Shen Bingyuan (沈炳垣)

Overview

Shen Bingyuan was an official and Scholar.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Ziqing	紫卿	Ziqing
Posthumous name	Wenjie	文節	Wenjie

Life and dates

Death

AD 1857 to AD 1858 八月
Dismembered and burned after plot leaked
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 244

Attested activity

AD 1857 七年春
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 235
AD 1857 八月
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 241
AD 1854 咸豐四年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 232
AD 1845 道光二十五年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 231

Career and standing

literary official without territorial charge 文學之臣，職非守土
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 265
bachelor of the Hanlin Academy 庶吉士
AD 1845 道光二十五年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 231
compiler 編修
Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 231
educational commissioner of Guangxi 廣西學政
AD 1854 咸豐四年 · Held
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 232
Advisor of the Heir Apparent (zhongyun) 中允
Transferred
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 231
posthumous academician of the Grand Secretariat 內閣學士
Granted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 246

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special shrine in Guilin 建專祠桂林
Granted · At Guilin 桂林
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 246

Places and affiliations

Polity Qing 清 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 231
At Haiyan, Zhejiang 浙江海鹽
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 230
AD 1857 七年春
At Wuzhou 梧州 · Relation Traveled to
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 238
AD 1854 咸豐四年
At Guangxi 廣西 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 232

Learning and skills

Earned
AD 1845 道光二十五年 · Credential metropolitan graduate 進士
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 231

Works and attributed material

Requested pincer attack on city
Letter · Author · With Liu Changyou (劉長佑)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 243

Events and relationships

Completed examinations
AD 1857 七年春 · Examination · Examiner · At Nanning 南寧
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 235
Declared city defensible
Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 236
Discussed war and defense with governor
AD 1854 咸豐四年 · Military · Planner · With Lao Chongguang (勞崇光)
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 234
Held city three days and nights after donating salary
AD 1857 七年春 · Military · Defender · At Nanning 南寧
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 399, passages 236-237
Led desperate defense three months
AD 1857 七年春 · Military · Commander · With Chen Ruizhi (陳瑞枝) · At Wuzhou 梧州
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 239
Refused escort out though not territorial official
Military · Defender · At Wuzhou 梧州
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 240

Show 3 more source-backed claims

Seized and treated considerately then cursed rebels
AD 1857 八月 · Capture · Captive
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passages 241-242
Swallowed poison but did not die
AD 1857 八月 · Suicide attempt · Captive · At Wuzhou 梧州
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 241
Relation Colleague of · Person Lao Chongguang (勞崇光)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 234

Assessments and attributes

Assessment died in terrible circumstances; court rewards for loyalty were generous · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 265
Assessment greatly valued · Mode named-person-judgment Source Person Id Lao Chongguang (勞崇光)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 399, passage 234

References in the histories

Search passages

History

9 passages

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 399Volume 399 Biographies 186: Lv Xianji, Zou Minghe, Dai Xi, Tang Yifen, Zhang Fei, Huang Cong, Tao Tingjie, Feng Peiyuan, Sun Mingen, Shen Bingyuan, Zhang Xigeng · 9 passages

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沈炳垣，字紫卿，浙江海鹽人。 Shen Bingyuan, styled Ziqing, was from Haiyan in Zhejiang.

炳垣至，與巡撫勞崇光議戰守策，崇光深器之。 When Bingyuan arrived he discussed plans for war and defense with Governor Lao Chongguang, who greatly valued him.

炳垣倡言城險可保，條列守禦法，捐俸濟餉，守三晝夜。 Bingyuan declared that the city's terrain made it defensible, laid out detailed plans for defense, donated his salary to support the troops, and held the city for three days and nights.

艇匪陳開等眾數万突來犯，炳垣率知府陳瑞枝等嬰城固守，凡三閱月，糧盡援絕。 Boat bandits led by Chen Kai and others, numbering tens of thousands, suddenly attacked. Bingyuan led Prefect Chen Ruizhi and others in a desperate defense of the city for three full months until grain ran out and relief was cut off.

官吏以炳垣無守土責，遣兵衛之出，炳垣不可。 Officials, saying Bingyuan had no duty to hold territory, sent troops to escort him out, but he refused.

炳垣罵賊，求死不得。 Bingyuan cursed the rebels but could not obtain death.

有老卒睹炳垣慘死狀，走省城首於官。 An old soldier who witnessed Bingyuan's horrific death ran to the provincial capital and reported it to the authorities.

贈內閣學士，諡文節，建專祠桂林。 He was posthumously made academician of the Grand Secretariat, given the posthumous title Wenjie, 'Cultured Integrity,' and a special shrine was built for him in Guilin.

馮培元、孫銘恩、沈炳垣、張錫庚，文學之臣，職非守土，死皆慘烈，朝廷報忠之典悉從優渥，固不以成敗論已。 Feng Peiyuan, Sun Mingen, Shen Bingyuan, and Zhang Xigeng were literary officials whose duties did not include holding territory; all died in terrible circumstances, yet the court's rewards for loyalty were altogether generous, for loyalty is not judged by success or failure alone.