Gao Shiqi

Life

Born into poverty, he supported himself by selling his writing. He was a student of the prefectural and provincial schools and later held jiansheng status; he failed the Shuntian examination, served as a writing clerk, and was also entered for the Boxue Hongci examination. After the Kangxi Emperor noticed and favored him, he entered the Imperial Academy in 1669, was selected by imperial order, and was registered for service in the Hanlin Academy; in 1671 he placed first in the imperial examination and was specially ordered to prepare a fair copy of the lectures for the Classics Mat.

Recommended by Mingzhu, he entered inner-court service and was appointed recorder in the Office of the Heir Apparent. His subsequent posts included Secretariat Drafter, Grand Secretariat secretary and reader, Hanlin Academy Expositor, posts in the Left and Right Spring Bureaus, a Hanlin Academy Reader-in-waiting, and Imperial Lecturer; he rose to Junior Chamberlain (少詹事). As his influence grew, he associated with Wang Hongxu and others. Guo Xiu and Xu Sanli later submitted memorials impeaching him, after which he left office and returned home.

In the thirty-third year of the Kangxi reign, he was recalled to the palace to work on books and again served in the South Study; he reached the rank of Vice Minister of Rites but returned without taking up the appointment. In the thirty-sixth year, he was appointed Chamberlain of the Office of the Heir Apparent and received an imperial plaque inscribed “Qingyintang.” After his death he was posthumously titled Wenke, also written Wenmin. His great-grandfather was Gao Jianling, his grandfather Gao Shangxian, his father Gao Yunzhong, and his nephew Shen Bao.

Scholarship and arts

Gao was recognized as a calligrapher, painter, poet, connoisseur, polymath, and prose writer. His poetry was associated with imperial occasional verse; after returning home, he continued to use that form, and the selected poems were described as relatively unrestrained.

Works

His writings and associated titles include “左傳紀事本末” (53 juan), “春秋地名考略” (14 juan), “天祿識餘” (2 juan), “左傳國語輯註,” “左傳姓名考,” “經進文稿” (6 juan), “編珠補遺” (2 juan), “續編珠” (2 juan), and “續三體唐詩” (8 juan). His prose and lyric collections include “清吟堂集” (also “清吟堂全集”), “苑西集,” “城北集,” “歸田集,” “江村全集,” “江村詩集,” “獨旦詞,” “蔬香詞,” “竹窗詞,” “隨輦集,” and “隨輦續集.” Travel diaries, notebooks, and bibliographical catalogues include “扈從紀程,” “東巡扈從日錄,” “西巡扈從日錄,” “松亭行紀,” “金鰲退食筆記,” “讀書筆記,” “江村書畫目,” “江村銷夏錄” (also “江村消夏錄”), and “北墅抱甕錄.”