Shen Qiyuan (沈起元)

Overview

Shen Qiyuan was an official and Scholar.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Zida	子大	Zida

Life and dates

Death

Natural · deathbed speech recorded
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 46

Attested activity

AD 1742 乾隆七年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 35
AD 1744 乾隆九年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 43
AD 1737 乾隆二年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 29
AD 1748 乾隆十三年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 44
AD 1721 康熙六十年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 4
AD 1735 高宗即位
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 28

Career and standing

Hanlin bachelor 庶吉士
AD 1721 康熙六十年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 4
vice commissioner of the Jiangxi courier-and-salt circuit 江西驛鹽道副使
AD 1735 高宗即位 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 28
prefect 知府
Appointed · At Fujian 福建
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 5
principal clerk in the Ministry of Personnel 吏部主事
Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 4
judicial commissioner of Henan 河南按察使
AD 1737 乾隆二年 · Promoted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 29
vice department director 員外郎
Promoted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 5

Show 5 more source-backed claims

administration commissioner of Zhili 直隸布政使
AD 1742 七年 · Transferred
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 35
minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments 光祿寺卿
AD 1744 九年 · Transferred
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 43
Entered
AD 1748 十三年 · Retired
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 44
Entered
Resigned
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 27
Suffered
Demotion · Details demoted four ranks · Authority Pan Tifeng (潘體豐)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 27

Places and affiliations

At Taicang, Jiangnan 江南太倉
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 3
At Fuzhou 福州 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 6
At Taiwan 台灣 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 20
At Xinghua 興化 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 6

Learning and skills

Earned
AD 1721 康熙六十年 · Credential Presented Scholar 進士
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 4

Works and attributed material

Zhangshan Record 章善錄
Relation Compiler
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 34
Speech · Speaker · Extent s0016, s0017, s0018
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passages 16-18
Speech · Speaker · Extent s0040, s0041
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passages 40-41
Speech · Speaker · Extent s0046, s0047
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passages 46-47
罪在主者，餘不足問也。
Report · Author
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 9
Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passages 31, 37

Events and relationships

Abolished irregular levies
Administrative · Acting customs head
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 10
Blocked impeachments
Political · Opponent of impeachment · With Gao Bin (高斌)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passages 40-42
Held fair course
AD 1723 to AD 1735 世宗時 · Administrative · Investigator response
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 7
Restored academies
Educational · Director · With Yartu (雅爾圖)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 33
Set land tax policy
Administrative · Policy maker · At Taiwan 台灣
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passages 25-26
Settled refugees
Disaster relief · Administrator · At Henan 河南
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passages 30-32

Show 3 more source-backed claims

Stopped extortion
Administrative · Enforcer · With Chang An (常安)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passages 11-12
Urged early relief
Disaster relief · Advocate · With Gao Bin (高斌)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 36
Relation Subordinate of · Person Gao Qisuo (高其倬)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 6

Assessments and attributes

Assessment cultivated integrity from youth; later secluded with Confucian study · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 45
Assessment deep in classical learning; maintained fairness under severe court governance · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 300, passage 231

References in the histories

Search passages

History

17 passages

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 300Volume 300 Biographies 87: Chen Qi Yuan, He Shijian, Tang Jizu, Ma Weihan, Yu Dian, Wang Yezi, Liu Erwei · 17 passages

Open chapter

沈起元何師儉唐繼祖馬維翰餘甸王葉滋劉而位 Shen Qiyuan, He Shijian, Tang Jizu, Ma Weihan, Yu Dian, Wang Yezi, and Liu Erwei

沈起元，字子大，江南太倉人。 Shen Qiyuan, whose courtesy name was Zida, came from Taicang in Jiangnan.

時世宗聞福建倉穀虧空，遣廣東巡撫楊文乾等往按，被劾者半，受代者爭為煩苛，起元獨持平。 When the Yongzheng Emperor learned that Fujian's granary accounts showed large shortfalls, he sent Guangdong governor Yang Wenqian and others to investigate. Half of those investigated were impeached, and their successors competed to be harsh and troublesome—only Qiyuan remained fair and even-handed.

起元責兩人而釋其餘，報曰：「罪在主者，餘不足問也。」 Qiyuan punished the two ringleaders and released the others, reporting: "The offense rests with the leaders; the rest do not warrant inquiry."

起元聞，立督收稅如額，令商舶行，白常安斥奴。 On hearing this, Qiyuan at once enforced full tax collection, allowed the merchant fleet to sail, and reported to Chang An to have the servant expelled.

起元曰：「人之生死，貨之利鈍，皆無常，戚里豈能預料？ Qiyuan objected: "Whether a man lives or dies, whether goods prosper or fail—all is unforeseeable. How can relatives predict such outcomes?

起元令著籍者仍舊額，丈出者視內地下則。 Qiyuan ruled that land already on the registers should keep its old assessment, while newly measured holdings would be taxed at the interior lower grade.

起元在福州，以辨冤獄忤按察使潘體豐，體豐中以他事，鐫四級，遂告歸。 In Fuzhou he had offended judicial intendant Pan Tifeng by righting a wrongful conviction; Tifeng found another pretext to demote him four ranks, and Qiyuan then resigned and went home.

高宗即位，起江西驛鹽道副使。 When the Qianlong Emperor took the throne, Qiyuan was recalled as vice commissioner of the Jiangxi courier-and-salt circuit.

起元謂：「民飢且死，奈何止其他徙？」 Qiyuan protested: "The people are starving to death—how can you block them from seeking refuge elsewhere?"

巡撫雅爾圖檄府縣修書院，以起元總其事，乃教群士省身克己之學。 Governor Yartu directed local governments to restore academies and placed Qiyuan in overall charge; he instructed the scholars in the discipline of inward scrutiny and moral self-restraint.