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Zhao Mingcheng (,
courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...
Défǔ () or Défù () (1081–1129) was a Chinese
epigrapher Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
, poet, and politician of the
Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...
, husband to the famous poet Li Qingzhao. His 30-volume
magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
''Jīn Shí Lù'' () has long been hailed as an important work in the development of Chinese
epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the w ...
since its publication.


Biography

Zhao Mingcheng was born in
Zhucheng Zhucheng () is a county-level city in the southeast of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Weifang city and had at the 2010 census a population of 1,086,222 even though its built-up (''or metro'') area ...
,
Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...
in an affluent scholar-official family. He was the third son of civil servant Zhao Tingzhi (), who served as a prime minister () during the reign of
Song Huizong Emperor Huizong of Song (7 June 1082 – 4 June 1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth Emperor of China, emperor of the Northern Song dynasty of China. He was also a very well-known Chinese calligraphy, calligrapher. Born as the 11th son ...
. Zhao spent most of his youth in the capital Bianjing (modern day
Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...
), where he entered the royal Taixue academy to study the classics. In 1101 he met then 18-year-old Li Qingzhao and the two quickly fell in love. Their marriage was hailed among the literati. The couple shared strong interest in
art collection A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, ...
and epigraphy and avowed to collect as many antiquities as possible for the sake of future research. Zhao Mingcheng started his civil service career in 1103, but was quickly involved in an imperial court power struggle between his father and the infamous politician
Cai Jing Cai Jing (1047–1126), courtesy name Yuanchang (), was a Chinese calligrapher and politician who lived during the Northern Song dynasty of China. He is also fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four ...
. In 1107 he was arrested and brought to court by his political rivals but his case was soon closed for lack of evidence. After this episode he returned to his hometown of Zhucheng and started to focus on his systematic study of antiquities. Zhao assumed a series of local governmental jobs in different areas. After the Jingkang incident of the
Jin–Song wars The Jin–Song Wars were a series of conflicts between the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty (1115–1234) and the Han-led Song dynasty (960–1279). In 1115, Jurchen tribes rebelled against their overlords, the Khitan-led Liao dynasty (916–1125), ...
, worried by the approaching
Jurchen Jurchen may refer to: * Jurchen people, Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century ** Haixi Jurchens, a grouping of the Jurchens as identified by the Chinese of the Ming Dynasty ** Jianzhou Jurchens, a grouping of ...
army, the couple was forced to flee to the South and forsake most of their collection and research notes at Zhucheng. They started their journey to the South with 15 carts of their most cherished items and books. Most of the collection was lost during the chaotic voyage. Later the couple learned that their collection at Zhucheng was burned by the invaders, which was a devastating blow to Zhao and Li. Zhao was appointed in late 1128 as the magistrate for
Huzhou Huzhou (, ; Huzhounese: ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provin ...
and decided to go by himself first, leaving Li to take care of their surviving collection. When asked by Li about how to handle their collection should there be another Jurchens attack, Zhao told her to "discard furniture, then clothes, then books and scrolls, then antiques" and to "carry the most treasured items with you" so "you can live or die with them together." He was infected with
dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
on his way to Huzhou and was forced to stay at a
Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also Chinese postal romanization, romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the prov ...
inn. When Li found him he was about to die. On September 3, 1129, Zhao asked for a
writing brush Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute ...
to compose his last poem and subsequently died.


Epigraphy studies

Zhao Mingcheng was fascinated by ancient art and artifacts in his early years, partly influenced by the academic interests of leading scholars such as
Ouyang Xiu Ouyang Xiu (; 1007 – 1072 CE), courtesy name Yongshu, also known by his art names Zuiweng () and Liu Yi Jushi (), was a Chinese historian, calligrapher, epigrapher, essayist, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty. He was a renowned writ ...
. Thanks to his family background, Zhao was able to visit the antique collections of famous intellectuals of that time. During his years in Kaifeng, Zhao often had to sell his personal belongings in order to support his own collection. After his release from prison, Zhao returned to Zhucheng. Zhao fully devoted himself to collecting art. He started to compose ''Jin Shi Lu'' with the help of his intellectual wife, Li Qingzhao. According to her account, the couple had to live a simple life in order to support their intellectual enterprise. Zhao's most important scholarly achievement was ''Jin Shi Lu'', in which he recorded the details of nearly 2,000 antique inscriptions, with carefully researched analysis about their histories. Since its publication, the book was highly regarded by literati as an important work. The intellectual leader of
Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...
Zhu Xi Zhu Xi (; ; October 18, 1130 – April 23, 1200), formerly romanized Chu Hsi, was a Chinese calligrapher, historian, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty. Zhu was influential in the development of Neo-Confucianism. He con ...
praised the book for its "well-organized structure, precise analysis and impressive bibliography" and spoke highly of its stylistic prose. Zhao valued archaeological evidence over textual evidence. He stressed the importance of utilizing ancient inscriptions to correct discrepancies and errors in later texts discussing details in ancient history, such as dates, geographical locations of historical events, genealogies, and official titles. He cast doubt on the reliability of historical works, because they were composed after the actual event. He stated that "...the inscriptions on stone and bronze are made at the time the events took place and can be trusted without reservation, and thus discrepancies may be discovered." Historian R.C. Rudolph argues that Zhao's emphasis on consulting contemporary sources for accurate dating is parallel with the concern of the German historian
Leopold von Ranke Leopold von Ranke (; 21 December 1795 – 23 May 1886) was a German historian and a founder of modern source-based history. He was able to implement the seminar teaching method in his classroom and focused on archival research and the analysis ...
(1795–1886).Rudolph (1963), p.170 Zhao applied a critical methodology in his research. He scrutinized epigraphy scholarship of his time and corrected many mistakes and textual errors of received texts (texts passed down through the generations). His ''Jin Shi Lu'' also preserved many important historical records. Zhao, however, died before the publication of ''Jin Shi Lu.'' His wife Li Qingzhao proofread and edited his surviving manuscripts and finished the book, which was finally published in 1132. Li Qingzhao wrote an essay recalling the couple's effort in the composition of ''Jin Shi Lu'', which was published with the book. The essay () is best known for its nostalgic recollection of the couples' life struggle with intense pathos.


Notes


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao, Mingcheng 1081 births 1129 deaths Chinese epigraphers Politicians from Weifang Song dynasty politicians from Shandong Song dynasty writers Writers from Weifang 12th-century antiquarians