Yuan Mei's Arrival in Lishui and "On First Arriving at the Lishui County Office"

Transfer to Lishui

According to a report by Justice Network dated January 2026, Yuan Mei was transferred from the Hanlin Academy and appointed magistrate of Lishui.

"On First Arriving at the Lishui County Office"

The report states that on first arriving in Lishui Yuan Mei wrote "On First Arriving at the Lishui County Office". The poem reads:

津吏传呼款碧轮，簿书才见一番新。初官直似为新妇，满眼何尝有故人。 — Yuan Mei, 初抵溧水县署

Translated: The ferry officer calls out as the green-wheeled carriage draws up; the registers and documents are seen for the first time, all new. New to office, one is just like a bride; before one's eyes there is not a single familiar face.

The poem describes the moment of taking up the post: the summons at the ferry, the newly arrived registers, the likening of a new official to a bride, and the closing line that no old acquaintance is in sight.

Uncertainties

First, should the poem's title or lines differ in other texts, the readings must be set side by side with their sources. This entry follows the text given in the report and has not been collated against Yuan Mei's collected works.

Second, Yuan Mei's life and official career belong to the character sub-site; this entry records only his posting in Lishui and this poem.

Third, the years of his tenure have not been verified and are not supplied here.