Wang Yingchen

Life

Precocious from childhood, he could compose poetry at ten and studied with Yu Chu and Zhang Jiucheng. Yu Chu later became his father-in-law, while Wang was a collateral uncle of Zhu Xi.

In 1135, at eighteen, he became zhuangyuan, placing first in the jinshi examination. His family included Wang Wenhe, a direct ancestor; his brother was Wang Qu, and his sons were Wang Kui and Wang Boshi. Wang Lan is listed as a direct descendant.

After the examination, his appointments included 殿中省尚舍奉御, 卿, 僉判, 通判, 知某州軍州事, 知某府軍府事, 宣撫使, and 安撫制置使. He also held 左朝散大夫, 左中奉大夫, 尚書省戶部侍郎, 端明殿學士, 敷文閣直學士, 直秘閣, and 集英殿修撰.

The locations attached to these appointments included Jianzhou, Wuzhou, Quzhou, Fuzhou, Chengdu Fu, Lizhou, Sichuan, and Pingjiang Fu. He was prefect of Wuzhou in 1156–1157, of Quzhou in 1161, and of Fuzhou in 1162–1164; he governed Chengdu Fu in 1164–1167 and Lizhou in 1167–1168 while serving as xuanfushi. He held 尚書省戶部侍郎 in 1162 and 左中奉大夫 in 1170.

He rose to Minister of Personnel, concurrently serving as a Hanlin Academician and Reader; late in life, as 端明殿學士, he governed Pingjiang Fu (modern Suzhou). Early in Emperor Xiaozong’s reign, while commanding Sichuan, he recommended ten Sichuan scholars, with Fan Yunnan first.

Associations and writings

Two fellow degree-holders from 1135 were Cheng Dunhou and Ji Nanshou. His students included Lü Zuqian, Zheng Qiao, Zhang Jie, Zhang Ying, Zhao Zhuo, and Yue Hong.

His works include 《文定集》, whose length is given as either twenty-four or fifty juan; other works are 《石林燕語辨》 and 《唐書列傳辨證》 in twenty juan, the last identified as his authored work.

In the third year of the Chunxi era (1176), he was slandered by Han Yu, demoted over a shortfall in the Pingjiang rice transport, and died after falling ill.