Wang Xiangqian (with variant dates of birth—c. 1544, 1546, or 1547, and death—after 1626, 1630, or 1631) was a political official of the Ming dynasty. His courtesy name was Zikuo; Jiyu is variously described as an alternative courtesy name or sobriquet. He was a native of Xincheng in Shandong; one account places his ancestral home at Daying, Zhucheng County, Shandong.
Life
His great-grandfather was Wang Lin, his grandfather Wang Chongguang, and his father Wang Zhiyuan; his mother was née Yu and his stepmother née Lu. His wife was née Bi and his second wife née Meng; the records also name eleven younger brothers: Wang Xiangjin, Wang Xiangchun, Wang Xiangmeng, Wang Xiangfeng, Wang Xiangliang, Wang Xiangyi, Wang Xiangben, Wang Xiangjie, Wang Xiangcui, Wang Xiangzhen, and Wang Xiangheng. His generation rank is given as “one.”
He passed the provincial examination in Longqing 4 (1571) and became a Presented Scholar in Longqing 5 (1572), ranking 232nd in the third class; the examination registers also give him the rank 170 among provincial recommended candidates and rank 2 as a shengyuan.
After becoming a Presented Scholar, he served as magistrate of Wenxi in Shanxi. In Wanli 5 (1577) he entered the Ministry of War as a secretary in the Military Selection Office, later serving in the Office of Strategic Planning and as director of the Military Selection Office; he then became prefect of Baoding, deputy commissioner in Henan, Henan right investigating commissioner, and right provincial administration commissioner of Shanxi by Wanli 20 (1592).
In Wanli 22 (1594) he became governor of Xuanfu, concurrently serving as right assistant censor, and was later promoted to vice chief censor; he held the Xuanfu governorship for seven years, during which the frontier remained quiet. He took over from Li Hualong to administer Bozhou and suppressed the Miao forces of Shaxi and Tongren. In Wanli 28 (1600) he became vice minister of War, changed to senior vice minister the following year, directed military affairs in Chuanhu and Guizhou, and concurrently governed Sichuan; in Wanli 36 (1608) he became chief censor and governor-general of Ji-Liao and Baoding.
In Wanli 40 (1612) he became Minister of War. His long defense of Ji-Liao and effective military administration made his reputation prominent across the Nine Border Regions; the additional title connected with the heir apparent is variously given as Taizi Taibao or Taizi Shaobao. He was promoted to Taizi Taifu in Tianqi 1 (1621), and later received the titles Shaofu, Shaoshi, and Taizi Taishi. He was again governor-general of Ji-Liao and Baoding from Tianqi 1 to 4 (1621–1624); amid renewed frontier troubles, he was recalled in Chongzhen 1 (1628) as governor-general of Xuanda and defeated Hunduntu. He remained in that office through Chongzhen 2 (1629), was later removed because of illness, and died in Chongzhen 3 (1631), although 1630 is also given; he was posthumously granted the title Grand Preceptor.
Correspondence
Wang Xiangqian received congratulatory messages from Huang Hui and Ye Xianggao, and letters from Mao Yuanyi, Sun Chengzong, Xiong Tingbi, Xing Tong, Wang Heng, Guo Zhengyu, Zhang Weixin, Liu Hongxun, and Zhu Yibin. He also received replies from Wei Dazhong, Sun Chengzong, Xiong Tingbi, Tang Xianzu, Xing Tong, Feng Qi, Wang Jiaping, Shen Shixing, Ding Bin, Ao Wenzhen, Ye Xianggao, and Yang Menggun. Gu Qiyuan wrote a preface to his poetry and prose, while Yu Shenxing composed a record for his shrine.
References
- CBDB Wang Xiangqian (65764)
- 搜韵 王象乾 (51285)
- 法鼓佛教人名规范数据库 王象乾 (A009579)
- Wikidata Wang Xiangqian (Q15915390)