Sun Shiyi Explained

Sun Shiyi
Office:Grand Councillor
Term Start:1789
Term End:1789
Office1:Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Library
Term Start1:1792
Term End1:1796
Office2:Assistant Grand Secretary
Term Start2:1791
Term End2:1792
Office3:Viceroy of Sichuan
Term Start3:1795
Term End3:1796
Predecessor3:Helin
Successor3:Funing
Term Start4:1789
Term End4:1790
Predecessor4:Li Shijie
Successor4:Booning
Office5:Minister of Personnel
Term Start5:1791
Term End5:1792
Alongside5:Fuk'anggan
Predecessor5:Peng Yuanrui
Successor5:Liu Yong
Office6:Viceroy of Liangjiang
Term Start6:1790
Term End6:1791
Predecessor6:Fusong
Successor6:Changlin
Office7:Minister of War
Term Start7:1789
Term End7:1790
Alongside7:Qinggui
Predecessor7:Peng Yuanrui
Successor7:Li Shijie
Office8:Viceroy of Liangguang
Term Start8:1786
Term End8:1789
Predecessor8:Fulehun
Successor8:Fuk'anggan
Term Start9:1785
Term End9:1786
Predecessor9:Shuchang
Successor9:Fulehun
Birth Date:1720
Birth Place:Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Death Place:Laifeng County, Hubei

Sun Shiyi (Vietnamese: Tôn Sĩ Nghị; 1720  - 1796), courtesy name Zhizhi (Chinese: 智冶), pseudonym Bushan (Chinese: 補山), was an official of the Qing dynasty who served as the Viceroy of Liangguang[1] and of Liangjiang during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor.[2]

A native of Renhe (present-day Yuhang District, Zhejiang), as a youth, Sun was devoted to study and was said to have prevented drowsiness by knocking his head against a wall. Awarded a jinshi degree in the imperial examination in 1761, he was secretary to Fuheng during his Burmese expedition, and in 1770 had risen to be Treasurer of Guangxi, when he was cashiered for want of energy, and orders were given to confiscate his property. Struck with the fact that nothing was found to confiscate, the Qianlong Emperor re-employed him.

In 1788, as Viceroy of Liangguang, he invaded Annam and reinstalled the emperor Lê Chiêu Thống, who had fled in fear of the rebel Nguyễn Huệ. No sooner had the Chinese withdrawn than another revolution took place, and it was ultimately decided to leave Annam alone. He was sent to Sichuan to see the supplies of the army fighting in Tibet, into which country he advanced over terrible mountains as far as Chamdo. In 1792, on the conclusion of the war with Nepal, the suppression of the White Lotus Rebellion occupied his last days. His physical powers were marvellous, and he required hardly any sleep. He was a great collector of ancient inscriptions. He was ennobled as Duke Mouyong of the First Class (Chinese: 一等謀勇公).[3]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ownby, David . Brotherhoods and secret societies in early and mid-Qing China: the formation of a tradition . 1996 . . 978-0-8047-2651-1 . 111–113 . registration .
  2. Book: Truhart, Peter . Regents of nations: systematic chronology of states and their political representatives in past and present : a biographical reference book, Volume 3 . 2000 . . 978-3-598-21545-2 .
  3. Herbert Allen Giles, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary, p. 694. (1898).