Zhao Shunsun

Life

Having passed the presented-scholar examination, he served successively as Proofreader in the Palace Library, Collator, Palace Library Secretary, Assistant Prefect of Wuzhou, professor in the prefectural school of Taiping, professor in the prefectural school of Lin'an, and Professor to the Jingxian Crown Prince; he later held the offices of Right Remonstrator, Left Remonstrator, Investigating Censor, Palace Censor, Censor, Director of the Imperial Academy, Vice Minister of Personnel, Minister, and Vice Councillor. Other titles included Imperial Stable Attendant in the Palace Department, Grand Master, Transport Commissioner, Supervisor of Palace Temples, Prefect of a zhou, Prefect of a fu, Reader, Lecturer, Lecturer in the Chongzheng Hall, Academician of the Duanming Hall, Grand Academician of the Zizheng Hall, Associate Director and Joint Associate Director of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Academician-in-waiting of the Xianwen Hall, Joint Compiler of National History, and Joint Compiler in the Veritable Records Institute; he was also ennobled as a Founding Duke.

In the appointments with recorded years, he was prefect of Pingjiang from 1268 to 1269 and prefect of Fuzhou from 1274 to 1275; he remained Pacification Commissioner of Fujian Circuit through 1275. He held the rank of Chaosan lang and the title Academician-in-waiting of Xianwen Hall in 1268. He was regarded as a good and model official and was praised for being studious, having a strong memory, and being broadly learned; he was also credited with founding an academy, charitable school, or family school.

Family and associations

His great-grandfather was Zhao Ji, his grandfather Zhao Zhen, and his father Zhao Lei; his wife was a woman of the Hu clan, and he had sons Zhao Gong, Zhao Jin, and Zhao Hua, as well as a daughter recorded as Zhao. His sons-in-law included Lü Ji and Ye Keda; the recorded husbands of granddaughters included Fang Fengchen, Chen Kui, Ying Dagui, Chen Zhang, Hu Heng, Chen Yunde, and Du Long.

His grandsons included Zhao Gui, Zhao Nan, Zhao Ji, Zhao Di, Zhao Quan, and two men whose personal names are unspecified; eight granddaughters are listed, six identified through the names of their husbands as Chen Kui, Ye Keda, Ying Dagui, Chen Zhang, Hu Heng, and Du Long, while two are listed only as Zhao. Among his associations, Huang Mengyan was a fellow successful candidate in the same examination year; Gao Side wrote a postscript to one of his books, while Liu Zai supplied a poem, note, or name for a building connected with him.

Works

Titles associated with him include Zhongxing mingchen yanxing lu (《中興名臣言行錄》), Gezhai ji (《格齋集》), and Jinsi lu jingyi (《近思錄精義》); Sishu zuanshu (《四書纂疏》), in twenty-six juan, is listed as a work he authored.