On Li Gang’s Whereabouts In Fujian Province

Li Gang was a well-known patriotic official in favor of combating against Jin Nation from the last period of Northern Song Dynasty to the early stage of Southern Song Dynasty. He went through three dynasties and had ever risen to the position of Prime Ministry with prominent political, military and literary achievements. Born in Huating County of Shanghai Municipality, grew up in Wuxi City of Jiangsu Province and with ancestral home in Shaowu City of Fujian Province, he later died in Fuzhou City of Fujian.Li Gang had indissoluble bounds with Fujian. The previous chronicles and essays in different versions about Li Gang, though covered partly, but did not include comprehensively his time of visits to Fujian and activities, or had some omissions and errors in some way. However, this dissertation has a textual research on the beginning and the end of Li Gang’s seven visits to Fujian, the routes and causes in details.The range of Li Gang’s activities in Fujian, covered Jian State, Shaowu Prefecture, Nanjian State, Ting State and Fuzhou. Songxi County of Jian State was a place where he accompanied his father to his term of official post; Wuyi Mountain was his favorite mountain; Shaowu Prefecture was his ancestral home; Sha County of Nanjian State was a place where he was banished; Ting State was his stopover place, while Fuzhou was a city where he had been living for the longest period of time till death. Li Gang left his traces in many scenic spots and temples of Fujian Province. This dissertation tries its best to restore Li Gang’s activities in Fujian, reveals the stories of his social associations and poem gatherings with Huang Shang, Deng Su, Li Mixun, Chen Yuan, Zhang Yuangan, Zhang Jun, Cheng Mai, Lv Benzhong etc, especially the poem gatherings they held beside Sha Stream, which was so prosperous that the stream was named after "Taishi Stream".In addition to examining Li Gang’s activities in Fujian Province, this dissertation also makes correction on such mistake as the former Changle Prefecture was not current Changle City. What’s more, it also modifies some previous errors about the locations of Tianning Temple, Anguo Temple, East Baoguo Temple, Fengying Temple and Xiyun Temple of Bao Peak. On the basis of the textual research on Li Gang’s whereabouts, this dissertation expounds his creation of poems (Shi, Ci, Fu), and points out the features and significance of his literature work in Fujian Province.Based on Collected Works of Mr. Liangxi together with those contemporary anthologies, historic records, local chronicles, inscriptions on ancient bronzes and stone tables, and genealogical records, the author of this dissertation paid repeated on-site visits to the places with Li Gang’s whereabouts in Fujian Province, trying as far as possible not to leave out his old visiting places, ancestral hall, tomb and inscriptions on precipices. If we have to mention the breakthrough of research methods applied in this dissertation, on-site investigation combining with documental study is one of it.