Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period/Sung Ch'üan
SUNG Ch'üan 宋權 (T. 元平, 平公, H. 雨恭, 梁園, 歸德老農), Aug. 5, 1598–1652, July 10, official of both the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, was a native of Shang-ch'iu, Honan. Made a chin-shih in 1625, he became district magistrate of Yang-ch'ü, Shansi, and in the spring of 1644 was appointed governor of Shun-t'ien (Peking) with headquarters at Mi-yün in the metropolitan area. Three days after taking the latter post, Peking fell to the insurgent leader, Li Tzŭ-ch'êng [q. v.]. Sung Ch'üan resisted and succeeded in defeating one branch of the rebel forces. When the Manchus under Dorgon [q. v.] entered the city on June 6, 1644 he surrendered but was again appointed governor of Shun-t'ien. One of his first acts in this capacity was to memorialize the conquerors on the following matters: to assign officially a posthumous title or miao-hao 廟號 to the late Ming Emperor Ssŭ-tsung (see under Chu Yu- chien), to reform the evils of the prevailing taxation system, and to insure the appointment of able men to government posts. After two years as governor of Shun-t'ien he freed the metropolitan area from all vestiges of rebel occupation. In 1646 he was made Grand Secretary, and three years later was granted the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. Accused of submitting to the throne contradictory memorials on the question of using censors to spy on provincial officials, he was forced to retire in 1651. He died in the following year and was canonized as Wên-k'ang 文康. He was the father of Sung Lao [q. v.].
[1/244/3b; 4/7/1a; Shang-ch'iu-hsien chih (1705) 8/37a; Sung Wên-k'ang kung nien-p'u by Sung Lao (not consulted).]