He Changling () (March 18, 1785—July 6, 1848),

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 Theobald ...

Ougen (), was a Chinese

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

and official of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

from Changsha, Hunan. In 1808, he obtained the highest degree in the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

and the following year he entered the prestigious

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed sec ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. Drawing on his extensive experience in the Qing government, he became a prominent spokesman of the statecraft school, which was concerned with the practical application of

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

scholarship. One of He Changling's students was

Zuo Zongtang Zuo Zongtang, Marquis Kejing ( also spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang; ; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as General Tso, was a Chinese statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty. Born in Xiangyin County ...

Huangchao Jingshi Wenbian

Together with

Wei Yuan Wei Yuan (; April23, 1794March26, 1857), born Wei Yuanda (), courtesy names Moshen () and Hanshi (), was a Chinese scholar from Shaoyang, Hunan. He moved to Yangzhou, Jiangsu in 1831, where he remained for the rest of his life. Wei obtained the ...

, He Changling edited an influential anthology on statecraft, known as the "Collected essays about statecraft of the Qing" (, ''Qīng Jīngshì Wénbiān''), originally titled ''Huángcháo Jīngshì Wénbiān'' (). 120 scrolls long, the collection includes more than 2000 documents about practical issues of governance, based on the editors' experience from the beginning of the Qing dynasty until the

Daoguang era The Daoguang Emperor (; 16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanxong of Qing, born Mianning, was the seventh Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning ...

in the mid-Qing dynasty. A similar book existed for the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, called the '' Ming Jingshi Wenbian''. The ''Wenbian'' contained eight chapters and 56 subchapters: # Education (, ''Xuéshù'') # Human resources (, ''Zhìtǐ'') # Officialdom (, ''Lìzhèng'') # Ministry of Revenue (, ''Hùzhèng'') # Ministry of Rites (, ''Lǐzhèng'') # Ministry of War (, ''Bīngzhèng'') # Ministry of Justice (, ''Xíngzhèng'') # Ministry of Works (, ''Gōngzhèng'')

References

* Chinese scholars Qing dynasty politicians from Hunan Politicians from Changsha 1785 births 1848 deaths Writers from Changsha Qing dynasty writers Viceroys of Yun-Gui {{China-politician-stub