He asserted that bandits of today were good citizens of yesterday, and their only reason for turning to banditry was the ever-growing oppression of greedy and corrupt officials.
In 1863 Li was transferred to the presidency of the Board of Works. When Nanking was recaptured and the Taiping Rebellion was suppressed he was honored with the title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. In 1865 he vigorously protested before the two Dowager Empresses against the summary dismissal of I-hsin [q. v.] from the Grand Council, on the ground that he had rendered valuable services at a time when the country was in great distress. But Li had not been in good health and the heavy duties confronting him in the Grand Council further weakened him. He died in 1865 and was canonized as Wên-ch'ing 文清. As an official he greatly abhorred corrupt practices and left no stone unturned to eradicate them. As a scholar he belonged to the conservative school, devoting his time largely to the study of philosophy. Being a great admirer of T'ang Pin [q. v.], he transcribed by hand the latter's collected works, largely as a method of self-discipline. Li's philosophy of life is epitomized in the four words, Shêng-jên k'o-chi 聖人克己, "sagehood is attainable by self-denial." He left a diary, 李文清公日記 Li Wên-ch'ing kung jih-chi, written during the years 1834–65 and reproduced in facsimile about the year 1915. This document is replete with lofty sentiments designed to master human passions. It also contains occasional references to current affairs.
[1/397/2b; 2/47/7b; 5/12/1a; Li Wên-ch'ing kung jih-chi.]
H. S. Tsêng
LI T'iao-yüan 李調元 (T. 羹堂 or 秔塘, H. 雨村, 贊菴, 童山, 鶴洲, 卍齋, 蠢翁), Dec. 29, 1734–1803, Jan. 14, scholar, bibliophile, and official, was a native of Lo-chiang, Szechwan. His father, Li Hua-nan 李化楠 (T. 廷節, H. 石亭, 讓齋, 1713–1769), was the first student of his district to become a chin-shih (1742) during the Ch'ing period. As a child Li T'iao-yüan was talented, producing at the age of twelve (sui) a collection of verse, entitled 幼學草 Yu-hsüeh ts'ao. In 1752 he studied in the Fou-chiang Academy (涪江書院) at Mien-chou, Szechwan—a school founded by Fei Yüan-lung 費元龍 (T. 雲軒, 雲莊, H. chin-shih of 1736), who was then department magistrate in that locality. Li T'iao-yüan joined his father at Yü-yao, Chekiang, in 1753 where the latter was serving as magistrate (1753–56). After three years in Chekiang he returned to Szechwan (1756) where he competed in the provincial examinations, but failed to pass. Thereupon he rejoined his father who meanwhile had been transferred to Hsiu-shui, Chekiang, where he served as magistrate from 1756 to 1758. While there he took advantage of an opportunity to enlarge his private library, and to receive instructions from scholars in Chekiang, such as Ch'ien Ch'ên-ch'ün [q. v.]. In 1759 he returned to his native place and studied in the Chin-chiang Academy (錦江書院) at Hua-yang, Szechwan, where he and the following five scholars: Ch'iang Hsi-ku 姜錫嘏 (T. 爾常, H. 松亭, chin-shih of 1760, 1726–1809); Chang Ho 張翯 (T. 鶴林, chin-shih of 1760, d. 1769); Mêng Shao 孟邵 (T. 少逸, H. 鷺洲, chin-shih of 1760); Chang Pang-shên 張邦伸 (T. 石臣, H. 雲谷, chü-jên of 1759, 1737–1804); and Ho Ming-li 何明禮 (T. 希顏, H. 愚廬, b. 1715, chü-jên of 1759), became known as the Chin-chiang Liu-chieh 錦江六傑 or the "Six Savants of the Chin-chiang Academy." In 1760 Li T'iao-yüan went to the capital where he made the acquaintance of a group of distinguished contemporaries including Pi Yüan, Wang Wên-chih, Chao I, and Ch'êng Chin-fang [qq. v.]. He took his chin-shih degree in 1763 and was selected a bachelor in the Hanlin Academy. Three years later (1766) he was released from the Academy for appointment as secretary in the Board of Civil Offices, but late in 1769 was obliged to return home to observe the customary mourning for the death of his father.
Upon his return to Peking in 1771 he was reinstated in his former post as secretary in the Board of Civil Offices. In 1774 he went to Kwangtung to act as assistant examiner of the provincial examination, and left a record of this journey in some poems, entitled 粵東皇華集 Yüeh-tung huang-hua chi, 4 chüan. After his return to the capital he was promoted (1775) to assistant-director of the Department of Scrutiny in the Board of Civil Offices, a post he held until 1777 when he was appointed commissioner of education in Kwangtung. He gave a new impetus to scholarship in that province and brought together a collection of writings by local authors, entitled 粵東觀海集 Yüeh-tung kuan-hai chi, 10 chüan. While in Kwangtung he compiled, among other works, a collection of local folksongs, entitled 粵風 Yüeh-
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