Wei Xiang

Life

In 1053, the fifth year of the Huangyou era of Emperor Renzong, he passed the jinshi examination and was appointed county warden of Shouchang in Muzhou, but did not take up the post because of the death of his mother. After the mourning period he served as judicial officer of the Xingguo Army, and as magistrate of Wuyi in Wuzhou, Pingxiang in Yuanzhou and Haimen in Tongzhou, and as assistant prefect of Chuzhou (滁州) and Chuzhou (楚州). He was then received into the central government as recorder of the Directorate of Imperial Workshops, and afterwards served as senior editor of the Palace Library and vice director of the State Farms Bureau of the Ministry of Works, and held the court ranks of Grand Master for Court Service (朝奉郎) and director of the Bureau of Revenue (戶部郎中).

In 1086, the first year of the Yuanyou era under Emperor Zhezong, he was promoted to assistant transport commissioner of the Lizhou circuit and transferred to the Fujian circuit; in 1092 he was summoned to the post of director of the Bureau of Receptions (主客郎中). He was later sent out as judicial commissioner of the Kuizhou circuit, an office he held from 1095 to 1098, and afterwards became prefect of Mingzhou, an appointment dated either to 1098, the first year of the Yuanfu era, or to the beginning of the Jianzhong Jingguo era (1101). In his later years he was appointed supervisor of the Dongxiao Palace at Hangzhou, and he retired in the rank of Grand Master of Court Consultation of the Left (左朝議大夫). He died in 1105, the fourth year of the Chongning era, at the age of seventy-three.

Family and associates

He married a daughter of Shi Xiuzhi (石秀之), and his mother-in-law was Lady Hu (胡氏). His sons included Wei Shoulong (eldest), Wei Shouqing (fourth) and Wei Shoucheng (fifth); his son-in-law was Shi Shisheng (石師聖). He exchanged poems and writings with Huang Tingjian, and wrote letters to Fan Chunren, Han Wei, Li Qingchen, Lü Dafang, Han Zhen and Wang Tinglao, while Xu Jingheng wrote to him.

His commemorative and biographical writings were numerous: epitaphs for Shi Xiuzhi, Lady Hu, Shi Yanzhi, Lady Shi, Lady Zhu, Wu Tianzhi, Chen Kuang and Zhang Zao; an account of conduct and a sacrificial address for Zhang Zao; biographies of Xiang Gong and Bai Tinghui; a school record for Shi Zhen; a preface for a work by Xia Xidao; and inscriptions for the buildings of Fan Daoqing. After his death his epitaph was written by Chen Shixi and is preserved in the appendix to the Qiantang Wei xiansheng wenji (錢塘韋先生文集).

Works

He was skilled in poetry and prose, and his collected writings comprised twenty juan of prose and twenty juan of fu (賦), known as the Qiantang ji (錢塘集); sixteen juan survive, the text being incomplete. The Xianchun Lin'an zhi (咸淳臨安志), juan 66, contains his biography.