Fang Yue

Life

In the fifth year of the Shaoding era under Emperor Lizong (1232), Fang passed the jinshi examination and was appointed Professor of Nankang Army. He later served as Professor of Chuzhou, an official in the Huai-dong Pacification Office, a jiage official in the Ministries of Rites and War, and an additional official in the Huai-dong Military Headquarters.

He drafted a letter for the Huai commander Zhao Kui condemning Shi Songzhi; Shi then induced remonstrance officials to impeach him, and Fang lived in retirement for four years.

After Fan Zhong became Left Chief Councillor, Fang was appointed Erudite of the Imperial University and concurrent Professor of the Jingxian Prefecture (the title is also given as the Jingxian County Professorship). In 1246, the sixth year of the Chunyou era, he was promoted to Doctor of the School of the Imperial Clan (also styled Zongzi boshi); in the following year he became Secretary Lang and, as Zongzheng cheng, acted as a lang official in the three departments.

When Zhao Kui went out to command as a privy councillor, he recruited Fang as an aide; Fang subsequently requested a temple post and was transferred to govern Nankang Army (1247–1249). He offended Jia Sidao by beating the grain-transport staff of the Huguang General Revenue Office (elsewhere described as boatmen), and subsequently was twice transferred as governor of Shaowu Army (1249–1250).

In 1255, he was reassigned to govern Raozhou and Ningguo Prefecture, but was dismissed before taking up either appointment and spent seven years in retirement. When Cheng Yuanfeng controlled the government, Fang was recalled to govern Yuanzhou; after offending Ding Daquan, he was impeached and dismissed. When Jia Sidao controlled the government, he was recalled to govern Fuzhou but declined to take up the post.

He ended his official career with the rank of Chaosan Daifu and died in 1262 at the age of sixty-four.

Scholarship and works

Fang's literary talent was sharp and forceful. His poetry and parallel prose in the 四六 form did not follow the old regulated conventions but were shaped by his own intention; he was especially skilled in pianwen.

His works included Chongxiu Nanbei shi (《重修南北史》), assigned 170 juan in one account and 110 in another; Zongwei xunlu (《宗維訓錄》), in ten juan; and Qiuyan ji (《秋崖集》), also titled Qiuyan xiaogao (《秋崖小稿》).

During the Ming Jiajing era, his descendant Fang Qian printed Qiuyan xiansheng xiaogao (《秋崖先生小稿》), comprising 45 juan of prose and 34 of poetry; in the Qing, the compilers of the Siku Quanshu used another manuscript copied from a Song exemplar to compile a 40-juan Qiuyan ji from Qiuyan xingao (《秋崖新稿》).

Compared with the Ming printed edition, the Qiuyan ji contains more than eighty additional poems, while the Ming edition also has more than ten poems absent from the Qiuyan ji; the additional poems were arranged as juan 35, and newly collected poems outside the collection as juan 36.

Associations and family

Fang was friendly with Yu Jie, Hu Jiansong, and Ke Weihan; Ke was also a fellow student, and Fang served as Zhao Kui's aide. Ke Weihan once carried provisions for several hundred li to study under a teacher but did not achieve his aim.

His family included his father Fang Qinzu, Fang Gongsun, described as a congzi or nephew, and his grandson Fang Shi. His literary activity also included tomb inscriptions, sacrificial texts, postfaces, and Buddhist temple accounts, for people including Wu Tianqiu, Ke Weihan, Xu Gong, Fang Hui, Du Gao, and Wei Liaoweng.