Xianqing's literary work gained him much fame during his lifetime. His poems and essays are later collected and edited into the "Tianyuanlou Ji"(天遠樓集).
Life
Native of Suzhou, Xu was born in a rich family of textile manufacturer.[1] His mother died when he was 12. He passed the final stages of the imperial exams and received his jinshi (進士) degree in 1568 and worked in the Hanlin Academy for many years. In 1584, he was appointed chief of Guozijian, the highest national central institution of the Empire.
In 1588, Xu asked two painters to draw the important events of his life. The painting folio, named Xu Xianqing Huanji Tu (Painting folio of Xu Xianqing's working career) is now in the Collections of the Palace Museum of Beijing. The folio contains vivid materials reflecting the ritual paraphernalia of the Ming court.[3]
Gallery
Xu's career No. 01 (孺慕聞聲): Xu's father dreaming about Xu's dead mother (Xu was 12)
Xu's career No. 02 (神占啟戶): Xu was 18
Xu's career No. 03 (郡尊折節): Funeral of Xu's father with presence of the magistrate and vice-magistrate of the profecture of Suzhou (Xu was 25)
Xu's career No. 04 (鹿鳴徹歌): Obtaining the Juren degree at the age of 31
Xu's career No. 05 (瓊林登第): Obtaining the Jinshi degree at the age of 32
Xu's career No. 06 (中秘讀書): Reading classical books in Hanlin Academy (Xu was 33)
Xu's career No. 07 (承明應制): Editing imperial regulations (Xu was 34)
