Liu Zi
Encyclopedia
Liu Zi (729
– November 19, 794), courtesy name Gongmao (公茂), was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, briefly serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong
.
. His family traced its ancestry to the imperial house of Han Dynasty
and a line of officials of the Jin Dynasty (265-420)
, Northern Wei
, Northern Qi
, Sui Dynasty
, and Tang Dynasty
. Liu Zi's grandfather Liu Zixuan was a prominent official and historian during Emperor Xuanzong's reign, and his father Liu Kuang (劉貺) continued in the role of historian thereafter.
when he was young. He later served as the magistrate of Lianshui County (漣水, in modern Huai'an
, Jiangsu
). Thereafter, the deputy minister of civil service affairs, Yang Wan
, recommended him as someone who can serve as an advisor to the emperor, and so he was recalled to be Zuo Bujue (左補闕), a low-level official at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng). He later resigned in order to take care of his mother, then at the eastern capital Luoyang
, and while there, Li Yi (李廙) the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region) commissioned him to be a civil service officer. When his mother died, he left government service to observe a period of mourning for her. After the period of mourning was over, he was recalled to the imperial government to serve as Tuntian Yuanwailang (屯田員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of public works (工部, Gongbu). He later served as Sixun Yuanwailang (司勳員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Lìbu), but took on the additional responsibility of selecting low level officials. It was said that he was diligent in his duties and followed the law. He was later promoted to be Sixun Langzhong (司勳郎中), the supervisor of the officials who served as Sixun Yuanwailang, and yet later became an imperial attendant (給事中, Geishizhong).
In 783, Emperor Xuanzong's great-grandson Emperor Dezong
was forced to flee the capital Chang'an
when soldiers from Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang
, Gansu
) mutinied and supported the general Zhu Ci
as their leader. Emperor Dezong fled to Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang
, Shaanxi
). Liu Zi followed him there, and served as deputy minister of worship (太常少卿, Taichang Shaoqing), in charge of ceremonies. In 784, he was made the deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, Libu Shilang). At that time, as the persons from the southern parts of the empire, who normally would have gone to Chang'an to stand for imperial examination
s, were unable to do so due to the wars and the famine in the Chang'an region at the time, Emperor Dezong sent Liu to Hong Prefecture (洪州, in modern Nanchang
, Jiangxi
), to examine them there. It was said that he carried out his duties well there.
and Cui Zao
. It was said that Emperor Dezong gave Cui the responsibilities because Cui was daring to speak and act, and that Liu and Qi were both thus yielding much of the responsibilities to Cui. Emperor Dezong also put the chancellors in direct command over the six ministries of the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), and Liu was given the responsibilities over the ministries of civil service affair and rites (禮部, Lǐbu, notice different tone than the ministry of civil service affairs). In 787, he was removed from his chancellor position and served as Zuo Sanqi Changshi only. In 788, he was again deputy minister of civil service affairs, and in 790 he was made the minister of civil service affairs. While Dou Can
was chancellor, because Dou wanted to also be minister of civil service affairs, Liu was made the minister of justice (刑部尚書, Xingbu Shangshu). Soon thereafter, Liu was indicted by imperial censor Wei Zhenbo (韋貞伯) for having been insufficiently selective when selecting officials at the ministry of civil service affairs, and he, while not demoted, was stripped of the privilege of wearing gold and purple as due an official of his rank, along with his deputy minister Du Huangshang
. Despite this, Liu's biography in the Book of Tang stated that he was well-learned, good at commenting, frugal, hard-working, and hated wickedness, and that while selecting officials, he was careful in examining officials' qualifications. It also stated that, as a result, those who submitted false credentials were particularly fearful of him. He died in 794 and was given posthumous honors.
729
Year 729 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 729 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The Battle of Ravenna is fought between...
– November 19, 794), courtesy name Gongmao (公茂), was an official of the Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, briefly serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong
Emperor Dezong of Tang
Emperor Dezong of Tang , personally name Li Kuo , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the oldest son of his father Emperor Daizong. His reign of 26 years was the third longest in the Tang dynasty...
.
Background
Liu Zi was born in 729, during the reign of Emperor XuanzongEmperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
. His family traced its ancestry to the imperial house of Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
and a line of officials of the Jin Dynasty (265-420)
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
, Northern Wei
Northern Wei
The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was a dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 . It has been described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change"...
, Northern Qi
Northern Qi
The Northern Qi Dynasty was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577.-History:The Chinese state of Northern Qi was the successor state of the Chinese/Xianbei state of Eastern Wei and was founded by Emperor Wenxuan...
, Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
, and Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
. Liu Zi's grandfather Liu Zixuan was a prominent official and historian during Emperor Xuanzong's reign, and his father Liu Kuang (劉貺) continued in the role of historian thereafter.
Career prior to chancellorship
Because of his heritage, Liu Zi was made a scribe to the crown princeCrown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
when he was young. He later served as the magistrate of Lianshui County (漣水, in modern Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
). Thereafter, the deputy minister of civil service affairs, Yang Wan
Yang Wan
Yang Wan , courtesy name Gongquan , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Daizong...
, recommended him as someone who can serve as an advisor to the emperor, and so he was recalled to be Zuo Bujue (左補闕), a low-level official at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng). He later resigned in order to take care of his mother, then at the eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, and while there, Li Yi (李廙) the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region) commissioned him to be a civil service officer. When his mother died, he left government service to observe a period of mourning for her. After the period of mourning was over, he was recalled to the imperial government to serve as Tuntian Yuanwailang (屯田員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of public works (工部, Gongbu). He later served as Sixun Yuanwailang (司勳員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Lìbu), but took on the additional responsibility of selecting low level officials. It was said that he was diligent in his duties and followed the law. He was later promoted to be Sixun Langzhong (司勳郎中), the supervisor of the officials who served as Sixun Yuanwailang, and yet later became an imperial attendant (給事中, Geishizhong).
In 783, Emperor Xuanzong's great-grandson Emperor Dezong
Emperor Dezong of Tang
Emperor Dezong of Tang , personally name Li Kuo , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the oldest son of his father Emperor Daizong. His reign of 26 years was the third longest in the Tang dynasty...
was forced to flee the capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
when soldiers from Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang
Pingliang
Pingliang is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu Province in China. Pingliang is famous for a local mountain range that includes Kongtong Mountain, a site sacred to Taoism and mythical meeting place of the Yellow Emperor and Guangchengzi, an immortal....
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
) mutinied and supported the general Zhu Ci
Zhu Ci
Zhu Ci was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He initially served as military governor of Lulong Circuit , but later became a general for the imperial government...
as their leader. Emperor Dezong fled to Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
). Liu Zi followed him there, and served as deputy minister of worship (太常少卿, Taichang Shaoqing), in charge of ceremonies. In 784, he was made the deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, Libu Shilang). At that time, as the persons from the southern parts of the empire, who normally would have gone to Chang'an to stand for imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
s, were unable to do so due to the wars and the famine in the Chang'an region at the time, Emperor Dezong sent Liu to Hong Prefecture (洪州, in modern Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
), to examine them there. It was said that he carried out his duties well there.
During and after chancellorship
In 786, Liu Zi was made Zuo Sanqi Changshi (左散騎常侍), a high-level consultant at the examination bureau, and given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto, along with Qi YingQi Ying
Qi Ying , formally Baron Zhong of Hejian , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong.- Background :...
and Cui Zao
Cui Zao
Cui Zao , courtesy name Xuanzai , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving briefly as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong...
. It was said that Emperor Dezong gave Cui the responsibilities because Cui was daring to speak and act, and that Liu and Qi were both thus yielding much of the responsibilities to Cui. Emperor Dezong also put the chancellors in direct command over the six ministries of the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), and Liu was given the responsibilities over the ministries of civil service affair and rites (禮部, Lǐbu, notice different tone than the ministry of civil service affairs). In 787, he was removed from his chancellor position and served as Zuo Sanqi Changshi only. In 788, he was again deputy minister of civil service affairs, and in 790 he was made the minister of civil service affairs. While Dou Can
Dou Can
Dou Can , courtesy name Shizhong , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong...
was chancellor, because Dou wanted to also be minister of civil service affairs, Liu was made the minister of justice (刑部尚書, Xingbu Shangshu). Soon thereafter, Liu was indicted by imperial censor Wei Zhenbo (韋貞伯) for having been insufficiently selective when selecting officials at the ministry of civil service affairs, and he, while not demoted, was stripped of the privilege of wearing gold and purple as due an official of his rank, along with his deputy minister Du Huangshang
Du Huangshang
Du Huangshang , courtesy name Zunsu , formally Duke Xuan of Bin or Duke Xuanxian of Bin , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Shunzong and Emperor Xianzong...
. Despite this, Liu's biography in the Book of Tang stated that he was well-learned, good at commenting, frugal, hard-working, and hated wickedness, and that while selecting officials, he was careful in examining officials' qualifications. It also stated that, as a result, those who submitted false credentials were particularly fearful of him. He died in 794 and was given posthumous honors.