Zhang Zhihan

Career

He entered official service by summons. In the early Zhongtong era, he served as a zhishi at Mingci; in the thirteenth year of Zhiyuan (1276), he became a zhishi in the Zhending Route General Administration Office, and his offices also included an Investigating Censor, a langzhong in the Ministry of Revenue, and a prefect or prefectural governor. By the end of the Zhiyuan era, he served as Hanlin Academician for Expository Lectures and administered Songjiang Prefecture.

While he administered Songjiang, the people suffered famine and the tax quota was reckoned at 100,000; after Zhang forcefully represented its abuses, the quota was remitted, and he displayed the manner of an ancient xunli.

Literary activity and associations

Zhang Zhihan exchanged poems with Gong Kai, Li Siyan, Xu Yan, Gao Kegong, and Shu Yuexiang, and presented poetry and prose to Fang Hui, Zhang Jiusi, Liu Mengyan, Du Ying, Zhang Sili, Xu Xianchen, and Aotun Xilu. He wrote farewell poems or prefaces for Bai Ting, Wei Chu, Yan Fu, Yelu Youshang, Fan Xiwen, and Xianyu Shu; he did the same for Wang Yu, Li Qian, Li Shizhuan, Zhang Kongsun, and Zhang Sili, and sent a poem in the snow to Liu Minzhong.

His other writings included prefaces for works by Liang Zhu, Song Gui, and Zhang Ding; a tomb inscription for Ye Ruzhou; a spirit-way stele for Zhao Bi; a tomb tablet for Wang Gou; and a biographical account of Wang Keyu. He also wrote birthday poems for Li Zhi, Liu Mengyan, Wang Yue, Li Qian, Du Ying, Meng Qi, and Liu Yue, and mourning poems for Hu Zhiyu, Wei Chu, Song Gui, Du Ying, Hou Jue, and Yan Mijian.

His colophons addressed works by Zhang Jiusi, Hao Jing, Wang Quji, Hao Tianting, Chen Hu, and Yang Guo; he also composed Le shan tang ji.

Works and reputation

He wrote Xiyan ji, a collection in twenty juan. A poem called Jingzhong deng became widely celebrated, and he was known as Zhang Jingdeng.