Wang Shuwen
Encyclopedia
Wang Shuwen (died 806) 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...

. He was a close associate of Emperor Shunzong
Emperor Shunzong of Tang
Emperor Shunzong of Tang , personal name Li Song , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was created crown prince in 779 and became emperor in 805 after the death of his father Emperor Dezong, of whom he was the oldest son...

 (Li Song) while Li Song was crown prince
Crown 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....

 under his father 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...

, and was powerful during Emperor Shunzong's brief reign in 805, when Emperor Shunzong was severely ill. However, he offended the powerful eunuchs and further lost power when he was forced to leave governmental service due to his mother's death, and after Emperor Shunzong yielded the throne to his son Emperor Xianzong
Emperor Xianzong of Tang
Emperor Xianzong of Tang , personal name Li Chun , né Li Chun , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...

, Emperor Xianzong ordered Wang to commit suicide.

Background and service under Li Song as Crown Prince

It is not known when Wang Shuwen was born. His family was from Yue Prefecture (越州, in modern Shaoxing
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...

, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

). It was said that 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...

, he became a reserve consultant in the imperial administration on the basis of his abilities in Go, rough knowledge in the books, and speaking ability. Emperor Dezong had him become a member of the staff of Emperor Dezong's son and crown prince
Crown 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....

 Li Song
Emperor Shunzong of Tang
Emperor Shunzong of Tang , personal name Li Song , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was created crown prince in 779 and became emperor in 805 after the death of his father Emperor Dezong, of whom he was the oldest son...

. It was said that Wang was, when he was having chances, bringing to Li Song's attention of the suffering of the people. At one point, Li Song was studying with several scholars who were teaching him in various matters, and they began to discuss one of the institutions of Emperor Dezong's court that was much criticized — the "Palace Market" (宮市), where palace eunuchs "bought" items for palace supplies, but effectively were forcibly taking things from merchants and paying either nothing or very little. Li Song indicated that when he had a chance, he would try to talk to Emperor Dezong to suggest ending the process. The scholars all praised Li Song, but Wang, who was also present did not say anything. After the scholar had left, Wang told Li Song that if he actually made such suggestions to Emperor Dezong, Emperor Dezong would suspect him of attempting to please the people. Li Song saw Wang's point and wept, and thereafter became more trusting of Wang. Meanwhile, Wang and another staff member of Li Song's, Wang Pi
Wang Pi
Wang Pi was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who was a close associate of Emperor Shunzong . He, along with his ally Wang Shuwen, was powerful during Emperor Shunzong's brief reign in 805, but soon lost power and died in exile.- Background and service under Li Song as Crown Prince :It is...

, who was known for his calligraphy
East Asian calligraphy
East Asian calligraphy is a form of calligraphy widely practised and revered in the Sinosphere. This most often includes China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The East Asian calligraphic tradition originated and developed from China. There is a general standardization of the various styles of...

, became close associates.

As time went by, Wang Shuwen gradually recommended to Li Song a group of junior officials with reputations for abilities whom he believed could eventually be high level officials or generals, and whom he had befriended. Such junior officials included Wei Zhiyi
Wei Zhiyi
Wei Zhiyi was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor in 805, during the brief reign of Emperor Shunzong and then briefly into the reign of Emperor Shunzong's son Emperor Xianzong...

, Lu Chun (陸淳), Lü Wen (呂溫), Li Jingjian (李景儉), Han Ye (韓曄), Han Tai (韓泰), Chen Jian (陳諫), Liu Zongyuan
Liu Zongyuan
Liu Zongyuan , courtesy name Zihou , was a Chinese writer who lived in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty. Liu was born in present-day Yongji, Shanxi, along with Han Yu, he was a founder of the Classical Prose Movement...

, Liu Yuxi
Liu Yuxi
Liu Yuxi was a Chinese poet, philosopher, and essayist, active during the Tang Dynasty. He was an associate of Bai Juyi and was known for his folk-style poems.- External links :* * *...

, Ling Zhun (凌準), and Cheng Yi
Cheng Yi (Tang Dynasty)
Cheng Yi , courtesy name Shiju , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong...

. It was said that they would spend their days together in secret and that the contents of their deliberations were not openly known. Some regional governors, believing that this would be the next group of officials to take power, sent them gifts. By 803, this group was said to be powerful enough that, when they suspected another junior official, Zhang Zhengyi (張正一) of making negative reports about Wang Shuwen to Emperor Dezong, they had Wei accuse Zhang of being wasteful and engaging in partisanship. As a result, Zhang and his associates Wang Zhongshu (王仲舒) and Liu Bochu (劉伯芻) were exiled without any publicly-announced faults.

During Emperor Shunzong's reign

In late 804, Li Song suffered a debilitating stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

 that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak. When Emperor Dezong died on February 25, 805, there were initially some eunuchs who suggested that someone else should succeed Emperor Dezong, but at the strong advocacy of the imperial scholar Wei Cigong (衛次公), Li Song's succession was not further questioned despite his illness. To show that he was still not completely incapacitated, Li Song was forced to personally show himself to the imperial guards, and he took the throne (as Emperor Shunzong).

However, Emperor Shunzong remained seriously ill, and he was often attended to only by the eunuch Li Zhongyan (李忠言) and his concubine Consort Niu
Consort Niu
Consort Niu, imperial consort rank Zhaorong was an imperial consort of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...

. Much of the decisions on important matters of state were entrusted to Wang Pi and Wang Shuwen, both of whom were named imperial scholar and was largely making decisions at the Hanlin Institute (翰林院). Under Wang Shuwen's recommendation, Wei Zhiyi was made a chancellor, and it was said that Wei, Wang Shuwen, Wang Pi, Li Zhongyan, and Consort Niu formed a group of decision makers. It was said that much authority were also delegated to Han Tai, Liu Zongyuan, and Liu Yuxi, and that Wang Shuwen was effectively the leader. His associates were also said to be praising each other and comparing each other to such great historical figures as Yi Yin, the Duke of Zhou
Duke of Zhou
The Duke of Zhou played a major role in consolidating the newly-founded Zhou Dynasty . He was the brother of King Wu of Zhou, the first king of the ancient Chinese Zhou Dynasty...

, Guan Zhong
Guan Zhong
Guǎn Zhòng was a politician and statesman during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His given name was Yíwú . Zhong was his courtesy name. Recommended by Bao Shuya, he was appointed Prime Minister by Duke Huan of Qi in 685 BC.-Achievements:Guan Zhong modernized the Qi State by...

, and Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....

. Many officials were being promoted and demoted based on their recommendations. Meanwhile, Wang Shuwen, believing that the key to getting the support from the soldiers and the people to affirm their power was control over the imperial treasury, had himself made the deputy director of finances, serving under the senior chancellor Du You
Du You
Du You , courtesy name Junqing , formally Duke Anjian of Qi , was a Chinese scholar, historian and chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, who devoted thirty-six years to the compilation of the Tongdian, a historical encyclopedia with 200 sections , a collection of laws, regulations, and general events...

. Wang Shuwen was said to be so insolent in his exercise of power that, at one point, breaching the protocol that chancellors were to have lunch together, he demanded that Wei meet him during lunch time — angering Wei's senior colleague Zheng Xunyu
Zheng Xunyu
Zheng Xunyu , courtesy name Yuanbo , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Dezong and Emperor Shunzong.- Background :...

 so much that Zheng went home and refused to exercise chancellor responsibilities from that point on.

With Emperor Shunzong's severe illness, there was a popular sentiment among officials that Emperor Shunzong's oldest son Li Chun
Emperor Xianzong of Tang
Emperor Xianzong of Tang , personal name Li Chun , né Li Chun , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...

 should be made crown prince as soon as possible. It was said, though, that Wang Shuwen and his associates — especially Consort Niu, who was not Li Chun's mother — were apprehensive about Li Chun, who was known for his being intelligent and decisive. One of the imperial scholars, Zheng Yin
Zheng Yin (Middle Tang)
Zheng Yin , courtesy name Wenming , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong.- Background :...

, however, directly proposed to Emperor Shunzong that LI Chun be created crown prince by writing the proposal on paper and showing it to Emperor Shunzong. After Emperor Shunzong nodded to show approval, Li Chun was created crown prince on April 26. At Li Chun's creation ceremony, Wang Shuwen was said to be so concerned about Li Chun's accession that, while he did not say anything directly, he was heard reading from Du Fu
Du Fu
Du Fu was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty.Along with Li Bai , he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as a successful civil servant, but he proved unable to make the necessary accommodations...

's poem about Zhuge — "He had not even succeeded in his campaigns when he died. This often caused heroes to weep onto their collars."

Meanwhile, though, Wang Shuwen had begun to draw the displeasure of the powerful eunuch Ju Wenzhen (俱文珍). In summer 805, when Wang Shuwen, wanting to strip the control of the imperial Shence Army
Shence Army
The Shence Army was a Tang Dynasty Chinese army unit based in Chang’an City which formed the primary imperial guard responsible for protecting the emperor. It was set up in 754 CE by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and placed under the command of Longyou Military Governor Geshu Han...

 from the eunuchs, had the general Fan Xichao (范希朝) made the commanding general of the Shence Army soldiers at the western frontier with Han Tai as his deputy, the eunuchs were alarmed. Ju had Wang Shuwen promoted in title to be the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎) — but stripped of his imperial scholar status, making it impossible for him to be making decisions at Hanlin Institute. Wang Pi tried to intercede, but was only able to have Wang Shuwen allowed to visit Hanlin Institute once every three to five days to continue to look over the matters of state. Meanwhile, the eunuchs, believing that Wang Shuwen was intending them harm by giving Fan the command, instructed the Shence Army officers not to yield to Fan's orders. When Fan reached the frontier, none of the Shence Army officers came to greet him, and he was forced to return to 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 Han Tai reported this to Wang Shuwen, Wang Shuwen became distressed but was unable to think of anything further to do.

Around this time, also, Wei and Wang Shuwen began to break with each other, as Wei wanted not to be seen as a puppet of Wang Shuwen's. For example, when Yang Shi'e (羊士諤), a messenger from Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng
Xuancheng
Xuancheng is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province of Eastern China. It borders Wuhu to the northwest, Chizhou to the west, Huangshan to the southwest, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu to the southeast and northeast respectively....

, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...

), and Liu Pi
Liu Pi
Liu Pi was a Yellow Turban rebel general during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Biography:After the decline of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Pi's men allied themselves with Yuan Shu and Sun Jian in the early 190s. His party thrived in the Yingchuan and Runan region, and by the...

, a messenger from Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...

, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...

), made demands on behalf of their superiors, Wang angrily wanted to execute both of them, but Wei opposed, and Yang was only exiled, while Liu Pi fled back to Xichuan. This incident created a substantial rift between Wang Shuwen and Wei. After Liu Pi returned to Xichuan, his commanding officer, the military governor of Xichuan Circuit, Wei Gao
Wei Gao
Wei Gao , courtesy name Chengwu , formally Prince Zhongwu of Nankang , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...

, further submitted a harshly worded accusation against Wang Shuwen and his associates. Wei Gao's words were soon echoed in petitions submitted by other regional governors Pei Jun (裴均) and Yan Shou (嚴綬), and it was said that Wang Shuwen and his associates were greatly distressed.

Meanwhile, Wang Shuwen's mother had become seriously ill to the point of near death. Wang Shuwen, anticipating that he would have to leave governmental service to observe a period of mourning for her, held a banquet and invited the other imperial scholars, as well as Li Zhongyan, Ju, and another powerful eunuch Liu Guangqi (劉光奇), to try to defend his actions with these eunuchs, including his attempts to have Yang and Liu Pi executed and his attempts to reform the economic regulations. Ju was thoroughly dismissive, and it was said that as Wang Shuwen made each point, Ju would rebut each point. On July 19, when his mother died, Wang Shuwen left governmental service.

It was said that after Wang Shuwen left governmental service, Wei Zhiyi further abandoned the alliance, drawing Wang Shuwen's anger and causing him and his associates to plan to have Wang Shuwen recalled to government to counteract Wei. Wang Pi submitted petitions to have Wang Shuwen recalled to governmental service and be made a chancellor, but none of Wang Pi's petitions were acted on. Wang Pi, seeing that the situation was hopeless, feigned a stroke himself and resigned. After this, Wang Shuwen's and Wang Pi's associates began to be purged from government. Li Chun was soon made regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...

, and on August 31, Emperor Shunzong yielded the throne to Li Chun (as Emperor Xianzong).

Death

Almost immediately after Emperor Xianzong took power — indeed, even before he was ceremonially enthroned — Wang Pi and Wang Shuwen were both exiled — in Wang Shuwen's case, to become the census officer at Yu Prefecture (渝州, in modern Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...

). In 806, Emperor Xianzong ordered Wang Shuwen to commit suicide.

Historical views of Wang Shuwen

The official histories of Tang Dynasty, the Book of Tang
Book of Tang
The Book of Tang , Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...

and the New Book of Tang
New Book of Tang
The New Book of Tang , is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and other official scholars of the Song Dynasty. The emperor called for a revision of the former Book of Tang in 1044. The New Book was presented to the throne in 1060. It was given its...

, both charactered Wang Shuwen as conniving, power-hungry, and insolent. These characterizations were adopted by the Zizhi Tongjian
Zizhi Tongjian
The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...

. The only positive characteristic that they attributed to Wang Shuwen was a sense of duty and a desire to improve the imperial government structure.

However, as observed by such historians as the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

 historian Wang Mingsheng (王鳴盛), Wang Shuwen was trying to reform the imperial government in such a way as to strip power from powerful eunuchs and warlords and restore it to the emperor. Wang Mingsheng pointed out that there were a number of positive reforms carried out during Emperor Shunzong's brief reign that historians did not attribute to Wang Shuwen but which could only have been the result of Wang Shuwen's actions, including:
  • Exiling of the mayor of the capital municipality Jingzhao (京兆), Li Shi (李實), known for his harsh treatment of the people.
  • General pardoning of past taxes owed by the people.
  • Forbidding of improper tributes to the emperor.
  • Releasing of ladies in waiting
    Lady in Waiting
    Lady in Waiting is the 2nd album by American southern rock band Outlaws, released in 1976. -Track listing:#"Breaker-Breaker" – 2:59#"South Carolina" – 3:05#"Ain't So Bad" – 3:48...

    from palace service.
  • Recalling and posthumous honoring of several key officials who had been unduly exiled during Emperor Dezong's reign.
  • Commissioning of Fan Xichao in an attempt to take back control of Shence Army.


Wang Mingsheng compared Wang Shuwen to an overly aggressive daughter-in-law who tried to correct her mother-in-law in important matters as soon as she was married — in other words, being attentive but being overly eager on his agenda, and believed that Wang Shuwen had committed no crimes.
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