Liu Zongzhou was born posthumously and was raised by his mother in the household of his maternal grandfather, Zhang Ying. Zhang, though never successful in the imperial examinations, was a learned man whose disciples included notable figures such as
Xu Jie, Tao Wangling, and Zhou Yingzhong. In 1597, Liu passed the provincial examination (
juren) in
Zhejiang, ranking 46th. In 1601, he achieved the highest degree of
jinshi in the
imperial examination and was appointed to the Censorate for initial administrative training. Shortly thereafter, he left office to observe a three-year mourning period following his mother's death. He studied under the scholar Xu Fuyuan from Deqing in
Huzhou. In 1604, he was appointed as a
xingren (a ceremonial messenger). The following year, he resigned to care for his family. He was reinstated in 1611 and later took leave again due to illness in 1614. Beginning in 1621, during the reign of the
Tianqi Emperor, Liu served as Director of Ceremonial Standards in the
Ministry of Rites. He was promoted in 1622 to Assistant Supervisor of the
Court of Imperial Entertainments, and in 1623 to Vice Minister of the Office of Heraldry. Known for his upright character and moral fortitude, he consistently voiced candid criticisms of court affairs. As Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, he was noted for his reluctance to accept appointments, requiring three or four requests before consenting. In 1624, he was promoted to Right Censor-in-Chief of the Office of Transmission, but offended the powerful eunuch
Wei Zhongxian and was dismissed from office in 1625, returning to civilian life. After the
Chongzhen Emperor ascended the throne, Liu petitioned to rehabilitate officials such as Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou who had been wronged under the previous regime. He was appointed Prefect of Shuntian (modern-day
Beijing). In 1628, Liu submitted a memorial criticizing the emperor's hasty and harsh policies, warning: "Your Majesty's urgent drive for reform has bred an obsession with results. From utility arises penal law; from penal law, suspicion; and from suspicion, obstruction." Though the emperor found him overly pedantic, he admired his loyalty. In 1629, during the
Jisi Incident, Beijing was besieged and grain prices surged. Liu petitioned to abolish the Nine-Gate Tax, establish a market zone for the poor, distribute porridge to the elderly and infirm, and rigorously enforce local defense systems. He also urged the burial of fallen Ming soldiers within and beyond the city. During his tenure as Prefect, he revitalized city governance, resisted powerful local interests, and refused unreasonable demands from palace eunuchs. When a noble's retinue assaulted students of the Imperial Academy, Liu publicly punished them, having them caged at the city gate. He also enforced tax relief, urged the gentry to donate funds for student scholarships, and provided land for poor scholars. In 1630, citing illness, he returned to his hometown; the people of Beijing reportedly closed their shops to bid him farewell. In 1636, the court recalled Liu to serve as Left Vice Minister of Works. He submitted a memorial criticizing the emperor’s overly harsh administration: "Your Majesty governs with excessive urgency, enforces laws too rigidly, issues orders too frequently, and treats scholars too lightly." He lamented the dysfunction of the bureaucracy, noting, "There are officials, but none who are useful; funds, but no practical use of them; generals who cannot command troops; soldiers who cannot fight bandits." Despite multiple censures, he remained outspoken. In 1641, the Chongzhen Emperor lamented the lack of upright officials, praising Liu's integrity and courage. He was reappointed, eventually rising to the post of Chief Censor (Left Censor-in-Chief). During this period, he undertook major bureaucratic reforms and submitted petitions restoring the reputation of General Lu Xiangsheng, who had been unjustly accused. Nevertheless, Liu was again dismissed from office soon after. In March 1644, rebel leader
Li Zicheng captured Beijing, and the Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide at Coal Hill. Liu, now a civilian, armed himself and marched to
Hangzhou, urging the provincial governor Huang Mingjun to hold a mourning ceremony and organize resistance against the rebels. Together with former officials Zhu Datian, Zhang Zhengchen, and Xiong Rulin, he recruited a militia to support the
Southern Ming cause. In May, the Prince of Fu (
Zhu Yousong) ascended the throne in Nanjing and appointed Liu as Chief Censor once again. Liu, describing himself as a "solitary scholar from the countryside," repeatedly urged the court to launch a
northern expedition to reclaim the capital. After impeaching officials
Ma Shiying and
Ruan Dacheng, however, he was dismissed and sent back to his hometown. In 1645 (the second year of the
Shunzhi reign under the
Qing dynasty), the Manchu prince Dodo led Qing forces to capture Hangzhou. Liu, upon hearing the news while dining, pushed away his food and wept, declaring, "This is the destined time for me to meet my end." He resolved to starve himself to death in loyalty to the fallen dynasty. His disciple Wang Yushi drowned himself first, to which Liu remarked, "In my fifteen years of teaching, I produced but this one man." When other students pleaded with him to preserve his life, arguing that his death would be futile, Liu replied, "Indeed, to accomplish great deeds is better than dying. But I am old, and my strength is gone." After twenty days of fasting, he died on the eighth day of the intercalary sixth month, aged 68. Another student, Zhu Yuan, hanged himself two days before Liu's death. == Thought ==