Biography

Wang Cheng's ancestral home was Mei Prefecture, but since his father Wang Shang (王赏) and grandfather Wang Huai (王淮) were both officials, it's unlikely Wang Cheng was born there. His father Wang Shang worked in the editorial office for the Veritable Records in 1142–1143 and had access to a lot of government information, which was an important source for Wang Cheng's Dongdu Shilüe. In 1178, historian Hong Mai submitted a memorial to Emperor Xiaozong in which he recommended Dongdu Shilüe as highly valuable for his compilation of the National History of Four Emperors (四朝国史). Emperor Xiaozong then granted Wang Cheng an office in Long Prefecture as a Gentleman for Discussion (承议郎).

生平

王称少承家学，淳熙十四年（1187年）以承议郎出知龙州，进《东都事略》百二十卷，特授直秘阁，官至吏部郎中。《四库提要》谓：「宋人私史卓然可传者，唯称与李焘、李心传之书而三，固宜为考宋史者所珍视」。

家庭

父亲王赏官任实录修撰。

著作

著作除《东都事略》外，另有诗四卷，已佚。