Qi Chenghan (祁承㸁; April 3, 1563 – November 26, 1628), also rendered Qi Chengye, was a Ming official, bibliophile, and textual collator. His courtesy name was Erguang (爾光); another courtesy-name form was Yuefan (越凡), also written 越凢, and his style name was Yidu (夷度). He was from Shanyin County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang.
Life
His father was 祁世清, and his sons were 祁彪佳 and 祁豸佳. In the 1600 Shuntian provincial examination he ranked fifteenth and became a juren (舉人); in 1604 he passed as a jinshi (進士).
He served as magistrate of Yichun County, Jiangxi; in 1605 he became magistrate of Ningguo County, Zhili, and in 1607 was transferred to Changzhou County. In 1610 he was promoted to a secretaryship in the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, transferred to the Ministry of War, and advanced to yuanwailang.
In 1615 he became prefect of Ji'an Prefecture, Jiangxi, and in 1617 was dismissed and returned home. In 1619 he was demoted to magistrate of Yizhou, Shandong; in 1621 he was transferred to Suzhou (宿州), Zhili, and subsequently promoted to yuanwailang in the Ministry of War, assistant surveillance commissioner in Henan, and canyi (參議). He ultimately became Right Assistant Commissioner in the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commission, concurrently assistant surveillance commissioner, and intendant of the Ning-Tai military circuit. He died on the first day of the eleventh month in the first year of the Chongzhen reign.
Bibliography and Correspondence
The title 《澹生堂藏書約》 is associated with him, although its precise relation to him is uncertain. The twenty-one-volume 《淡生堂集》 links him by correspondence to 高攀龍, 文震孟, 顧憲成, 鄒元標, 劉宗周, 周汝登, and others; he also received replies from 顧憲成, 孫承宗, and 梅鼎祚.
張鼐 and 李維楨 wrote prefaces for books connected with him, and 張鼐 also composed a farewell piece. 姚希孟 wrote a preface to his poetry and prose, while 陳仁錫 wrote his biography and epitaph.
References
- CBDB Qi Chenghan (33171)
- 搜韵 祁承㸁 (122619)
- Wikidata Qi Chengye (Q45422911)