Zhao Mingcheng
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Zhao Mingcheng (Traditional Chinese: 趙明誠; Simplified Chinese: 赵明诚, pinyin: Zhào Míngchéng, courtesy name Défǔ (德甫) or Défù (德父) (1081–1129) was a Chinese writer, scholar-official, and epigrapher of the Song Dynasty, husband to the leading female poet Li Qingzhao of that time. His 30-volume magnum opus Jīn Shí Lù (金石錄) has long been hailed as an important work in the development of Chinese epigraphy since its publication.
Biography
Zhao Mingcheng was born in Zhucheng, Shandong in an affluent scholar-official family. He was the third son of civil servant Zhao Tingzhi(趙挺之), who served as a prime minister (尚書右仆射) during the reign of Song Huizong. Zhao spent most of his youth in the capital Bianjing (modern day Kaifeng), 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 to art collection and epigraphy and avowed to collect as many antiquities as possible for the sake of future research. [1]
Zhao Mingcheng started his career in civil service in 1103, but was quickly involved in the court struggle between his father and Cai Jing. 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 hometown 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, worried by the approaching Jurchens army, the couple was forced to forsake most of their collection and research notes at Zhucheng and fled to the south with 15 carts of the most cherished items and books. Most of the collection were lost during the chaotic voyage. Later the couple learned that their collection at Zhucheng was burned by the invaders, which was a huge blow to Zhao and Li.
He died in Huzhou in 1129 as a local magistrate.
Epigraphy Studies
Zhao Mingcheng was fascinated by ancient art and artifacts in his early age. Thanks to his family background, Zhao was able to visit famous intellectuals of that time and appreciate their collections. During his years in Kaifeng, Zhao often had to sell his personal belongings in order to support his own collection. Once returned to Zhucheng after his release, Zhao fully devoted himself to art collection. 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 the enterprise.[2]
Zhao's most important scholarly achievement was Jin Shi Lu, in which he recorded the details of nearly 2,000 inscriptions from antiquities, with carefully researched analysis about their histories. Since its publication, the book was highly regarded by literati as an important work. Zhu Xi hailed it for its "well-organized structure, precise analysis and impressive bibliography" and spoke highly of its stylistic prose.[3]
He cast doubt on the reliability of historical works composed after the occurring of the 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." [4]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 (1795–1886). [5]
Zhao applied a critical methodology in his research. He scrutinized epigraphy scholarship of his time and corrected many mistakes and textual errors of received books. His Jin Shi Lu also preserved many important historical records.
However, Zhao died before the publication of Jin Shi Lu. His wife Li Qingzhao proofread and edited his surviving manuscripts and finished the book. The book was finally published in 1132.
Notes
Reference
- Li, Qingzhao (1132), 金石錄後序
- Rudolph, R. C. (1963), "Preliminary Notes on Sung Archaeology", The Journal of Asian Studies, 22 (2): 169–177, doi:10.2307/2050010, JSTOR 2050010