Pan Zhang
Pan Zhang (潘璋, 1435 to 1489) was a Chinese civil official of the Ming dynasty who served in the central revenue administration, as a provincial education commissioner, and as Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud, ending his career as Left Vice Minister of War.1 According to the China Biographical Database, his courtesy name was Lifu (栗夫), his studio or style name was Jingxu (静虗), and his birth-order name was Si (四). He should not be confused with the Three Kingdoms general of the same name; this article covers the Ming official recorded as CBDB person 132336.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Pan Zhang (潘璋), courtesy name Lifu (栗夫), studio name Jingxu (静虗)1 |
| Life | Born 1435, died 1489, aged 55 by East Asian reckoning1 |
| Dynasty | Ming (明)1 |
| Final office | Left Vice Minister of War (兵部左侍郎), with the honorary title 正议大夫资治尹1 |
| Posthumous honor | Granted the title of Minister of War (赠兵部尚书)1 |
| Other offices | Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud (太仆寺卿); Vice Commissioner for Education of a Provincial Surveillance Commission (提学副使)1 |
| Son | Pan Xiceng (潘希曾)1 |
Origins and family
The China Biographical Database records his great-grandfather as Pan Yanheng (潘彦亨), his grandfather as Pan Wenhua (潘文华), and his father as Pan Hong (潘洪).1 His mother was Wu Shi (吴氏). According to the China Biographical Database (CBDB), he had at least three elder brothers, Pan Cong (潘璁), Pan Wei (潘玮), and Pan Xuan (潘瑄), and at least two younger brothers, Pan Su (潘璛) and Pan Huan (潘环). His wife was Jiang Shi (姜氏), and his son was Pan Xiceng.1
Career
The offices recorded for Pan Zhang trace a career that moved between central technical administration, provincial education, and one of the court's service agencies.1 The database does not give the years in which he held them.
He served as a郎官 in the Water Bureau (水部司郎官); the epitaph cited by the database preserves the phrase "由水部郎司榷荆湘", indicating that in this post he administered the government monopoly levies (榷) in the Jingxiang (荆湘) region.1
He then held provincial education posts: Vice Commissioner for Education under a Provincial Surveillance Commission (提刑按察使司提学副使) and Provincial Education Supervisor (督学政), offices responsible for overseeing examinations and schools in a province.1 Later he became Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud (太仆寺卿).1 The database also records the honorary titular ranks 中大夫 and 中宪大夫 conferred in the course of his career.1
Death, titles, and heirs
Pan Zhang died in 1489 at the recorded age of 55 by East Asian reckoning.1 His epitaph, preserved in the appendix of the Zhujian ji (竹涧集) in the Siku quanshu, is titled "Epitaph of Master Pan of Zhujian, late Grand Master for Proper Counsel and Director of Retainers of the Left Vice Minister of War of the Ming, posthumously granted Minister of War" (明故正议大夫资治尹兵部左侍郎赠兵部尚书竹涧潘公墓志铭).1 The title records that at his death he held the office of Left Vice Minister of War (兵部左侍郎) with the honorary titles 正议大夫 and 资治尹, and that the court granted him the higher title of Minister of War (兵部尚书) after his death.1 The epithet Zhujian (竹涧, "Bamboo Ravine") in the title is the name by which he was addressed in the epitaph. His son was Pan Xiceng.1
Legacy
His memorial after death is the epitaph preserved in the appendix of the Zhujian ji (竹涧集), a collection transmitted in the imperial Siku quanshu library compilation.1
References
- China Biographical Database (CBDB), person 132336, 潘璋. https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0132336
Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Asian history › China › Early Ming (1368 to 1521) › Government institutions and law
Initially written Sep 23, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026
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