Lin Hongnian (, 1805–1885) was a politician, writer and

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. Lin was born in Houguan county,

Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...

. In 1836, he achieved the highest score in the

Imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

and was appointed as the senior compiler in the

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. It has also been translated as "College of Literature" and "Academy of the Forest of Pen ...

(翰林院修撰). He was the first '' zhuangyuan'' from

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

during the Qing dynasty. Two years later, the Chinese Qing court sent him as the chief envoy to

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a Tributary system of China, tributary state of Ming dynasty, imperial Ming China by the King of Ryukyu, Ryukyuan monarchy, who unified Okinawa Island t ...

for the investiture of Shō Iku, while Gao Renjian (高人鑑) was the deputy envoy. The mission had stayed in Ryukyu for 160 days, and Lin wrote down an official account of the Ryukyu islands entitled ''Shi Liuqiu-lu'' (使琉球錄), however this book was lost. He also compiled a document titled ''Nautical Route from Fujian to Ryukyus'' (福建往琉球針路) together with Gao Renjian. Later, Lin had served as the magistrate of Qiongzhou (瓊州知府, 1846–1849), Governor of Lei Qiong Circuit (雷瓊道道員, 1849–1859), magistrate of Lin'an (臨安知府, 1859–1863), the Judicial Commissioner of

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

(雲南按察使, 1863), and the Administrative Commissioner of Yunnan (雲南布政使, 1863–1864). Lin was appointed as the

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of Yunnan (雲南巡撫) in 1864. He took part in the suppression of the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a civil war in China between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of ...

. In 1866, he was accused of "overstay due to being in dread of the rebels (畏寇逗留)" and was stripped of official position. Although rehabilitated in the same year, he was tired of power struggle and decided to retire. Invited by Zuo Zongtang, Lin returned to his hometown, Fuzhou, and became the master of the Zhengyi Shuyuan academy (正誼書院), which was the precursor of the Fuzhou No.1 Middle School., select "第七篇　人　物" then select "第二章　人物表", select "第七篇　人　物" then select "第一章　人物传" He raised a large number of students from 1866 to 1885, including Chen Baochen, Lin Shu, , and .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, Hongnian 1805 births 1885 deaths 19th-century Chinese writers Politicians from Fuzhou Writers from Fuzhou Educators from Fujian Generals from Fujian Qing dynasty government officials Qing dynasty calligraphers Qing dynasty writers 19th-century births Imperial Chinese missions to the Ryukyu Kingdom Qing dynasty zhuangyuan