Tang Wenxian

Life

His great-grandfather was Tang Min (唐珉), his grandfather Tang Bin (唐濱), his father Tang Fuxi (唐敷錫), and his mother was Liu (劉氏). He had brothers 唐文燈、唐文燭、唐文熟、唐文勳、唐文烈、唐文蒸、唐文然, and 唐文濤; his wife was Gu (顧氏). His sons were 唐允恭、唐允執, and another whose name appears as “唐允?”; his nephew was 唐允振 and his grandson was 唐克宏.

In 1585, he passed the Yi-you Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination as the 47th-ranked juren. The following year he passed the Bingxu metropolitan examination in 149th place and took first place in the first degree at the palace examination, becoming the zhuangyuan. After the examination, he was appointed a Hanlin Academy compiler (修撰) and served as an Eastern Palace lecturer (東宮講官); in the seventeenth year of the Wanli era he held the office of zhengshi (正使), in the twenty-ninth year he became a Junior Metropolitan in the Directorate of the Heir Apparent (詹事府少詹事), and in the thirty-first year he became its Director (詹事). He later served as Vice Minister of Rites (禮部侍郎), a Hanlin Academician (翰林院學士), and an instructor of shujishi (教習庶吉士), took charge of Hanlin affairs, and ultimately became Vice Minister of Rites to the right (禮部右侍郎).

He had studied under Zhao Yongxian (趙用賢); the two esteemed one another for their commitment to moral integrity, and his conduct in office did not betray his stated principles. He was also connected in a teacher-disciple relationship with Yang He (楊鶴) and Cui Erjin (崔爾進). When Shen Yiguan (沈一貫) sought to bring down Guo Zhengyu (郭正域) in the “demon book” affair, Tang went with Yang Daobin (楊道賓), Zhou Rudi (周如砥), and Tao Wangling (陶望齡) to confront Shen and argue for Guo’s innocence; the case eased, although the episode cost him the favor of the governing authorities. When the investigating secretary Li Yi (李沂) was beaten in court after impeaching Zhang Jing (張鯨), Tang helped him out and supplied medicine; when Hua Yu (華鈺), the judicial commissioner of Jingzhou, was imprisoned for offending a tax supervisor, Tang interceded on his behalf and secured his release from the threat of execution. While he was in charge of Hanlin affairs, an official evaluation was held and a member of the governing council sought to protect one person, but Tang refused.

He corresponded with Chen Jiru (陳繼儒), Lu Shusheng (陸樹聲), Dong Qichang (董其昌), Wang Tu (王圖), Yang Daobin (楊道賓), Wang Xijue (王錫爵), and Wang Heng (王衡). His correspondents also included Zhu Wubi (朱吾弼), Zeng Chaojie (曾朝節), Zhang Xianwen (章憲文), Gu Longzhen (顧龍禎), Liu Weiji (劉為楫), Zhao Biao (趙標), Quan Tianxu (全天敘), and Shen Shilai (沈時來). He also received letters from Feng Shike (馮時可), Lu Shusheng, He Sanwei (何三畏), and Dai Shilin (戴士琳), as well as reply letters from Feng Mengzhen (馮夢禎), Feng Qi (馮琦), and Li Tingji (李廷機).

He died in office on the fifteenth day of the third month of the thirty-third year of the Wanli era (1605). After his death, he was posthumously granted the rank of Minister of Rites, additionally honored as Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, and given the posthumous name Wenke (文恪).

Writings

His works include the fifteen-volume Zhanxingtang ji (《占星堂集》).