A Chinese Biographical Dictionary 535

history, so to speak, of prehistoric times, ending as it does with the 18th century B.C.

Lo Fin-wang .|^ ^ £ . 7th cent. A.D. A natiye of I-wn in 1391 Chehkiang, who early distinguished himself as a poet and received an appointment under the Emperor Eao Tsung of the T*ang dynasty. At the death of this monarch, A.D. 684, Lo espoused the cause of the legitimate heir as opposed to that of the Empress Wu Hon. The two princes under whose banner he was fighting were captured and put to death. There is no record of his own fate, but it is most likely that he perished with them. Some say that he retired to a monastery and became a Buddhist priest. Was one of the "Four Heroes" of the Pang dynasty (see Yang ChUung).

LoPing-ohang ^^^ (T. || P^). A.D. 1798-1867. A 1392

natiye of Fatshan near Canton, who at 17 years of age was cook (some say slave) in a gentleman's family. There he used to listen to the lessons giyen by the tutor to the establishment, and ere long composed an essay which attracted so much notice that his master provided him with a suitable education and gave him one of his daughters in marriage. In due course he graduated as chin shih and was appointed to the Han-lin College. After some years in metropolitan offices he became a Censor in 1840 and memorialised upon foreign affairs (see P^an Shih-in). From 1850 to 1860 he was GoYernor of Hunan, and kept the province fairly clear of T'ai-p4ng rebels. In the latter year he was sent in pursuit of Shih Ta-k*ai into Sstich^uan, of which province he became Viceroy in 1861. He succeeded in checking the rebels, and captured Shih Ta- k'ai himself as he was attempting to pass up the ^ j^ Chien- ch'ang valley in 1863. His subordinates, carefully selected and trained under his own eye, rose in many cases to occupy leading positions in the empire , the most notable among them being Tsfing

Euo-fan. Incorruptible in his official capacity, in private life he