Xie Jin (mandarin)

Not to be confused with Xie Jin (painter).

In this Chinese name, the family name is  Xie.

Xie Jin

Portrait of Xie Jin by Gu Jianlong

Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy
In office
1404–1407
Monarch| Yongle
Senior Grand Secretary
In office
1402–1407
Monarch| Yongle
Preceded by| Huang Huai (acting)
Succeeded by| Hu Guang
Grand Secretary
In office
1402–1407
Monarch| Yongle
Personal details
Born| 1369
present-day Jishui County, Ji'an
Died| 1415 (aged 45-46)
Nationality| Chinese
Education| juren degree in the provincial examination held by Jiangxi province (1387)
jinshi degree (1388)
Occupation| Calligrapher, poet, politician
Courtesy name| Dashen (大紳)
Art name| Chunyu (春雨)
Posthumous name| Wenyi (文毅)
Signature|
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese| 解縉
Simplified Chinese| 解缙
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Xiè Jìn

Civil and honorary titles

* Hanlin Chancellor (翰林學士), and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Left Secretariat of the Heir Apparent (左春坊大學士)

Xie Jin (1369–1415), courtesy name Dashen, art name Chunyu, was a Chinese scholar-official, painter, and calligrapher during the Ming dynasty. He served as Grand Secretary during the reign of the Yongle Emperor from 1402 to 1407. However, his career was cut short due to the animosity of the emperor's younger son, Zhu Gaoxu. In 1411, Xie Jin was removed from office, arrested, and ultimately killed after spending several years in prison.

Xie Jin was born in 1369 in Jishui zhou, Ji'an lu (present-day Jishui County, Ji'an, Jiangxi) in Jiangxi province.[1] He came from a family with a long-standing tradition of government service; his father, Xie Kai (解開, 1312–1398), was a member of the educated gentry, and two of his father's brothers served in the Ming government. Xie Jin showed exceptional aptitude for Confucian studies as a child, and in 1387, he passed the provincial civil service examinations.[1] The following year, at a remarkably young age, he passed the highest level of examinations, known as the palace examination, and was awarded the rank of jinshi.[2] Xie Jin's older brother, Xie Jing (解經, 1343–1411), also achieved the same rank through the palace examination.[1]

After this, Xie Jin was appointed to a position in the central administration (Secretariat Drafter, 中書舍人, Zhongshu Sheren). He quickly caught the attention of the Hongwu Emperor with his extensive knowledge and literary abilities.[1] However, his confidence in the emperor's favor led to him becoming overly critical and bordering on arrogant, which caused displeasure among his superiors. As a result, the emperor transferred him to the Censorate[3] and sent him back to his hometown in June 1391, with a condition that he could not seek public service for ten years. In the summer of 1399, after the Hongwu Emperor's death, Xie Jin was able to secure a modest position (Hanlin Attendant, the lowest rank—9b) at Hanlin Academy. However, he failed to impress his superiors and felt undervalued.[4]

The turning point in Xie Jin's career came with the accession of the Yongle Emperor in the summer of 1402. He is believed to have authored the proclamation announcing the Yongle Emperor's accession to the throne, which helped him gain favor with the new ruler.[5] In August 1402, the Yongle Emperor appointed him as his Grand Secretary, making him the first of seven Grand Secretaries since the end of 1402. He was considered the most talented and influential among them.[2] Within a few months, he went from being an insignificant official to one of the monarch's closest advisors.[5] In addition to managing the regular administration, he also played a key role in promoting the Yongle Emperor's policies in education and culture. He was heavily involved in revising the Taizu Shilu (Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu, i.e. the Hongwu Emperor), which aimed to substantiate and justify the Yongle Emperor's claim to the throne.[6] He also participated in the compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia and, in 1404, along with his colleague Grand Secretary Huang Huai, he oversaw the official examinations in the capital (Nanjing). In May of the same year, he became the head of the Imperial University.[7]

In addition to his high political position, he also gained recognition as a poet and was considered a leading representative of the so-called "cabinet style poetry".[8] His calligraphy was highly admired for its perfection, and he was also known for his expertise in genealogy and history. He was appreciated for his classic yet fresh literary style.[9]

In 1404, Xie Jin strongly advocated for the appointment of the emperor's eldest son, Zhu Gaochi, as the crown prince.[10] As a result, the Grand Secretaries began working closely with the crown prince, while also facing animosity from the emperor's second son, Zhu Gaoxu. In the spring of 1407, Zhu Gaoxu accused Xie Jin of favoring Jiangxi natives in the examinations[11] and because Xie Jin also opposed the war in Vietnam, he was demoted (from the 5a to the 4b rank) and sent to Guangxi as an assistant to the head of a provincial administrative office.[10] The following year, he was transferred even further south to Jiaozhi Province (conquered Đại Việt, present-day northern Vietnam).[12] Xie Jin returned to the capital three years later, in early 1411, where he was received by the crown prince while the emperor was in the north.[11] However, Zhu Gaoxu saw this reception as a violation of the rules and had Xie Jin arrested in June 1411. His family were deported to Liaodong.[12] He was murdered by Embroidered Uniform Guard in 1415.[10]

After the death of the Yongle Emperor, Xie Jin was gradually rehabilitated. In 1424, his family was able to return from exile,[12] and in 1436, they regained their confiscated property. In 1465, the Chenghua Emperor officially rehabilitated Xie Jin, and in January 1591, the Wanli Emperor posthumously honored him with the name Wenyi (文毅) as an expression of extraordinary recognition.[9]

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Chan (2005), p. 75.
2. ^ a b Tsai (2002), p. 97.
3. ^ Chan (2005), p. 76.
4. ^ Chan (2005), p. 77.
5. ^ a b Chan (2005), p. 78.
6. ^ Chan (2005), p. 68, 70 and 83.
7. ^ Chan (2005), pp. 79–80.
8. ^ Bryant (2001), p. 401.
9. ^ a b Chan (2005), p. 82.
10. ^ a b c Dreyer (1982), p. 214.
11. ^ a b Tsai (2002), p. 99.
12. ^ a b c Chan (2005), p. 81.

### Works cited

[edit]

* Chan, Hok-Lam (2005). "Xie Jin (1369-1415) as Imperial Propagandist: His Role in the Revisions of the "Ming Taizu Shilu"". T'oung Pao. Second Series. 91 (1/3): 58–124.
* Tsai, Shih-Shan Henry (2002). Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle. University of Washington Press; Combined Academic. ISBN 0295981245.
* Bryant, Daniel (2001). "Poetry of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries". In Mair, Victor H (ed.). The Columbia History of Chinese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 399–409. ISBN 0-231-10984-9.
* Dreyer, Edward L. (1982). Early Ming China: a political history, 1355-1435. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-1105-4.

Political offices

Preceded by

Huang Huai
(Acting)

|  Senior Grand Secretary
1402 – 1407  | Succeeded by

Hu Guang

* v
* t
* e

Senior Grand Secretaries of the Ming dynasty

Yongle era|

* Huang Huai (acting)
* Xie Jin
* Hu Guang
* Yang Rong

Hongxi and Xuande eras|

* Yang Shiqi

Zhengtong era|

* Yang Shiqi
* Yang Pu
* Cao Nai
* Chen Xun

Jingtai era|

* Chen Xun

Tianshun era|

* Chen Xun
* Gao Gu (acting)
* Xu Youzhen
* Xu Bin
* Li Xian

Chenghua era|

* Li Xian
* Chen Wen
* Li Xian
* Chen Wen
* Peng Shi
* Shang Lu
* Wan An
* Liu Ji

Hongzhi era|

* Liu Ji
* Xu Pu
* Liu Jian

Zhengde era|

* Liu Jian
* Li Dongyang
* Yang Tinghe
* Liang Chu
* Yang Tinghe

Jiajing era|

* Yang Tinghe
* Jiang Mian
* Mao Ji
* Fei Hong
* Yang Yiqing
* Fei Hong
* Yang Yiqing
* Zhang Cong
* Zhai Luan
* Zhang Fujing
* Fang Xianfu
* Zhang Fujing
* Li Shi
* Xia Yan
* Gu Dingchen (acting)
* Xia Yan
* Zhai Luan
* Xia Yan
* Zhai Luan
* Yan Song
* Xia Yan
* Yan Song
* Xu Jie

Longqing era|

* Xu Jie
* Li Chunfang
* Gao Gong
* Zhang Juzheng

Wanli era|

* Zhang Juzheng
* Zhang Siwei
* Shen Shixing
* Wang Jiaping
* Zhao Zhigao
* Wang Xijue
* Zhao Zhigao
* Shen Yiguan
* Zhu Geng
* Li Tingji
* Ye Xianggao
* Fang Congzhe

Taichang era|

* Fang Congzhe
* Liu Yizhu

Tianqi era|

* Liu Yizhu
* Ye Xianggao
* Han Kuang
* Zhu Guozhen
* Gu Bingqian
* Huang Liji
* Shi Fenglai

Chongzhen era|

* Shi Fenglai
* Li Guopu
* Lai Zongdao
* Zhou Daodeng
* Han Kuang
* Li Biao
* Cheng Jiming
* Zhou Tingru
* Wen Tiren
* Zhang Zhifa
* Kong Zhenyun
* Liu Yuliang
* Xue Guoguan
* Fan Fucui
* Zhang Sizhi (acting)
* Zhou Tingru
* Chen Yan
* Jiang Dejing (acting)
* Wei Zaode
* Li Jiantai (acting)

Southern Ming regimes|

* Shi Kefa
* Gao Hongtu
* Ma Shiying
* Huang Daozhou
* Lu Zhenfei
* Ding Kuichu
* Fang Fengniana
* Ke Xiaqing (acting)a
* Li Zhichun (acting)a
* Xiong Rulina
* Ma Silia
* Zhang Kentanga
* Shen Chenquana
* Qu Shisi (acting)
* Wu Bing
* Qu Shisi (acting)
* Yan Qiheng
* Huang Shijun
* Yan Qiheng
* Wen Anzhi
* Wu Zhenyu
* Ding Jishan
* Ma Jixiang
* Zhang Huangyan

aSenior Grand Secretaries of the Prince of Lu (魯) regime

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Korea

Artists|

* ULAN

People|

* Trove

Other|

* IdRef

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