Fang Dacong

Life

His grandfather was 方萬 (1122–1162), his father 方逵 (1156–1227), and his mother 林守貞 (1157–1231). His wife, 林氏, died in 1239, and his only son was 方演孫 (1213–1276).

His recorded wider family included the collateral grandfather 方彬, father-in-law 林行言, paternal cousin 方時戊, nephews 方霖孫 (born in 1215) and 方銑孫, niece's husband 鄭子簡 (1218–1263), son-in-law 宋應先 (1211–1258), and great-grandson 方徵 (1349–1380).

In 1205, during the reign of Emperor Ningzong, he passed the jinshi examination, was appointed instructor at the prefectural school of 南劍州, and later served as magistrate of 將樂 and 永福 counties. During his official career, he recommended 劉克遜 and, together with 楊大異, recommended 謝升賢.

From the first year of the Duanping era (1234), he successively served as supervisor of the Six Ministries offices (監六部門), registrar of the Court of Agriculture (司農寺簿), and concurrent head of the Anbian Office (提領安邊所). In the second year he became 太府寺丞; in the third, 秘書郎 and concurrent instructor of 景獻府. He later held 著作郎 and concurrently 侍左郎官, became 右正言, and then held 起居舍人 and concurrently 直舍人院, while also serving as compiler in the National History Institute and reviewer in the Veritable Records Institute.

After leaving 直舍人院, he was placed in charge of 千秋鴻禧觀 in Shaoxing Prefecture and served as prefect of Jianning. In 1237, after speaking on the matter of the Ji residence, he was assigned to 奉祠 and was later recalled as transport intendant of the Fujian Circuit.

During the Chunyou era he became prefect of Guangzhou in 1241, concurrently served as Guangdong Pacification Commissioner in 1244, and was also transferred to the Guangxi Pacification Commission. During his five years in Guangzhou, he brought long-neglected affairs back into operation, used funds under his concurrent administration of stipends to support schools, increased the Cuifeng Army's spring-clothing allowance, and separately supplied grain to naval troops on outpost duty. In 1246 he was promoted to Academician of Baozhang Pavilion and made prefect of Longxing.

He died in the seventh year of Chunyou (1247), in the fifth month, at the age of sixty-five, and received the posthumous title Zhonghui.

Works and legacy

His works include the Tie'an Collection (《鐵菴集》, also written 《鐵庵集》), Hushan Parallel Prose (《壺山四六》), the Fang lineage genealogy (《方氏族譜》), and the Fang office genealogy (《方氏仕譜志》). His collection was later lost; in 1513, his collateral descendant 方良節 and others compiled the forty-five-juan 《鐵庵方公文集》, from which thirteen poems are preserved.

劉克莊, 林希逸, and 李昴英 wrote prefaces for his books, and 劉克莊 also wrote the 《方閣學墓誌銘》 epitaph.