Xie Jin

Timeline

1. 1403–1410Beijing · BeijingIn the first year of Yongle he was appointed chief editor of the Yongle Dadian, summoning scholars from across the realm to gather texts and compile a giant leishu organized by rhyme categories. Xie Jin, unrivaled in learning at the time, presided over the early design of the scheme and the large-scale collection and compilation work.
2. 1410–1415Nanjing · NanjingHaving intervened in the dispute between the crown prince and Zhu Gaoxu, Prince of Han, he angered the Yongle Emperor and was imprisoned in the eighth year of Yongle. He continued writing in prison and died there in the thirteenth year of Yongle; the court later posthumously granted him the title Duke Wenyi.
3. 1421–1428Beijing · BeijingAfter Xie Jin's imprisonment, the Yongle Dadian was supervised by Yao Guangxia, Xia Yuanji, and others, and was finally completed between the late Yongle era and the early Zhengtong era. The editorial scheme and textual foundation Xie Jin had established in the early phase became the key institutional legacy that made the Dadian's completion possible.