Yang Shoujing

Yang Shoujing was a Chinese official, bibliophile, calligrapher, diplomat, geographer, and historian. He was born in 1839 in Lucheng Town, Yidu County, Hubei Province. He passed the provincial examination in 1862, but failed the imperial examination for the highest degree. He became friends with Pan Zuyin and Zhang Zhidong, who shared his passion for antiques. He was interested in geography and spent much of his life annotating Li Daoyuan's 6th-century work Commentary on the Water Classic. His knowledge in geography earned him a diplomatic post to Japan, where he purchased tens of thousands of ancient Chinese books from Japanese libraries and archives, many of which had become rare or lost in China. He also visited the Buddhist cave site at Dunhuang and other historic sites. He compiled the most complete and scholarly historical atlas of China during the Qing dynasty, Lidai yudi tu, commonly called the Yangtu ("Yang's atlas"). He also compiled the Song Huiyao Jigao, a collection of official documents from the Song dynasty. He served as the Minister of Justice under the Daoguang Emperor and was known for his integrity and loyalty. He was an accomplished calligrapher of the Stele School and became highly influential in Japan. He died in 1915 at the age of 75 in Beijing. His former residence and tomb in Yidu, Hubei are now protected as a Major National Historical and Cultural Site of China.