Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period/Li T'ing-i
LI T'ing-i 勵廷儀 (T. 令式, H. 南湖), 1669–1732, July, official, was a native of Ching-hai, Chihli. Like his father, Li Tu-no [q. v.], he was an accomplished calligrapher. Made a chin-shih in 1700 with the rank of Hanlin bachelor, he was appointed two years later to the Imperial Study, and in 1704 was made a Hanlin compiler. In 1723 he was made assistant director of the Board which compiled the official chronicles of Emperor Shêng-tsu (see under Chiang T'ing-hsi), and in the same year president of the Board of Punishments. In the latter capacity he memorialized the throne on alterations in the prison system, suggesting that the prisons be divided into inner and outer quarters, the former for hardened criminals, the latter for light offenders. At the same time he advocated the erection of suitable walls to isolate the women's quarters. But owing to errors in two judicial decisions (one made by himself, the other by a subordinate) he was deprived of his rank as President of the Board of Punishments. He was allowed, however, to continue in office, and his rank was restored to him shortly. In 1727 he acted as chief examiner in the Metropolitan examinations. The title of Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent was bestowed on him in 1729, and two years later the title of president of the Board of Civil Office was added. In May 1732 he asked to resign on grounds of ill health and died two months later. He was canonized as Wên Kung 文恭. A collection of his verse appeared under the title 雙清閣詩集 Shuang-ch'ing ko shih-chi, 8 chüan.
[1/272/3a; 3/60/4a; 29/3/3b; Ching-hai-hsien chih (1873) 6/9a.]