Feng Shike

Life

Feng En's second son, he was a younger brother of Feng Xingke. His great-grandfather was Feng Hai and his grandfather Feng Kui; his elder brothers included Feng Xingke, Feng Dake, Feng Xueke, Feng Zaike, Feng Fuke, Feng Jike, Feng Xiaoke, and Feng Yanke, and his younger brother was Feng Zengke. His birth mother was Lady Ma, his father's principal wife was Lady Jin, and his wife was Lady Xu. He is also associated with the birth-order designations “Ba” (“Eight”) and “Cizi” (“second son”).

His examination career included licentiate status; he placed 30th in the Yingtian provincial examination and in 1571 passed the Xinwei metropolitan examination in 58th place, earning the 205th position in the third class of Presented Scholars. The same examination data also label him a provincial tribute candidate ranked 58th and a licentiate ranked 30th.

After passing the examination, he was appointed a Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, served as Educational Vice Commissioner in Guizhou and Sichuan, and was transferred as an administrative commissioner in Guangxi and Huguang; his recorded offices also include an investigating commissioner and a right administrative commissioner. His career also includes service as a county assistant at Laiyang in the second year of Longqing (1566), as a fenshou dao for Xiangyang Prefecture, and, in another account, as assistant prefect of Chuzhou.

In the twelfth year of Wanli (1584), he retired in the seventh month. He was recalled in the nineteenth year as Educational Vice Commissioner in Sichuan; in the eighth month, Henan Circuit Censor Chen Dengyun impeached him for delaying mourning and being unfit to serve as an educational inspector, and in the ninth month he was transferred to Guangxi as vice commissioner.

In the twenty-first year of Wanli, he was promoted in the twelfth month to Right Administrative Commissioner of the Huguang Provincial Administration and assigned to supervise the Xunyang circuit, later serving as administrative commissioner of the Zhejiang Chuzhou circuit. In the twenty-fifth year, he received the title of Investigating Censor and concurrently served as Assistant Commissioner in the Provincial Administration, retaining his duties; he was later demoted to a Surveillance Commissioner in Guangdong and assigned to the Lingxi circuit.

In the thirty-seventh year of Wanli, he was promoted in the seventh month to Right Assistant Commissioner of the Yunnan Provincial Administration and later served as vice commissioner in Huguang. In the forty-third year he reached the post of Right Administrative Commissioner in Huguang, but in the forty-fifth year was demoted to Assistant Commissioner of the Guizhou Provincial Administration. In the fortieth year of Wanli (1612), he and the monk 釋禪 selected a scenic site on Mount Jizu and built the Xiyin Pavilion as a residence.

Writings and associations

Feng Shike was known for his writing. His works include 《左氏討》, 《左氏釋》, 《左氏論》, 《易說》, 《上池雜識》, and 《雨航雜錄》, as well as the collections 《北征》, 《西征》, 《金閶》, 《石湖》, 《巖棲》, and 《雨航》.

《上池雜識》 also appears as 《上池雜說》; the listed lengths of 《左氏討》 and 《左氏論》 differ, with both one- and two-volume forms appearing. Other works explicitly attributed to him include 《文所易說》, 《詩臆》, 《黔中語錄》, 《茶錄》, 《蓬窓續錄》, and 《林間社約》. His prose also includes the two pieces 《雞足山記》 and 《再遊雞足山記》.

Feng Shike wrote biographies of Hu Xiao, Wang Xijue, Wang Jingchen, and Huang Jishui, and sent letters to Chen Jiru, Xu Fuyuan, Lu Shusheng, Wen Yuanfa, Wang Shizhen, Wang Shimao, and Sun Jigao.