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Author: Li Zhi (Yuan Dynasty), compiled by Liu Dequan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1995-02-01
Features:
Li Zhi, courtesy name Renqing, styled Jingqi, was a native of Langcheng, Zhending (now Langcheng, Hebei). He passed the imperial examination in poetry and prose in the seventh year of the Zhengda era of the Jin Dynasty (1230) and was appointed as a low-level official in Gaoling. Later, he was assigned as an assistant magistrate of Junzhou. Due to war, he wandered between Xinxian and Guo, and once resided in places like Taiyuan. Despite his turbulent life, he never ceased to study or recite, achieving profound knowledge. In the second year of the Zhiyuan era of Kublai Khan (1265), he was summoned and appointed as a Hanlin Academician. He died at home in the sixteenth year of the Zhiyuan era (1279) at the age of eighty-eight. In addition to Jingqi Gugjin Mu, he also wrote Jingqi Wenji (40 volumes), Bishu Congxue (12 volumes), Fansuo (40 volumes), Ce Yuan Haijing (12 volumes), and Yigu Yandan (30 volumes).
Regarding his name, many historical books have recorded it as "Li Zhi," such as Biographies of Famous Officials of the Yuan Dynasty, Biography of Li Zhi in the History of the Yuan Dynasty, Yonglang Dadian, General Catalogue of the Siku Quanshu, and Catalogue of Books in the Ba Song Building. Ke Shaomin in New History of the Yuan Dynasty stated that Li Zhi's original name was Zhi, which he later changed. However, neither explanation is conclusive. Shi Guoqi (styled Beiyuan, active during the Qianlong and Daoguang eras) pointed out in Ligeng Tang Congshuo that "Renqing was born in Gengzi of the Dading era, and in Gengjin of the Zhizheng era, he passed the imperial examination at the age of fifty-one. He was appointed as a magistrate of Gaoling and later assigned as an assistant magistrate of Junzhou. After the fall of the Jin Dynasty, he crossed the border and engaged in secret calculations, maintaining moral integrity and literary excellence throughout his life. Even in his old age, he did not waver. As seen in his letters to the Hanlin Academician during the Zhongtong era, his true intentions were clear: he was a strong advocate of the Jin Dynasty's imperial examinations and a pioneer in the reform of the calendar during the Yuan Dynasty. In life, he was a contemporary of Wang Huna and Li Zhuangjing as a (surviving scholar of the Jin Dynasty), and in death, he was enshrined alongside Yang Wenyan and Zhao Xianqin in the Temple of the Four Virtuous Scholars. Alas! His scholarship and character were so outstanding—why did later generations fail to recognize him and mistakenly changed his name, calling him Zhi as Zhi, confusing him with the female Taoist priest Li Jilan, who was morally corrupt and lacked substance? How tragic! His words and name are all preserved here, and if they could be published and shared with the world, it would be a great blessing to future scholars, allowing those who cling to fragments and limitations to see the complete picture. How beneficial would that be?"