Sun Shiyi

Sun Shiyi (simplified Chinese: 孙士毅; traditional Chinese: 孫士毅; pinyin: Sūn Shìyì; Wade–Giles: Sun Shih-i, Vietnamese: Tôn Sĩ Nghị; 1720 – 1796), courtesy name Zhizhi (智冶), pseudonym Bushan (補山), was an official of the Qing dynasty who served as the Viceroy of Liangguang[1] and of Liangjiang during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor.[2]

Sun Shiyi
Grand Councillor
In office 1789–1789
Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Library
In office 1792–1796
Assistant Grand Secretary
In office 1791–1792
Viceroy of Sichuan
In office 1795 – 1796 (acting)
Preceded by	Helin
Succeeded by	Funing
In office 1789–1790
Preceded by	Li Shijie
Succeeded by	Booning (acting)
Minister of Personnel
In office 1791–1792 Serving with Fuk'anggan
Preceded by	Peng Yuanrui
Succeeded by	Liu Yong
Viceroy of Liangjiang
In office 1790–1791
Preceded by	Fusong
Succeeded by	Changlin
Minister of War
In office 1789–1790 Serving with Qinggui
Preceded by	Peng Yuanrui
Succeeded by	Li Shijie
Viceroy of Liangguang
In office 1786–1789
Preceded by	Fulehun
Succeeded by	Fuk'anggan
In office 1785–1786
Preceded by	Shuchang
Succeeded by	Fulehun
Personal details
Born	1720 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Died	1796 (aged 75–76) Laifeng County, Hubei

A native of Renhe (present-day Yuhang District, Zhejiang), as a youth, Sun was devoted to study and was said to have prevented drowsiness by knocking his head against a wall. Awarded a jinshi degree in the imperial examination in 1761, he was secretary to Fuheng during his Burmese expedition, and in 1770 had risen to be Treasurer of Guangxi, when he was cashiered for want of energy, and orders were given to confiscate his property. Struck with the fact that nothing was found to confiscate, the Qianlong Emperor re-employed him.

In 1788, as Viceroy of Liangguang, he invaded Annam and reinstalled the emperor Lê Chiêu Thống, who had fled in fear of the rebel Nguyễn Huệ. His forces were beaten by the Tây Sơn armies, and it was ultimately decided to leave Annam alone. He was sent to Sichuan to see the supplies of the army fighting in Tibet, into which country he advanced over terrible mountains as far as Chamdo. In 1792, on the conclusion of the war with Nepal, the suppression of the White Lotus Rebellion occupied his last days. His physical powers were marvellous, and he required hardly any sleep. He was a great collector of ancient inscriptions. He was ennobled as Duke Mouyong of the First Class (一等謀勇公).[3]