[186] Chu Kuei-chên 朱桂楨 (T. 幹臣 H. 璞庵, 覺修), 1767-1839, official, was a native of Shangyüan (Nanking). His grandfather, Chu Lan 朱瀾 (T. 向源 H. 安齋) served for many years as an official in Chihli, finally rising to be intendant of the Ch'ing-ho Circuit at Paoting (1786-89, 1790). His father, Chu Hsü-tsêng 朱續會 (T.序之 H. 芝園 d. 1824), served as a magistrate in the provinces of Hupeh, Shantung, and Kansu, finally rising to be prefect of T'ai-p'ing-fu in Kwangsi. Chu Kuei-chên was a chü-jên of 1788 and a chin-shih of 1799. He served as a secretary in the Board of Civil Offices, rising to be a department director, and then a censor. In 1816 he was appointed prefect of Chên-yüan-fu in Kweichow, and later served as intendant of the T'ung-Shang Circuit in Shênsi (1820-22), as provincial judge of Chekiang (1822), and as financial commissioner of Kansu (1822) and of Shantung (1823-24). In September 1824 he was promoted to be governor of Shansi, but in the same month was obliged to retire, owing to the [187] death of his father. After the period of mourning he returned to Peking, and for a time (1827-29) served as superintendent of the Government Granaries at the capital. In 1829 he was made director-general of Grain Transport. In 1830 Chu was sent to Canton as governor of Kwangtung, a post he held for three years (1830-33). These were the last years of the monopoly of English trade at Canton by the East India Company and were comparatively quiet, so far as relations with foreigners at Canton, were concerned. Chu left in 1833 owing to illness and spent the remainder of his life at Nanking. It was after he left that the monopoly of the East India Company at Canton was abolished (1834) and the English sought to place the trade on another footing. The result was the war of 1839-42 (see under Lin Tse-hsü). Chu lived to hear of the beginning of hostilities, for he died late in 1839. He was given the posthumous name, Chuang-k'o 莊恪. [ 1/387,/6b; 3/199/la; 5/23/lOb; 7/24/lOb; 金陵通傳 Chin-ling t'ung-chuan, 25/7a.] FANG CHAO-YING |