Chen Junqing

Biography

Ancestral Roots and Imperial Examination Triumph Chen Junqing, courtesy name Yingqiu, was born in the third year of the Zhenghe era of Emperor Huizong of Song (1113) in Putian County, Xinghua Military Prefecture (modern Putian, Fujian Province). His family was an eminent literati house in central Fujian: his grandfather Chen Ren and father Chen Shen were celebrated regional philanthropists who routinely distributed grain from their own stores to starving peasants during flood and famine years. Endowed with natural gravity and austere dignity from his boyhood, Chen Junqing was disinclined to frivolous humor, dedicating himself with single-minded intensity to classical Confucian exegesis and historical statecraft. In the eighth year of the Shaoxing era under Emperor Gaozong (1138), the twenty-six-year-old Chen Junqing traveled to the Southern Song capital of Lin'an (modern Hangzhou) to sit for the metropolitan examinations. In both the Board of Rites examinations and the imperial palace examination before Emperor Gaozong, Chen presented sweeping, incisive treatises analyzing national defense, agrarian rehabilitation, and institutional ethics. He placed second in the supreme First Class, winning the coveted rank of Bangyan (Runner-up Laureate). The chief examiner, Hanlin Academician Yin Zhu, was astounded by his philosophical depth, officially reporting to the throne that Chen Junqing possessed "austere virtue and monumental vision, standing as a statesman capable of sustaining the imperial chancellorship." He commenced his career as Surveillance Judge of Quanzhou. ### Unyielding Defiance against Qin Hui and Sixteen Years of Obscurity During the early and middle Shaoxing era, Grand Chancellor Qin Hui held absolute despotic sway over the Southern Song government. Having orchestrated the execution of General Yue Fei and purged loyalist chancellors including Li Gang, Zhao Ding, and Hu Quan, Qin Hui enforced a reign of ideological terror, actively cultivating a sycophantic faction across the capital. Newly minted examination laureates and ambitious young officials routinely crowded Qin Hui's private mansion, presenting obsequious flattery to purchase rapid promotion. Chen Junqing viewed Qin Hui's appeasement policies and tyrannical nepotism with unmitigated disgust. Throughout his tenure in Quanzhou, Chen maintained immaculate judicial impartiality, refusing to dispatch a single private letter or gift to Qin's household. Infuriated by Chen's unbending refusal to submit, Qin Hui systematically retaliated: blocking every official recommendation for Chen's promotion, Qin relegated him to the obscure post of Professor of the Nanwai Muzong Imperial Clan Academy (overseeing the basic schooling of royal descendants residing in Quanzhou), and later appointed him Vice Prefect of Nanjianzhou. For sixteen long years, Chen Junqing remained stranded in lowly subprefectural posts, living in austere poverty, studying classical philosophy, and teaching students, treating high ministerial glory with complete indifference. His steadfast integrity won the unbounded admiration of the southern literati. In the winter of 1155, Qin Hui died. Emperor Gaozong reclaimed sovereign authority and issued imperial decrees to recruit virtuous officials who had been suppressed by the fallen chancellor. In 1161 (Shaoxing 31), Chen Junqing was summoned to Lin'an, appointed Collator in the Palace Library, and soon promoted to Investigating Censor (Jiancha Yushi). ### The Defense of Jiankang and Anti-Jurchen Strategy In the autumn of 1161, the Jurchen ruler Wanyan Liang mobilized six hundred thousand infantry and cavalry in an all-out invasion of the Southern Song, crossing the Huai River and advancing upon the northern bank of the Yangtze River. The capital was thrown into wild panic. Emperor Gaozong was compelled to lead an imperial expeditionary force to Jiankang (modern Nanjing) to supervise frontline defense, with Chen Junqing accompanying the sovereign as an Investigating Censor. Facing the terrifying specter of imperial collapse, Chen displayed fearless composure, submitting his renowned memorial Ten Strategic Measures for River Defense. He outlined detailed operational doctrines for holding the strategic river crossings at Caishi, mobilizing naval combat galleys, settling refugees in the Huai basin, and purging enemy spies from the administrative ranks. Following the historic Song victory at the Battle of Caishi and the assassination of Wanyan Liang in a Jurchen military mutiny at Guazhou, the immediate invasion threat subsided. When Emperor Gaozong prepared to retreat back to the safety of Lin'an, Chen Junqing submitted an impassioned memorial pleading against abandonment of the frontier: "Jiankang is the key bastion of the south, bordering the Yangtze! Having repelled the barbarian host, Your Majesty should seize this moment to garrison elite troops and reconstruct northern fortifications to manifest our sacred resolve to reclaim the central plains; how can the court turn its back upon the river and flee into southern luxury!" Shortly thereafter, promoted to Palace Censor, Chen boldly impeached the descendants of the deceased general Zhang Jun for illegally seizing thousands of hectares of fertile state farmland in Jiangnan, winning immense renown for his incorruptibility. ### The "Qiandao Governance" and the Promotion of Neo-Confucian Giants In 1162, Emperor Gaozong abdicated in favor of Emperor Xiaozong (Zhao Shen), a vigorous monarch determined to recover northern China. Following the military reverse of the Fuli campaign in 1163, court factions erupted into vitriolic debates over war and peace. Appointed Secretariat Drafter, Chen Junqing held firm to patriotic principles, urging the throne to maintain frontier defenses while rebuilding state finances. In 1165 (Qiandao 1), Chen was named Vice Minister of Personnel and Imperial Lecturer. During this period, Imperial In-law Qian Duanli (a powerful relative of Empress Wu) was appointed Vice Grand Chancellor, colluding with palace eunuchs to monopolize civil appointments. In a direct audience before Emperor Xiaozong, Chen warned fearlessly: "Since ancient antiquity, imperial in-laws meddling in state affairs have been the root of dynastic ruin! The historical catastrophes of the Lü and Huo clans under the Han, and the Wu and Wei clans under the Tang, stand as terrifying warnings!" Infuriated by this confrontation, Qian Duanli orchestrated Chen's removal to serve as Prefect of Jianning. However, Emperor Xiaozong soon recognized Chen's unswerving fidelity and deep wisdom. In the winter of 1166, the monarch recalled Chen to the imperial palace, engaging in profound policy deliberations before appointing him Minister of Personnel (Libu Shangshu). In December 1167, Chen was named Vice Grand Chancellor and Signatory Official of the Bureau of Military Affairs; in October 1168 (Qiandao 4), he was elevated to Right Executive President of the Department of State Affairs, Grand Chancellor (Tong Pingzhangshi), and Head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, governing the empire alongside the celebrated military hero Yu Yunwen. As supreme chancellor, Chen Junqing regarded meritocratic personnel selection as the prime duty of governance: "He made the appointment of virtuous men his personal mission, ensuring that every magistrate selected was the finest scholar of the age, actively suppressing self-serving careerists while promoting modest, incorruptible scholars." Breaking through regional and factional boundaries, Chen became the paramount political patron of the emerging Neo-Confucian movement: he personally recommended the reclusive philosopher Zhu Xi to Emperor Xiaozong, inviting him to imperial audiences to lecture on moral philosophy, while elevating foundational Confucian thinkers such as Zhang Shi and Lü Zuqian into ministerial and editorial offices. The civil administration achieved unprecedented clarity and probity, hailed in Chinese historiography as the golden age of the "Qiandao Governance." ### Confronting Imperial Favorites and Pacifying Maritime Piracy Despite his administrative energy, Emperor Xiaozong possessed a dangerous weakness: he deeply indulged his private inner palace retainers, particularly his former princely attendants Zeng Di and Long Dayuan. Relying upon the sovereign's affectionate favor, Zeng and Long accepted massive bribes, intervened in judicial verdicts, and sold bureaucratic promotions. Terrified of imperial displeasure, court ministers maintained cowardice and silence. Chen Junqing refused to compromise dynastic law. He repeatedly confronted the emperor in the Yanhe Hall, detailing the systemic corruption spawned by palace favorites. In 1169 (Qiandao 5), when Emperor Xiaozong attempted to arbitrarily appoint Zeng Di as an imperial Military Commissioner (Jiedushi), Chen Junqing adamantly refused to countersign the imperial patent in the Bureau of Military Affairs. Standing rigidly upright before the throne, Chen declared: "Zeng Di and Long Dayuan are treacherous flatterers who subvert state laws and amass private fortunes! The roots of dynastic ruin are already sprouting! If Your Majesty does not sever their influence, catastrophic disaster will overtake the palace!" Recognizing that the sovereign was blinded by personal affection, Chen Junqing refused to sacrifice his integrity for high office, submitting his resignation in the first month of 1170 (Qiandao 6). Emperor Xiaozong accepted his departure, appointing him Grand Academician of the Guanwen Hall, Prefect of Fuzhou, and Pacification Commissioner of Fujian. Arriving in Fuzhou, Chen confronted an explosive maritime security crisis: the notorious pirate warlord Ni Lang had mobilized thousands of coastal outlaws, commanding hundreds of armed ocean junks that dominated the sea lanes of Fujian and Guangdong, sacking coastal subprefectures and threatening Fuzhou itself. Imperial naval forces had suffered repeated routs. Chen Junqing took personal command: deploying scouts to infiltrate the pirate networks, he laid an intricate amphibious trap at the mouth of the Min River. When Ni Lang's fleet sailed into the estuary, concealed Song naval squadrons severed their escape while coastal garrisons launched concentrated catapult fire. Ni Lang was captured and executed, his pirate fleet was obliterated, and the southeastern sea lanes were rendered tranquil for decades. ### Twilight Glory and Posthumous Veneration In 1178 (Chunxi 5), the sixty-six-year-old statesman was recalled to serve as Prefect of Longxing, soon advancing to Prefect of Jiankang, Pacification Commissioner of Jiangnandong, and Garrison Commander of the Traveling Palace. For three years, Chen reinforced the Yangtze fortifications, settled northern refugees, and promoted agrarian reclamation. In 1181, Chen retired to his ancestral estate in Putian, spending his final years immersed in classical writing and local philanthropy, authoring the ten-volume Collected Works of Chen Zhengxian (Chen Zhengxian Ji). In January 1186 (Chunxi 13), Emperor Xiaozong advanced his noble title to Duke of Wei. In November of that year, Chen passed away peacefully at his private residence at the age of seventy-four. Emperor Xiaozong was stricken with grief, canceling court audiences, posthumously conferring the supreme rank of Grand Preceptor (Taishi), and granting him the revered posthumous title "Zhengxian" (Righteous and Exemplary). Zhu Xi composed his official biographical memoir, declaring with deep emotion: "Lord Chen was profound in character and immaculate in conduct. Serving the court for two decades, his moral dignity shone like an unyielding light. The glorious peace of the Qiandao reign was half his creation—he was truly an irreplaceable grand pillar of the Southern Song!"

Impeaching Han Zhongtong and Liu Bao and Urging Zhang Jun's Command

As investigating censor and then palace censor, Chen Junqing began by arguing the way of the ruler and the duty of the subject: that "a ruler takes listening to all sides as his virtue, and must therefore deal with matters from the root with fairness; a subject takes not deceiving his ruler as his loyalty, and must therefore understand great matters." He also held that in controlling subordinates kindness and severity must go together, "restraining arrogant generals and rousing the spirit of the troops, so that the framework of rule is rectified and orders can be carried out." On this ground he impeached Han Zhongtong for fitting innocent men to Qin Hui's purposes, noting that Qin Hui's faction had all been driven out while Han Zhongtong alone remained; and he impeached Liu Bao, who at Jingkou beat and withheld pay from his soldiers at will and refused orders to divide his troops for garrison duty, and the two were accordingly punished. In 1161, when the Jin ruler Wanyan Liang invaded in force and reached the north bank of the Yangtze with the intent to break the treaty plain, Chen Junqing memorialized recommending Zhang Jun, long out of employment, and getting no reply he begged to enter the palace and set out the advantages and disadvantages to Gaozong at length, whereupon the emperor began to awake; some months later Zhang Jun was sent to hold a frontier post. He further memorialized that whoever secretly hindered the sending of troops, set out plans for avoiding the enemy and shook an already settled plan should be punished under military law, and Gaozong told him that he might be called a brave man among the benevolent. He was then given new office. In that campaign the Zhexi fleet under Li Bao won by naval force, and after Wanyan Liang was killed by mutiny as he crossed the river, Gaozong put Chen Junqing in charge of Huaidong.

The Debate over War and Peace in Longxing and the Ten Proposals

In 1162, when Gaozong abdicated in favour of the heir Zhao Shen, Chen Junqing at once memorialized to the newly enthroned Xiaozong that "the essentials of government are three: employing men, rewarding merit and punishing crime, and what makes these work is nothing but fairness; may your majesty attend to it." He was promoted and, as Xiaozong was bent on recovering the lost lands and had committed the great affairs of the realm to Zhang Jun, and as Chen Junqing was loyal, upright, steady and resourceful, he was sent in his existing office as assistant military commissioner of the Huai and the Yangtze with charge of Jiankang. He memorialized that Zhang Jun, advancing alone into the enemy's depth while the enemy defended with their whole force and could not be reduced for a long time, was following a dangerous plan; that the situation was critical, and that fleets should be sent separately to strike at the enemy's heart, so that the Jin must turn back to save themselves while Wu Lin took the occasion to recover the lost ground — to break the enemy's heart before they arrived being extraordinary merit. But with the peace party loud, Xiaozong ordered Wu Lin to withdraw and recalled Chen Junqing; who then set out ten proposals: to fix plans, revive the framework of rule, encourage customs, make rewards and punishments clear, give weight to status, follow the laws of the ancestors and remit nameless taxes.

Zhang Jun had meant a great northern campaign, which Chen Junqing did not approve; but when scouts reported the Jin gathering grain on the frontier and the generals held that the Jin would certainly move in winter and that they must strike first, Zhang Jun asked the court for the campaign, won initial victories and took several places, and then was heavily defeated at Fuli, whereupon Chen Junqing also fell back on Yangzhou. The peace party rejoiced at the defeat and the war party's will was shaken; Zhang Jun memorialized accepting the blame and Chen Junqing asked to share it, and Xiaozong reduced each by two grades. When a remonstrating officer, toadying to the chancellor Tang Sini, held that Zhang Jun should be stripped of his command and sent to manage Yangzhou, Chen Junqing memorialized that if Zhang Jun truly could not be used another worthy general should be chosen, but that if he was to be required to win merit later, he should be demoted in rank as a penalty, which was the old law; that to strip him of the weight of command and place him in the death-ground of Yangzhou, and then, if he begged to see the emperor, to have the censors block him, would leave Zhang Jun without a shred of standing and no further result could be looked for; and that those who proposed it only hated Zhang Jun and wished him dead, not considering the recovery of the state. He memorialized again, Xiaozong awoke and made Zhang Jun commander and then chancellor, though in the end he was pushed aside by Tang Sini and Yin Se; Chen Junqing repeatedly offered to take the blame, and in 1164, when the Jin again provoked war, the peace-party chancellor Tang Sini was disgraced and demoted.

Refusing Consort Kin, Contending over the Review of Edicts, and Restraining Favourites

In 1165 Chen Junqing answered Xiaozong's questions in audience and was comforted by him, and set out at length the way of employing men and conducting government; afterwards, as concurrent compiler of the national history, he argued that talent should be weighed by integrity of spirit, that a man of spirit should be forgiven small faults while a wicked man of considerable ability should be watched. At that time the consort's kin Qian Duanli was bringing his fellow provincials into the government as assistant administrators and wished to seize the chancellorship quickly, to the censure of the academicians; Qian Duanli sent a retainer to tell Chen Junqing privately that if he would help, he would be recommended to share the government, and Chen Junqing refused flatly. The next day, reading history to the emperor and coming to a passage on consort kin, he said that "by the family law of this dynasty consort kin may not take part in government, and the meaning is profound; your majesty should keep it strictly," and Xiaozong nodded, and Qian Duanli therefore hated him. Xiaozong had not yet given up his fondness for football and was about to hunt at Baishi, and Chen Junqing cited the ancient admonitions to the utmost, at which Xiaozong said with pleasure that he had seen his loyalty and uprightness completely and was resolved to employ him, having known him for a loyal subject since his days as a prince.

The eunuchs Long Dayuan and Zeng Di, relying on old favour, usurped authority and profit, and many of the officials came from their doors. When Chen Junqing was interpreter-companion to the envoys and Long Dayuan was his deputy, he would not speak a word to him outside, and when Long Dayuan sent in his card asking to be received, Chen Junqing declined to see him. Having heard Hong Mai speak of who was to receive what office, he asked where the news came from and Hong Mai answered, from Long Dayuan and Zeng Di; and Chen Junqing put Hong Mai's words to Xiaozong, who said that he had never thought of employing such men and that it must be something heard privately, and thereupon ordered Long Dayuan and Zeng Di out of the court to provincial posts, to the general delight inside and outside. When the Jin sent letters to the frontier officers demanding the return of men formerly taken, Chen Junqing asked that the reply be the words of the oath that prisoners and deserters were two different things, that prisoners had already been returned in great numbers and deserters should not be sent back, adding that some tens of thousands of the people of the two Huai had been taken by the Jin and the court had said nothing of it for fear of breaking the peace and leaving the frontier people without rest. When someone flayed soldiers alive, he memorialized that the inner official in charge should be punished as well, and Xiaozong dismissed Qi Fang and handed the eunuchs Chen Yao and Li Zonghui to the officers to investigate their peculation. In the eleventh month, when the suburban sacrifice was due and thunder rolled, Xiaozong wrote with his own hand to warn the ministers; and when someone presented a silver mine and Xiaozong would have summoned smiths to forge it in the palace, Chen Junqing remonstrated that the emperor should not neglect the great business of a ruler to attend to the small business of a department, lest men of understanding think little of him. He also impeached Hong Mai as treacherous and unfit to be about the emperor. Xiaozong reduced the salt monopoly of Fujian, abolished the forced purchase of grain in Jiangxi and the salt-money commutation in Guangxi and remitted millions in arrears of gold, grain, coin and silk throughout the circuits.

After Long Dayuan's death Xiaozong pitied Zeng Di and wished to recall him, and Chen Junqing said that since the two had been driven from the court none inside or outside had failed to rejoice, and that to recall Zeng Di now must bitterly disappoint the empire, and begged to be dismissed first himself; and Xiaozong did not recall him. When the palace commandant Wang Qi, returning from inspecting the walls of the two Huai, recommended Liu Zhenfu of Hezhou and Liu Zhenfu was received by the emperor, Chen Junqing said that recommending officers was Wang Qi's duty but that the competence of a teacher had nothing to do with him; and when Yangzhou memorialized that the wall Wang Qi had been ordered to build was finished, and Chen Junqing asked the emperor about it and the emperor said he had given no such order, Chen Junqing observed that to forge an imperial order was no small fault, adding that the emperor, dealing with ten thousand matters, could not guard against everything and could rely only on the framework of rule, orders, rewards and punishments, and that if Wang Qi were not punished no subject would afterwards scruple at anything. Wang Qi was therefore demoted and dismissed. Earlier, secret edicts from the palace had gone straight to the armies with the chancellor mostly uninformed, and after the affair of the eunuch Zhang Fang came to light Chen Junqing memorialized that from then on every department acting on a personally written imperial order must memorialize for review before executing it, which Xiaozong accepted; but soon, with the palace offices dissatisfied, he withdrew the order, and Chen Junqing argued again that to order a measure and then recall it left all within and without bewildered, and that petty men might suspect the ministers of having provoked the emperor's anger, to which Xiaozong answered that he would never doubt them because of a petty man's words. Further, when Liu Gong, answering the emperor in audience, argued so hotly as to disobey his will and was sent out by a personally written edict to a sinecure, Chen Junqing at once concealed the edict and did not publish the appointment, memorializing privately that if Liu Gong was guilty he himself should be dismissed first, that he did not dare issue the order, and that he feared lest from then on ministers should draw their salaries by flattery; and Xiaozong's face showed regret for a long while, and Liu Gong was sent to govern Jiangxi, while Chen Junqing memorialized impeaching himself and Xiaozong wrote with his own hand to keep him, saying that though he begged a hundred times the emperor would never consent.

The Question of the Imperial Tombs, the Post at Fuzhou, and His Last Years

In the tenth month of 1168 Chen Junqing was made president of the right of the Secretariat, jointly manager of the affairs of the Chancellery and grand commissioner of military affairs; in the first month of 1169, on his recommendation, Xiaozong summoned Yu Yunwen from Sichuan as commissioner of military affairs, and when Yu Yunwen came to court the emperor made him president of the right. On the matter of the tombs and temples of the Northern Song emperors Chen Junqing both stated his view before Xiaozong and wrote a memorial against the measure. In 1170, when Yu Yunwen again urged demanding the tombs from the Jin, and Xiaozong wrote him a personal note, Chen Junqing memorialized that though the emperor longed for his ancestors and wished to recover the old territory, and though he himself was too dull not to applaud the plan, in great matters one must consider how to be wholly without risk, and that it should wait a year or two until the state's strength was somewhat greater, for he dared not mistake the state's business to please the imperial will. He then shut himself in and asked to leave, and Xiaozong sent him out as governor of Fuzhou with the title of grand scholar of the Hall of the Contemplation of Letters; at parting he still urged the emperor to keep away the wicked and draw near the worthy, to put the government in order and resist the enemy. After he left, Yu Yunwen sent envoys to the Jin to no purpose, and Zeng Di was also recalled to a provincial post. At Fuzhou Chen Junqing governed with mildness while striking hard at robbers, so that the sea route was level and open, and he was promoted for it; when the transportation commissioner proposed changing Fujian to the salt-note system, Chen Junqing wrote to the chief ministers insisting that Fujian's salt administration differed from that of the Huai and Zhe circuits, and the change was not made. After a year at Fuzhou he asked for a sinecure temple office, and coming home he saw his old house so decayed that only a few pillars remained, and was entirely content.

In 1175 Xiaozong again made him governor of Fuzhou, and in audience had him sit and gave him tea. Chen Junqing argued calmly that generals should come from the proper path and that he heard most of the generals got their posts by bribery, that Zeng Di and Wang Bian seized authority and took bribes and that appointments were made by imperial rescript, and that where corrupt officials had been investigated and the emperor himself corrected the matter, how could men be encouraged or warned; and Xiaozong said he had spoken to the point. Taking leave, he added that in the ten years he had been away from the capital he saw grain cheap and the people at peace, but that the customs of the officials had greatly changed: where once one or two in ten ran to the doors of Zeng Di and Wang Bian and were afraid of being known, now seven or eight in ten went openly and without scruple, so that the rise and fall of men depended on private doors, which was no good thing for the court. In 1178 he was made governor of Jiankang and military commissioner of Jiangdong, and after fifteen years the elders of Jiankang rejoiced to have him back; he governed with mildness and simplicity and abolished nameless taxes, and memorialized against the practice of sending "white slips" by trusted attendants. In 1182 he retired as junior preceptor, grand scholar of the Hall of the Contemplation of Letters, and duke of Wei. On the twenty-second day of the seventh month of 1186 Chen Junqing died at the age of seventy-four and was posthumously made grand tutor; when first ill he had written instructions for his sons that the letter of farewell should only thank the imperial grace, and not beg for favours and merit, nor ask for a posthumous name or a stele. Xiaozong grieved to hear of it, and on the second day of the seventh month of 1188 he was buried.

Major Activities

Leadership of the "Qiandao Governance" 1. Eradication of Bureaucratic Corruption: Presided over imperial administration during the peak of the Southern Song, suppressing opportunistic careerists and promoting strictly on merit;

1. Patronage of Neo-Confucian Thinkers: Acted as the primary political patron for Zhu Xi, Zhang Shi, and Lü Zuqian, elevating Neo-Confucian statecraft into national prominence;
2. Fearless Defiance against Palace Sycophants: Repeatedly risked his life to block the unconstitutional appointments of imperial favorites Zeng Di and Long Dayuan. ### Frontier Defense and Maritime Pacification 1. Strategic Defense of the Yangtze: Authored the Ten Measures for River Defense during the 1161 Jurchen invasion, helping stabilize Southern Song sovereignty;
3. Annihilation of Pirate Warlord Ni Lang: Masterminded the amphibious envelopment at the mouth of the Min River, exterminating coastal piracy across Fujian.

His Conduct of Appointments as Chancellor and His Record in the Provinces

As chancellor Chen Junqing "took the employment of men as his own charge, and all the officials he appointed were choices of the day," being especially careful "to check the pushing and striving and to reward the modest and retiring": where a man's ability was usable but his seniority slight, he recommended him to the emperor privately and never spoke of it after leaving court, so that some were suddenly called to audience, promoted and appointed without knowing from whom it came; and whenever he received officials at court or governors come from afar he always asked them about the gains and losses of the government and the worth or unworthiness of men. He broke through the barriers of faction, sought out men of learning and integrity, brought forward such scholars as Zhu Xi, Zhang Shi and Lü Zuqian, then living in retirement and writing, and summoned them to the capital to discuss the principles of government, while restraining without regard to rank all who were greedy, self-seeking or dependent on protégés, so that the temper of the court changed and the period was later called the government of Qiandao. In particular business he repeatedly gave his memorials to matters "touching the order or disorder and the safety or danger of the realm," as in arguing that the ruler should listen to all sides and the subject not deceive him and that kindness and severity must go together to restrain arrogant generals and rouse the troops; in asking for the restoration of the review of edicts to rectify the framework of rule; and in holding that generals must not obtain office through private doors.

In the provinces, governing Fuzhou he "was mild in government and struck hard at robbers," so that the sea route was level and open and he was promoted for it; against the proposal to introduce the salt-note system he wrote to the chief ministers setting out how Fujian's salt differed from that of the Huai and Zhe circuits, so that the change was not made there; and in his last years at Jiankang he governed with mildness and simplicity, abolished nameless taxes and opposed the practice of sending "white slips" by the emperor's confidants. In private life, having resigned Fuzhou and come home to a house so decayed that only a few pillars stood, he was entirely content, and at the end he instructed his sons that the letter of farewell should thank the imperial grace only, and ask neither for favour nor for a posthumous name or a stele. He served his parents with filial piety and loved his brothers, being loyal and reverent by nature; he was pure and stern yet courteous and well-mannered, never weary in countenance, cautious and slow of speech in ordinary life, yet at court spoke out gravely, distinguishing the upright from the wicked and rebuking the powerful without evasion.

Personal Relations

• Father: Chen Shen, distinguished scholar, posthumously honored as Grand Preceptor and Duke of Wei.
• Sons: Chen Qinshao (Judicial Intendant), Chen Qinzong (Prefectural Governor), Chen Qinruo (Court Gentleman). ### Imperial Monarchs and Peers - Emperor Gaozong: Recognized Chen as Bangyan (Runner-up Laureate) in 1138 and accepted his defense memorials in 1161.
• Emperor Xiaozong: Relied upon Chen to create the "Qiandao Governance," honoring him as Duke of Wei and Grand Preceptor.
• Yu Yunwen: Illustrious military hero and co-Grand Chancellor.
• Zhu Xi: Foremost Neo-Confucian philosopher; mentored and promoted by Chen, author of his biographical memoir.
• Qin Hui: Villainous chancellor who suppressed Chen for sixteen years.
• Zeng Di, Long Dayuan: Corrupt palace favorites fearlessly impeached by Chen.

Historical Assessment

• Emperor Xiaozong: "Chen Junqing is resolute, dignified, and seasoned; in his departures and advancements, he embodies the highest moral virtue—he is a true chancellor."
• Zhu Xi: "Lord Chen was austere and dignified, never careless in speech or action. Serving the court for twenty years, his moral presence was awe-inspiring... Across the realm, none failed to revere his righteous integrity."
• Ouyang Xiu's Intellectual Lineage: "Among the grand chancellors of the Southern Song, first stood Chen Kangbo, and later stood Chen Junqing—jointly celebrated as the 'Two Sages of the Southern Song'."
• Toqto'a in the History of Song: "Chen Junqing acted with absolute public justice, regarding the recruitment of virtuous men as his most urgent duty... When Zeng Di and his faction grew arrogant with favor, Junqing resisted them with unyielding defiance. Though he departed office due to righteousness, all beneath heaven revered his moral brilliance."