Jin Fu

Jin Fu (, 1633 – 26 December 1692) was a Han Chinese bannerman official during the Qing dynasty notable for his work in river conservancy on the Yellow River. Early life Jin was born in Liaoyang to a family in the Chinese Bordered Yellow Banner with ancestral roots in Jinan, Shandong. His father worked in the Transmission Office as an assistant commissioner. Jin was appointed a compiler in the Hanlin Academy at the age of nineteen. Jin quickly climbed up the official ladder, working in the Ministry of War as a director and in the Office of Transmission as a vice-commissioner before serving as vice-minister in the Ministry of Rites. In 1671, Jin was appointed governor of Anhui and Right Vice-Censor-in-Chief.

Director General of River Conservancy In 1676, he left his post as governor and was appointed director-general of river conservancy in response to the serious floods wreaking havoc in Jiangsu province. Along with grain transport to Beijing through the Grand Canal and the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, controlling the flow of the Yellow River was among the three most critical issues facing the Kangxi Emperor at the time. Jin's dispute with Yu over river control eventually became a flashpoint in the factional battles between Mingju's "Northern Party" and the "Southern Party" led by court officials from Jiangsu. Accused by the censor Guo Xiu of forming a clique with Mingju and of obstructing Yu's attempt to deepen the river bed, Jin was dismissed and Chen Huang was sentenced to prison but died of illness. Although dismissed, he continued to supervise the construction of the Zhong He canal. Considered to be "one of the major engineering accomplishments of the Qing dynasty", it facilitated grain transport and greatly benefited the local people. Upon realizing Jin's accomplishment and his popular acclaim with the people, the emperor restored his official rank in 1689 and again appointed him Director General of River Conservancy in March 1692.

In early September 1692, Jin fell ill in Yingze, Henan and died in December of the same year. Buried with full honours, the Kangxi Emperor also bestowed him the posthumous name Wénxiāng (文襄‎). The Yongzheng Emperor later posthumously promoted Jin to the rank of president of the Ministry of Works in 1727, ordered a temple to be built in his honour in 1729, and entered his name into the Temple of Eminent Statesmen the following year.

Legacy Jin's system of river conservancy was highly successful in preventing the Yellow River from flooding for over a hundred years. His river conservancy work is dramatized in the 2022 Chinese historical television series Tianxia Changhe. His character is played by Huang Zhizhong.