Jǐyáng

Jiyang was the home of Zhang Erqi, the classical scholar who lived from 1612 to 1678. His life linked the county to the intellectual upheaval accompanying the fall of the Ming. Qing troops attacked Jiyang late in 1638; his father's resistance and the losses suffered by his family left a lasting mark on his later withdrawal from official ambitions.

Zhang taught locally and devoted decades to the Confucian classics. His principal work clarified the text and punctuation of the Yili, drawing on Zheng Xuan's commentary and comparing faulty editions. Gu Yanwu admired this scholarship and helped establish its reputation. Zhang also collected local historical materials and participated in compiling the Kangxi-era Shandong gazetteer. During the Qianlong reign, a Hao'an academy was founded in his memory, extending his place in the county's scholarly tradition.