Wāng Wǎn 汪琬 (1624–1690), zì Tiáowén 苕文, hào Dùnwēng 鈍翁, in his late years called Yáofēng 堯峰 (after his late-life residence near Yáofēng Peak in Sūzhōu) — taken as the title of the present Yáofēng wénchāo KR4f0020. CBDB id 35190; lifedates firm.
A man of Chángzhōu 長洲 (Sūzhōu prefecture). Jìnshì of Shùnzhì 12 (1655, yǐwèi). Career: official at the Hùbù (Revenue Ministry) and Xíngbù (Justice Ministry), then demoted to Běichéng bīngmǎ sī zhǐhuī (Beijing Northern Garrison Commandant); recovered to Hùbù zhǔshì. In Kāngxī 18 (1679, jǐwèi) one of the 50 examinees recommended for the Bóxué hóngcí 博學鴻詞 special examination, where he was selected and appointed Hànlín biānxiū. The Bóxué hóngcí selection of 1679 was Kāngxī’s principal cooptation of the yímín (Míng-loyalist hold-outs) into the Qīng official literary establishment; Wāng was one of its prominent passers.
The leading early-Qīng exponent of the gǔwén 古文 (ancient-style prose) revival. The Sìkù tíyào groups him with 魏禧 Wèi Xǐ (1624–1681) of Níngdū and 侯方域 Hóu Fāngyù (1618–1654) of Shāngqiū as the three masters who launched the early-Qīng gǔwén revival after the late-Míng degenerative trends: “Wèi’s learning was mixed with Zònghéng (Warring-States rhetoric) and not yet pure; Hóu’s style had ornament-and-floweriness, sliding toward show; only Wāng combined deep learning with correct path.” 宋犖 Sòng Luò once issued a combined imprint of the three. Wāng was famously contentious — quarreling with 王士禛 Wáng Shìzhēn at the 1679 Bóxué hóngcí examination (the two were tóngnián of 1655 but became personal rivals) and with 閻若璩 Yán Ruòjù over a ritual question (recorded in Yán’s Qiánqiū zhájì 潛邱劄記). His final 50-juan Yáofēng wénchāo is the curated late-life recension; earlier 62-juan Dùnwēng lèigǎo and 56-juan xùgǎo are no longer the standard texts.