1049) and, through his father's hereditary privilege, received appointment as a Grand Blesser of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; because he remained with his father, he did not immediately enter office. After his father's death, he became a Secretary in the Palace Library and magistrate of Xiangcheng in Ruzhou, later serving as assistant judge in Xuzhou and magistrate of Xiangyi.

In the first year of the Zhiping era (1064), he was promoted to Transport Circuit Judge for Jiangnan East and summoned as Palace Censor. During the Puyi debate he repeatedly memorialized against posthumously honoring Prince Pu; he was consequently sent out as assistant prefect of Anzhou, then made prefect of Qizhou, and later served as judicial commissioner for Jingxi and deputy transport commissioner for Jingxi and Shaanxi.

After Shenzong's accession, he was summoned to the posts of qiju shereng and tongzhi jianyuan, received concurrent appointments in the Jixian Academy and as co-editor of the Daily Records, and was transferred to supervise the Imperial College. Because he opposed Wang Anshi's reforms and argued that the new policies harmed the people, his forceful remonstrances led to his appointment as prefect of Hezhong. He was transferred to the Chengdu Circuit as transport commissioner and warned the prefectures and counties not to implement the new policies hastily.

He later served as prefect of Lizhou, Qingzhou, Xinyang Army, and Qizhou. After requesting release from office, he supervised the Western Capital Branch Censorate and was again appointed prefect of Hezhong.

After Zhezong's accession, he returned as prefect of Qingzhou in 1086. Soon afterward he was summoned as a Supervising Secretary, advanced to Minister of Personnel, and made associate head of the Privy Council; in 1088 he became Right Vice Chancellor concurrently serving as Secretariat Director. When Zhezong took personal control and Zhang Dun became chief councillor, he firmly resigned from the executive, was sent out as prefect of Yingchang, and later served as prefect of Taiyuan and Henan.

In 1093, the eighth year of Yuanyou, he was recalled and again made Right Vice Chancellor, but was once more sent out as prefect of Yingchang. After offending Zhang Dun and being entered in the Yuanyou faction register, he was repeatedly demoted, first to Military Vice Commissioner of Wu'an and ultimately to residence at Yongzhou.

After Huizong's accession, one account places him in the Nanjing branch office and living at Dengzhou, while another says that he returned to Xu to recuperate. He was repeatedly appointed Grand Academician of the Palace of Literary Culture, but requested retirement because of an eye disorder. He died in the first year of the Jianzhong Jingguo era (1101), aged seventy-five, and was posthumously named Zhongxuan.

Family and associations

His wife was Wang. He had an elder brother, Fan Chunyou, younger brothers Fan Chunli and Fan Chuncui, and five sons, in order, Fan Zhengmin, Fan Zhengping, Fan Zhengsi, Fan Zhenglu, and Fan Zhengguo.

He studied with Hu Yuan and Sun Fu and counted Zhang Hui and Shi Daren as friends.

Political views and writings

Fan Chunren opposed Wang Anshi's new policies because he considered them harmful to the people; in local office he warned the prefectures and counties not to implement them hastily, and his remonstrances were notably forceful.

His writings include the twenty-juan 《范忠宣集》, the five-juan 《彈事》 and 《國論》, and the twenty-juan 《言行錄》. The surviving corpus comprises twenty juan of collected works, two juan of memorials, and one juan of supplementary writings, with five juan of poetry in 《范忠宣集》. Other associated titles include 《范忠宣奏議》, 《范忠宣集遺文》, 《忠宣公詩餘》, and 《尚書解》.