1716), commissioner of education of Kiangsu; and in 1777 he was made a pa-kung, or senior licentiate of the first class. In 1783 he was again in Nanking assisting in the preparation of the account of Emperor Kao-tsung's trip to the South in 1780. This work, entitled 南巡盛典 Nan-hsün shêng-tien, in 100 chüan, compiled under Sa-tsai 薩載 (d. 1786, governor-general of Liang-Kiang, 1779–86), was presented to the throne in 1784, but apparently was never printed; the Palace Museum in Peiping possesses the original manuscript copy. While on a visit to Chu Kuei [q. v.] in Hangchow, early in 1787, Wang Chung was asked about the history of Kuang-ling (Chiang-tu). In reference to this inquiry he wrote a famous essay, entitled 廣陵 Kuang-ling tui, which he later expanded into a work, entitled Kuang-ling t'ung-tien (通典), 10 chüan, first printed in 1823. In 1789 he went to Wuchang, Hupeh, to join the secretarial staff of Pi Yüan [q. v.]. Upon his return home from Wuchang in the summer of the following year he was invited to check for accuracy that copy of the Ssŭ-k'u ch'üan-shu which was deposited in the Wên Tsung Ko at Chinkiang—other sets being deposited about the same year (1790) in the Wên Hui Ko at Yangchow and in the Wên Lan Ko at Hangchow (for details see under Chi Yün and Lu-fei Ch'ih). For about two years Wang Chung carried on this work in the Wên Tsung Ko and it seems that he also did the checking for the Wên Hui Ko at Yangchow. Meanwhile, in 1792, his collected prose, entitled 述學 Shu-hsüeh, in 4 chüan, (a supplement of 2 chüan was added later by his son), was first printed. The Shu-hsüeh is regarded highly by scholars, not only for its literary quality but for its contributions to many lines of scholarship, such as the classics, ancient philosophy and etymology. In 1794 he was invited to go to Hangchow to undertake similar work at the Wên Lan Ko. He set out for this new task on October 22, 1794, but died in Hangchow on December 11 at the age of fifty-one (sui).
Wang Chung produced several works which are not extant—among them a catalogue of his library, 問禮堂書目 Wên-li t'ang shu-mu, and an historical atlas of Nanking, 金陵地圖考 Chin-ling ti-t'u k'ao, which was probably never completed. He was a collector of inscriptions copied from stone and bronze, and of these he is said to have possessed a large number. He was also an accomplished calligrapher. It was once supposed by some critics of the novel, Ju-lin wai-shih (see under Wu Ching-tzŭ), that the character K'uang Ch'ao-jên 匡超人 of that novel refers to Wang Chung, but this identification is rejected by Hu Shih (see under Ts'ui Shu) in his nien-p u of Wu Ching-tzŭ [q. v.].
Wang Chung's only son, Wang Hsi-hsün 汪喜荀 (T. 孟慈, original ming 喜孫, 1786–1847, chü-jên of 1807), who was only nine sui when his father died, also achieved fame as a scholar. This son edited and printed his father's works and wrote several books himself, including a chronological biography of his father, entitled 汪容甫先生年譜 Wang Jung-fu hsien-shêng nien-p'u. The collectanea, 江都汪氏叢書 Chiang-tu Wang-shih ts'ung-shu, printed in 1915, contains 13 titles—8 by the father and 5 by the son.
[1/487/29; 3/420/37a; 4/134/7a; 20/4/00 (portrait); 29/6/11a; Yangchow fu-chih (1810) 51/37b; Ts'ang-shu chi-shih shih (see under P'an Tsu-yin) 5/50; Huang Hsien-chün, "The Life and Scholarly Activities of Wang Chung" (in Chinese) in Kuo-wên chou-pao (see bibl. under Ting Pao-chên) vol. 8, nos. 35, 36.]
WANG Ch'ung-chien 王崇簡 (T. 敬哉), Dec. 10, 1602–1678, Dec. 30, official, was a native of Wan-p'ing (Peking). He became a chin-shih in 1643 at the last of the civil service examinations held under the Ming dynasty. When Peking fell to the Manchus in the following year he moved his family to Kiangnan. Returning to the capital in 1645, he submitted to the new regime and in the ensuing year was made a bachelor in the Kuo-shih yüan 國史院. He became sub-chancellor of the Kuo-shih yuan in 1656 and his son, Wang Hsi [q. v.], was made sub-chancellor of the Hung-wên yüan 弘文院 in the following year—a rare coincidence in Chinese officialdom. In 1658 he became president of the Board of Ceremonies. Retiring in 1661, he spent the rest of his life in quiet seclusion, often making pleasure trips to the Western Hills outside the walls of Peking. His son built for him the famous "Garden of Felicity", or I-yüan 怡園, which was located in the southwestern part of Peking, outside the gate popularly known as Shun-chih Mên, in the street called Shêng-chiang hu-t'ung 繩匠胡同. This garden, planned by Chang Jan [q. v.], was a favorite topic for contemporary poets. He was canonized as Wên-chên 文貞. His literary collection, entitled 青箱堂集 Ch'ing-hsiang tang chi, printed in 1676 and reprinted in 1689, contains 33 chüan of verse, 12 chüan of essays, and 1 chüan consisting of an
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