Honest official Feng Menglong

Feng Menglong statue

Feng Menglong (1574-1646), an outstanding popular writer of the Ming Dynasty, opened up a new height of popular literature in China with his works such as "Yu Shi Ming Yan", "Cautionary Tale", and "Awakening World Heng Yan" (commonly known as "Three Words"). In addition to his literary attainments, he was also an admirable and honest official.

In the seventh year of Ming Chongzhen (1634), Feng Menglong, who was 60 years old (now of retirement age), was selected to serve as a county commander in Shouning, Fujian. At that time, Shouning was not only remote and closed in transportation, but also economically poor and culturally backward. After taking office, he ignored the decline of the flower armor, rushed to work hard, tried his best to reduce the burden on the people, solve the problem of food and clothing, prevent the people from taking risks because they were cornered, and reduce the occurrence of cases; at the same time, he eliminated the plague of banditry and tigers, resisted the Wokou, forbade the drowning of baby girls, and revered culture and religion, fully displaying the image of loving the people, being pragmatic, and being honest.

You must know that the era in which Feng Menglong lived was precisely when the wind and rain were fluctuating at the end of the Ming Dynasty, corruption became the trend, discipline was corrupt, and people's grievances boiled over. He knew that "lowly people are small and light-hearted, but they can be self-disciplined, and they can discipline people", and in the poem "Dai Qingting", he wrote the sentence "Old Mei Biao is cold and interesting, I am with Er Tongqing", indicating that he does not follow the tide, but wants to be like Lao Mei's unique and high-rhyme ideas and positions. During his tenure as an official, he adhered to the ruling concept of helping the people for the people, the feeling of recuperating with the people, and the pragmatic nature of diligent and honest administration, which not only benefited the people, but also set up a spiritual benchmark of diligence and honesty and pragmatism for the people. His official act of "reducing servitude, reforming the administration of officials, clearly adjudicating lawsuits, and eliminating abuses" was even more praised by the world. During the 4 years of Shouning, he put forward the idea of "filling vacancies with diligence, supplementing strictness with kindness, and replacing the poor with honesty", leaving behind the good name of "following the officials".

In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Feng Menglong stepped down and returned home from Min. Fellow scholar and painter Wen Congjian presented a poem entitled "Peach and plum and planted flowers and dew wet, Mi Qin flowed and litigated Tang Qing", which is an ode to the character and political achievements of others. With his own practice, the way of being an official, and his political practice, he fully practiced the noble character of "one thought for the people" and "Seeking truth without seeking fame in his life", which was recognized and respected by future generations.