Qí Chónglǐ 綦崇禮 (1083–1142), zì Shūhòu 叔厚, originally from Gāomì 高密, later moved to Wéizhōu Běihǎi 濰州北海 (modern Shāndōng), hence the hào and collection-title. Shàngshè dì of Chónghé 1 (1118). After Gāozōng’s southward crossing he served as Qǐjū láng 起居郎; called-tested at the Zhèngshìtáng (Chancellery-Hall); appointed Zhōngshū shèrén 中書舍人. Eventually Bǎowéngé xuéshì 寶文閣學士 and Prefect of Shàoxīngfǔ. Retired at Tāizhōu and died there. Posthumously Zuǒ zhāoyì dàfū. Sòng shǐ j. 378.
The Sòng shǐ běnzhuàn praises Qí: miàolíng xiùfā, cōngmíng juérén; tánxīn cízhāng, jí rùnsè lùnsī zhī xuǎn (in his prime, gifted-and-blooming, intelligence surpassing all; cultivated-mind in literary-composition; expert in the polish-of-rhetoric and discussion-of-thought). Twice entered the Hanlin, totalling five years; composed several-hundred zhàomìng (imperial commands). The Sìkù editors evaluate Qí as the standard-bearer (alongside Wāng Zǎo 汪藻 KR4d0148) of the early-Southern-Sòng zhìgào prose style: “wénjiǎn yìmíng; bù sīměi, bù jìyuàn” (prose-concise, meaning-clear; no private-praise, no hidden-grievance).
His Lǚ Yíhào kāidūfǔ drafted-edict was praised by Lóu Yuè 樓鑰 for its hóngwěi; the Wáng Zhòngyí luòzhí edict was selected by Wáng Yìnglín for its jīngqiè; the Zōu Hào zhuīfù dàizhì edict was inscribed by Sòng shǐ into the běnzhuàn of Zōu Hào. Most consequentially, his Qín Guì bàzhèng draft (the dismissal-edict for Qín Guì in 1132) directly stated Qín’s offences — when Qín returned to power, he sought the draft and Qí was nearly destroyed.
Catalog meta: 1083–1142; CBDB id 15286 confirms 1083–1142.
His collection survives as Běihǎi jí 北海集 KR4d0178 in 46 juǎn (= 36 of zhìgào + 10 of Bīngchóu lèiyào). The Sìkù editors recovered the principal poetry-and-prose corpus from the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn, since the original 60 juǎn (per Sòng shǐ Yìwénzhì and Zhízhāi shūlù jiětí) had long been lost. The early-Qīng Lì È could find only one poem (in Tiāntāi shèngjì).