[1]Name, dates, and identityShen Kai is presented as a Ming-dynasty official and calligrapher, born in 1495 with an unknown year of death; his courtesy name was Shunchen and his sobriquet was Fengfeng.
CBDBShen Kai (127606)The record identifies Shen Kai as a Ming figure, gives the Chinese courtesy name and sobriquet, and places his basic affiliation in Huating.
Souyun沈愷 (48796)The profile gives 1495 as the birth year, the Ming dynasty, the two names, and the Huating hometown; the biographical text adds the registered-commoner status and the unknown death year.
WikidataShen Kai (Q45646714)The item identifies him in English as Shen Kai, describes him as a Ming-dynasty person, and records the two romanized aliases.
DILA Buddhist Authority Database沈愷 (A009197)The authority record gives his Chinese name, both aliases, the Ming dynasty, Huating as his place, and identifies him as a Ming calligrapher.
[2]Family: ancestorsShen Kai's great-grandfather was 沈思明, his grandfather 沈文浩, his father 沈照, and his mother was of the Chen family.
CBDBShen Kai (127606)The kinship fields name the great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and mother, together with their Chinese names and relationship labels.
[3]Family: siblings and wifeShen Kai had elder brothers 沈泰 and 沈綬, younger brothers 沈鳴, 沈悌, 沈懷, and 沈忱, and a wife of the Chen family.
CBDBShen Kai (127606)The kinship fields list the two elder brothers, four younger brothers, and wife, with their Chinese names and relationship labels.
[4]ExaminationsIn 1528 Shen Kai ranked 135th in the Ying tian Prefecture provincial examination; in 1529 he ranked 78th in the metropolitan examination and received the jinshi degree in the second class, 63rd rank.
CBDBShen Kai (127606)The examination fields identify him as a jinshi and give the second-class, 63rd-rank result.
Souyun沈愷 (48796)The biographical texts confirm the Jiajing 8 or Jichou-year jinshi degree and provide the 1528 provincial-examination rank, the 1529 metropolitan-examination rank, and the second-class result.
DILA Buddhist Authority Database沈愷 (A009197)The note confirms that he passed the jinshi examination in the Jichou year, 1529.
[5]Early officesShen Kai was first appointed zhushi in the Ministry of Punishments, promoted to langzhong, and then sent out as prefect of Ningbo.
Souyun沈愷 (48796)The profile and biographical texts list Ningbo prefect, zhushi of the Ministry of Punishments, and langzhong, and give that sequence of appointments.
DILA Buddhist Authority Database沈愷 (A009197)The note confirms his appointment as zhushi in the Ministry of Punishments.
[6]Huguang officeHe later served as a canzheng in the Huguang Provincial Administration Commission, but the sources differ as to whether the post was the left or right canzheng.
Souyun沈愷 (48796)The profile lists canzheng, right canzhi zhengshi, and left canzheng; the three biographical texts respectively give Huguang canzheng, right canzheng in the Huguang administration, and left canzheng in the Huguang administration.
[7]Ningbo policyAs prefect of Ningbo, Shen Kai prohibited maritime dealings with foreigners and opposed military action on the islands; his superiors rejected the position and the expedition failed.
Souyun沈愷 (48796)The biographical text directly describes his prohibition of foreign maritime activity, opposition to using force on the islands, the refusal of his superiors, and the failed expedition.
[8]Retirement accountsThe accounts differ on the time, cause, and office associated with Shen Kai's retirement: compulsory retirement in 1552 after illness and absence from duty, retirement after offending powerful court figures, or retirement during the Longqing reign as Taipu shaoqing.
Souyun沈愷 (48796)One biographical text says that he offended powerful court figures, requested retirement, and withdrew home to write; another says that in the first month of Jiajing 31 he was compelled to retire because of prolonged illness and absence from duty, while the date link maps that year to 1552.
DILA Buddhist Authority Database沈愷 (A009197)The note gives a further account in which he retired during the Longqing reign as Taipu shaoqing.
[9]Prose and worksShen Kai favored an archaizing and elegant prose style and was accomplished in literary composition; his works included Yedeng Guance and Huanxi ji, with Huanxi manji as a variant title.
CBDBShen Kai (127606)The literary assessment describes him as accomplished in writing.
Souyun沈愷 (48796)The biographical texts characterize his prose as archaizing and elegant and give the titles Yedeng Guance, Huanxi ji, and Huanxi manji.
DILA Buddhist Authority Database沈愷 (A009197)The note records Yedeng Guance and Huanxi ji among his works.
[10]CalligraphyShen Kai's calligraphy imitated Zhang Dian and was described as having the force of flying dragons and snakes.
DILA Buddhist Authority Database沈愷 (A009197)The note says that his calligraphy imitated Zhang Dian and had the momentum of flying dragons and snakes.
[11]Literary exchangesHis documented literary exchanges included prefaces for books by Feng En, Yu Shan, and Fan Weiyi, epitaphs, biographies, sacrificial texts, academy inscriptions, letters, and exchanged poems and prose.
CBDBShen Kai (127606)The association entries show prefaces for books by Feng En, Yu Shan, and Fan Weiyi, along with epitaphs, biographies, sacrificial texts, academy inscriptions, letters, gifted poems and prose, and received poems and prose.
CBDB
