Xie Jin
Editor-in-chief of the Yongle Encyclopedia; he offended Zhu Di in the dispute over the succession and froze to death in the snow.
Life
Young prodigy
Xie Jin, a native of Jishui, passed the jinshi exam at nineteen. Famed as a man of talent and outspoken, he once submitted a ten-thousand-word memorial criticizing Zhu Yuanzhang for excessive punishments.
Yongle Encyclopedia
After Zhu Di took the throne, Xie joined the Wenyuan Pavilion and took part in confidential affairs, making him one of the earliest members of the Ming Grand Secretariat. He also oversaw compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia, which gathered seven to eight thousand books from ancient and modern times.
Wrongfully killed in the snow
On the question of the succession he backed the crown prince Zhu Gaochi, offending Zhu Gaoxu, Prince of Han, and was repeatedly demoted. He was imprisoned in 1410, and in 1415 the Embroidered Uniform Guard got him drunk and buried him in the snow, where he froze to death.
Legacy
The Yongle Encyclopedia compiled under Xie Jin's direction is the largest encyclopedia of ancient China and preserves a great many works that are otherwise lost.
Major works & achievements
- Oversaw compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia
Did you know? Folk tradition has many legends about "Scholar Xie" cleverly matching couplets.
Key dates
- 1388Passed the jinshi exam
- 1402Joined the Wenyuan Pavilion
- 1403Oversaw compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia
- 1410Imprisoned
- 1415Froze to death in the snow