Sino-Japanese War in 1894–95 he was one of the die-hards on the policy toward Japan. Shortly after the outbreak of the war he memorialized the throne requesting an important position for I-hsin [q. v.], who in consequence was appointed controller of the Board of Admiralty. After the war Li condemned the decision of Li Hung-chang [q. v.] to pay an indemnity of 200,000,000 taels to Japan.
Li Wên-t'ien was on good terms with P'an Tsu-yin and Wang I-jung [qq. v.] both in their official and scholarly capacities. Like them he owned a good collection of rare books and rubbings of ancient inscriptions on stone and bronze which he preserved in his library Tui-hua lou 對華樓, a name later changed to Tz'ŭ-shu lou 賜書樓. He excelled in calligraphy and wrote numerous epitaphs on stone. He was also skilled in other arts such as medicine, geomancy, and physiognomy. His ability as a writer was highly praised by Wêng T'ung-ho [q. v.]. A number of his poems were collected and printed in the 心園叢刻 Hsin-yüan ts'ung-k'o, first series (1925), by his disciple, Hsü K'o 徐珂 (T. 仲可). But Li was best known as a student of Mongol history which he studied under the influence of Shêng-yü [q. v.]. He obtained a sound text of the Yüan-ch'ao pi-shih (see under Ku Kuang-ch'i) which had been owned by Chang Tun-jên (see under Ku Kuang-ch'i) and also made a copy of a similar text collated by Ku Kuang-ch'i and in the possession of Shêng-yü. With these texts he collated and annotated the corrupt text of the Yüan-ch'ao pi-shih printed by Chang Mu [q. v.], but, because of his inability to read the Mongol language, he was not able to consult that important section in Mongol which is transcribed phonetically with Chinese characters. His work was printed after his death in two collectanea: Chien-hsi ts'un-shê ts'ung-k'o (see under Yüan Ch'ang) and 皇朝藩屬輿地叢書 Huang-ch'ao Fan-shu yü-ti ts'ung-shu (1903). A supplement by Kao Pao-ch'üan was published in 1902 under the title 元祕史李注補正 Yüan pi-shih Li-chu pu-chêng. As a result of these studies Li left three other works which were printed in the Ling-chien ko ts'ung-shu (see under Ho Ch'iu-t'ao): 西遊錄注 Hsi-yu lu chu, 1 chüan, comments on extant fragments of the Hsi-yu lu (1227) by Yeh-lü Ch'u-ts'ai 耶律楚材 (T. 晉卿, 1190–1244), a work consisting of descriptions of Central Asia based on experiences during the Mongol conquest of 1219–27; 和林金石錄 Ho-lin chin-shih lu, 1 chüan with appendix, a collection of inscriptions on stone in Karakorum; and annotations on the Shuo-fang pei-shêng by Ho Ch'iu-t'ao [q. v.]. Two supplements to the Hsi-yu lu chu, one by Fan Chin-shou 范金壽 and the other by Chang Hsiang-wên 張相文 (T. 蔚西, 1867–1933), were printed in the Chü-hsüeh hsüan ts'ung-shu (see under Liu Jui-fên) and the 地學叢書 Ti-hsüeh ts'ung-shu, second series (1921), respectively. The Ho-lin chin-shih lu was annotated and reprinted by Lo Chên-yü (see under Chao Chih-ch'ien) in his 遼居雜箸 Liao-chü tsa-chu, first series (1929).
[11/447/1b; 2/58/53b; 6/4/22a; Shun-tê hsien-chih (1929) 19/3b; 佛山忠義鄉志 Fo-shan Chung-i-hsiang chih (1921) 14/39b; Nien-p'u of K'ang Yu-wei in 史學年報 Shih-hsüeh nien-pao, vol. II, no. 1 (1934); Preface to the Jingisukan Jitsuroku (see under Shêng-yü); Pelliot, T'oung Pao, 1913, pp. 131–32; Ch'ên Po-t'ao 陳伯陶, 瓜廬文賸 Kua-lu wên-shêng, 4/42a.]
LI Yü 李漁 (T. 笠翁, 謫凡, H. 笠道人, 隨菴主人), 1611–1680?, dramatist, poet, and essayist, came from a family whose ancestral home was in Lan-ch'i, Chekiang, but he himself was born in Ju-kao, Kiangsu. On receiving his hsiu-ts'ai degree, about the year 1635, he competed several times in the provincial examination, but failed to qualify. With the collapse of the Ming régime (1644) he abandoned all political ambitions and devoted his life to writing. Dependent entirely on his pen to support a household of forty members, he was compelled to seek the patronage of high officials, and for that purpose travelled over every part of China except the southwestern provinces. Wherever he went he presented himself as a literary guest, producing plays which were performed in the houses of high officials by a troupe of singing girls which he maintained.
The turmoil of the last few years of the Ming dynasty was for Li Yü a source of much poverty and affliction. For two years (ca. 1645) he lived without satisfactory prospects in the office of Hsü Hsi-ts'ai 許檄彩, sub-prefect of Chin-hua-fu, Chekiang, and sometime after 1647 he sold his retreat, I-shan pieh-yeh 伊山別業, covering a hillock of a hundred mou west of his home village in Lan-ch'i, and moved to Hangchow where he took the sobriquet Hu-shang li-wêng 湖上笠翁, "Fisherman of the Lake" (i.e. West Lake).
In 1657, or shortly thereafter, Li Yü made his first journey to Peking. Upon his return to Central China he settled near the South Gate, Nanking, where he built the so-called Mustard
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