Zhang Fu (章服)

Life

He received the jinshi degree in 1132, the second year of the Shaoxing era, and was appointed registrar of Qingtian in Chuzhou. He later served as assistant prefect of Xuanzhou, as prefect of Jianzhou from 1158 to 1160, and as prefect of Ezhou from 1161 to 1162; afterwards he served as an executive officer in the Liangzhe maritime trade supervisorate and as supervisor of the tea and salt administration of Liangzhe West. His titular rank advanced from chaoqing lang to zuo chaoqing lang, and he held the honorific title of qingche duwei.

Summoned in the middle of the Longxing era, he became a vice director of the Ministry of Personnel and concurrently a lecturer in the household of the Prince of Qing. Early in the Qiandao era he was promoted to director and appointed attendant censor, repeatedly submitting memorials on the conduct of government. In 1165 he also served as imperial lecturer and, as palace censor, impeached a group of officials — among them the acting vice minister of revenue Zhu Xiaqing, the supervising secretary Wang Shisheng, and Zhu Youwen, Yu Bi, Zhao Huan, Qi Fang, Zhou Shi, Liu Zuli and Pan Shen — all of whom were dismissed. He was himself removed from office soon afterwards and ordered to reside in Tingzhou.

In 1172 he was granted a temple sinecure, and he died in 1173 at the age of sixty-eight; his highest office was vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He was held in esteem in his home district and had once been recommended by Wei Liangchen. Chen Liang wrote his conduct record in 1174, along with a sacrificial address and an epitaph; the conduct record is preserved in the Longchuan collection.

Family

His father was Zhang Yu, and his younger brother Zhang Zhu (1116–1155). He married first a daughter of the Chen family and then a daughter of Zheng Gangzhong. He had five sons — Zhang Tao, Zhang Wei, Zhang Huan, Zhang Chong and Zhang Shi — and grandsons including Zhang Lai, Zhang Ji, Zhang Jue, Zhang Song, Zhang Ju, Zhang Bing, Zhang Cai, Zhang Di, Zhang Guangqian and Zhang Yunqing; his sons-in-law included Zheng Shusun, Chen Hui, Yang Zhu and Zheng Zhuangsun.

Writings

His works included commentaries on the Analects and the Mencius, a commentary on the Book of Changes, and a collection of ancient and regulated verse.