1776 he was given the rank of archivist of the Imperial Academy, and during the succeeding three years was under the patronage of Chou Chên-jung 周震榮 (T. 青在, 筤谷, 1730–1792), who was assistant magistrate of Ch'ing-yüan and later (1777) became magistrate of Yung-ch'ing, Chihli. During this period Chang served as director of the Ting-wu (定武) Academy at Ting-chou (1777) and compiled a local gazetteer of Yung-ch'ing (1777–79). This work, entitled 永清縣志 Yung-ch'ing hsien-chih, 25 chüan, was published with supplements in 1813—a copy being in the Library of Congress.
Chang Hsüeh-ch'êng managed to obtain the degree of chü-jên in 1777 and of chin-shih in 1778, but failed to obtain official appointment. After residing for about a year (1779–80) with Liang Kuo-chih [q. v.] in Peking he went to Kaifeng, Honan, in search of a position, but failed, owing, it is said, to his contemptuous manner. On his way back to the capital he was robbed by highwaymen, not only of his personal effects but of the manuscript drafts on which he had worked for years. Clad only in a short garment, he sought refuge at the yamen of his fellow chin-shih, Chang Wei-ch'i 張維祺 (T. 吉甫, 雲湄), who was then magistrate of Fei-hsiang, Chihli. Through him Chang obtained temporary employment as lecturer in the Ch'ing-chang (清漳) Academy of that town. Returning to Peking early in 1782, Chang served as director of the Ching-shêng (敬勝) Academy at Yung-p'ing (1782–83) and then of the Lien-ch'ih (蓮池) Academy at Pao-ting (1784–87), Chihli. During this period he also took part (1783–84) in the compilation of a gazetteer of the Yung-ting river under the direction of Ch'ên Tsung 陳琮 (T. 華國, 蘊山), River Taotai of Yung-ting (1783–89). Though this work failed of publication the manuscript text, entitled 永定河志 Yung-ting-ho chih, 19 + 1 chüan, which was presented by Ch'ên Tsung to the throne, is preserved in the Palace Museum Library at Peiping. In 1787 Chang was forced to relinquish the directorship of the Lien-ch'ih Academy owing to the death of Liang Kuo-chih through whom he obtained it. But in the following year he became director of the Wên-chêng (文正) Academy at Kuei-tê, Honan. In 1789 he was in Po-chou, Anhwei, compiling the history of that place. Though this was a work after his own heart, it too failed of publication, and the drafts were lost. In 1790, at the call of Pi Yüan [q. v.], governor-general of Hupeh and Hunan, he went to Wuchang to engage in the compilation of a General Gazetteer of Hupeh Province, 湖北通志 Hupeh t'ung-chih. But four years later he resigned because of the transfer of Pi to Shantung and the antipathy of officials in the provincial office. Hence this edition of the gazetteer was not printed, but fragments of it have survived (see below). After 1795 Chang travelled from place to place in search of a patron, but failed to obtain one. In 1800 his eyesight became impaired and at the close of the following year he died in poverty.
The two most important extant works by Chang Hsüeh-ch'êng are the 文史通義 Wên-shih t'ung-i and its companion, the 校讐通義 Chiao-ch'ou t'ung-i—both collections of essays on the method and philosophy of history. He began them in 1772, but the drafts were stolen in 1781. Later he retrieved fragments which had been copied by friends, and supplemented them. In 1796 he published a part (16 essays) under the title, Wên-shih t'ung-i. About thirty years after his death (1833) his second son, Chang Hua-fu 章華紱 (T. 授史, 緒遷) printed the expanded text of the Wên-shih t'ung-i in 5 + 3 chüan, together with the Chiao-ch'ou t'ung-i, 3 chüan, on the basis of his father's manuscripts. This edition, popularly called 章氏遺書 Chang-shih i-shu, was later (1885) reprinted by Chang's grandson. Several other short works by him were printed in various ts'ung-shu. In 1920 a collection of his works was printed in 24 chüan by the Chekiang Provincial Library under the title Chang-shih i-shu and two years later (1922), a complete collection of his works was printed under the same title by the Chia-yeh t'ang (嘉業堂) Library on the basis of a manuscript copy of his original drafts, edited at his request by Wang Tsung-yen 王宗炎 (T. 以除, H. 穀塍, 1755–1826). This edition, consisting of two parts, 30 and 18 chüan, with a supplement of 2 chüan, contains the following works: the approved texts of the Wên-shih t'ung-i, 6 + 3 chüan, and of the Chiao-ch'ou t'ung-i, 3 + 1 chüan, 方志略例 Fang-chih lüeh-li, 2 chüan, a collection of essays on the method of compiling local gazetteers; Hupeh t'ung-chih chien-ts'un kao (檢存稿), 4 chüan, Hupeh t'ung-chih wei-ch'êng kao (未成稿), 1 chüan; Ho-chou chih, 3 chüan, and Yung-ting hsien-chih, 10 chüan—the last four being fragments of drafts of local gazeteers he compiled; his literary collection, 8 + 2 chüan, consisting chiefly of biographies and of letters in which he discussed historical matters with other scholars; and five other miscellaneous works on history.
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