Pan Jixun

Timeline

1. 1550–1564Wucheng, Huzhou Prefecture · WuchengHe became a jinshi in the 29th year of Jiajing, rising through the posts of judge, censor, and Dali Temple official. In Guangdong he implemented the 'equal silver' conversion of corvée labor into silver, lightening the burden of the lijia. He had not yet specialized in river works, but had accumulated experience in local finance and engineering.
2. 1565–1572Yellow River around Xuzhou · XuzhouIn the 44th year of Jiajing he served as Director-General of River Conservancy with the rank of Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief, opening new channels and closing breaches with Zhu Heng and others, beginning to form the idea of constricting water with dikes. During the Longqing reign he served again, clearly opposing multiple diversions that weakened the current's force.
3. 1578–1580Gaojia yan and Huai'an river works · Huai'anWith Zhang Juzheng's support he supervised river works a third time. He closed the Cui zhen breach, built the Guiren dike, repaired the Gaojia yan to 'store clear water and flush the Yellow', and used outer and inner dikes to 'constrict water and scour sand'. The great works were completed in the 6th–7th years of Wanli, and Grand Canal transport was for a time unobstructed; later generations compared his achievements to those of Chen Xuan and Jia Lu.
4. 1583–1595Lower Yellow River and near the ancestral tombs at Sizhou · Southern ZhiliAfter Zhang Juzheng's death he was implicated and stripped of office, serving a fourth term as Director-General of River Conservancy around the 16th year of Wanli. He compiled memorials and illustrations into He Fang Yi Lan. In the autumn of the 19th year of Wanli floods reached near the Ming imperial ancestral tombs, and he was impeached again; he retired in early the 20th year and died in the 23rd year.