Du Xian
Encyclopedia
Du Xian (died 740), formally Marquess Zhenxiao of Wei County (魏縣貞孝侯), was an official and general of the Chinese
dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong
.
, Shandong
) and claimed its ancestry from the Qin Dynasty
general Du He (杜赫), and traced itself to a line of officials during Northern Wei
, Northern Qi
, Sui Dynasty
, and Tang Dynasty
. It was said that the clan's members were on such good terms that it did not divide for five generations down to Du Xian. Both Du Xian's grandfather Du Yikuan (杜義寬) and father Du Chengzhi (杜承志) were low level officials.
Du Zhicheng died early in the reign of Wu Zetian
. Du Xian, in his youth at that time, was said to be respectful and careful, and was particularly filially pious toward his stepmother and caring toward his half-brother Du Yu (杜昱). After he passed the imperial examination
s, he became a military officer at Wu Prefecture (婺州, roughly modern Jinhua
, Zhejiang
). When his term of office was complete, his subordinates, as a farewell gift, gave him 10,000 sheets of paper -- then a highly valuable commodity. He only accepted 100 and returned the rest. The witnesses commented, "In the past, there had been honest officials who only received gifts of a single large coin. This is similar." He later served as the sheriff of Zheng County (鄭縣, in modern Weinan
, Shaanxi
), and was again known for his honesty. At that time, the official Yang Fu (楊孚) was serving as the military advisor to the prefect of Hua Prefecture (華州, roughly modern Weinan), which Zheng County belonged to, and was impressed with Du. Later, while Yang was serving as a judge at the supreme court (大理寺, Dali Si), Du was accused of an offense. Yang commented, "If even this sheriff could be accused of a crime, how can we encourage officials to be clean and honest?" He informed this to his superiors and had Du made a Dali Pingshi (大理評事) -- a judicial clerk.
, Du Xian was made Jiancha Yushi (監察御史), an imperial censor. On one occasion, there was a dispute between the deputy Protectorate General to Pacify the West
Guo Qian'guan (郭虔瓘), the general Liu Xiaqing (劉遐慶), and the Tang vassal Western Tujue's khan Ashina Xian. Emperor Xuanzong sent Du to the region to investigate the dispute. As part of his investigation, he visited the Tuqishi (突騎施) tribe. A Tuqishi chieftain gave him gold as a gift. Du initially declined, but his subordinates pointed out that rejecting the gift might be viewed as an insult, so Du accepted it -- and then buried it below the tent. After he left Tuqishi, he then sent messengers to the chieftain to inform him where the gold was buried. This impressed the Tuqishi chieftain.
Du later served as imperial attendant (給事中, Geishizhong), but later left civil service to observe a mourning period when his stepmother died. In 724, then-Protectorate General to Pacify the West, Zhang Xiaosong (張孝嵩), was made the mayor of Taiyuan
Municipality, and he recommended Du to replace him. Emperor Xuanzong recalled Du, while he was still in the mourning period, to serve as the deputy protectorate general, acting as the protectorate general. In 725, when the vassal king of Yutian, Yuchi Tiao (尉遲晀), was plotting with the local tribes to rebel against Tang. When Du found out, he attacked Yuchi Tiao, killed him, and placed a new king of Yutian on the throne. He was given the honorific title of Guanglu Daifu (光祿大夫). It was said that during Du's service as protectorate general, he cared greatly for the soldiers under him and worked hard, earning the love of both the Han Chinese
and the non-Han.
In fall 726, for his accomplishments, Du was recalled to the capital Chang'an
, and, while he continued to be titularly protectorate general, remained at Chang'an to serve as chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). However, he was also responsible for an incident that damaged the relationship with Tuqishi -- as the khan of Tuqishi, Sulu (蘇祿), had married the daughter of a prior Western Tujue khan, Ashina Huaidao, and Emperor Xuanzong created her the Princess Jiaohe. When Princess Jiaohe sent messengers and 1,000 horses to Du's headquarters to sell horses, the messengers read of an order from her, as princess -- and Du responded by angrily stating, "How dare an Ashina woman issue me an order?" He caned the messengers and detained the horses, which largely died in a few subsequent snowstorms. In late 726, after Du left his office, Sulu attacked, causing much damage, and Sulu withdrew only after he heard that Du had been made chancellor.
By 729, Du was having repeated disagreements with fellow chancellor Li Yuanhong, and the senior chancellor Yuan Qianyao
was unable to moderate them. This drew Emperor Xuanzong's displeasure with them, and he removed all three of them, replacing them with Yuwen Rong
and Pei Guangting
, while retaining fellow chancellor Xiao Song
. Du was demoted to be the secretary general at Jing Prefecture (荊州, roughly modern Jingzhou
, Hubei
). He later successively served as prefect of Wei Prefecture (魏州, in modern Handan
, Hebei
) and mayor of Taiyuan Municipality.
In 732, when Emperor Xuanzong visited Taiyuan, he made Du the minister of census (戶部尚書, Hubu Shangshu), and had Du accompany him back to Chang'an. Subsequently, when Emperor Xuanzong visited Luoyang, Du was left in charge of Chang'an. In Emperor Xuanzong's absence, Du conscripted soldiers to repair the three main palaces and the city walls, personally attending to the projects without rest. Emperor Xuanzong issued an edict thanking him for his diligence. Later, Du was made the minister of rites (禮部尚書, Libu Shangshu) and created the Marquess of Wei County.
It was said that Du was honest but without sufficient knowledge, and often spoke in vulgar terms. Ever since his youth, he made a vow not to accept gifts, and when Du died in 740, he was given posthumous honors, but while his son Du Xiaoyou (杜孝友) accepted the imperial bestowments, he declined all gifts from Du's colleagues and subordinates. There was a dispute over his posthumous name
, as the ministry of worship initially suggested Zhensu (貞肅, meaning "faithful and stern"), while the officials Liu Tongsheng (劉同升) and Wei Lian (韋廉) believed that Du was both faithful to the state and filially pious and should be given a greater posthumous name signifying both virtues. The imperial scholar Pei Zong (裴總) believed that that was inappropriate, pointing out that Du came out of the period of mourning to take an office and thus, in Pei's opinion, could not be considered sufficiently filially pious. After Du Xiaoyou submitted a petition to Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Xuanzong had the matter reexamined, and eventually, Du Xian was given the posthumous name of Zhenxiao (貞孝, meaning "faithful and filial").
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, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong
Emperor 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...
.
Background
It is not known when Du Xian was born. His family was from Pu Prefecture (濮州, roughly modern HezeHeze
Heze is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong, it borders Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively. The old name of Heze was Caozhou and now a part...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
) and claimed its ancestry from the Qin Dynasty
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
general Du He (杜赫), and traced itself to a line of officials during 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...
. It was said that the clan's members were on such good terms that it did not divide for five generations down to Du Xian. Both Du Xian's grandfather Du Yikuan (杜義寬) and father Du Chengzhi (杜承志) were low level officials.
Du Zhicheng died early in the reign of Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
. Du Xian, in his youth at that time, was said to be respectful and careful, and was particularly filially pious toward his stepmother and caring toward his half-brother Du Yu (杜昱). After he passed the 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, he became a military officer at Wu Prefecture (婺州, roughly modern Jinhua
Jinhua
Jinhua is a prefecture-level city in central Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It borders the provincial capital of Hangzhou to the northwest, Quzhou to the southwest, Lishui to the south, Taizhou to the east, and Shaoxing to the northeast....
, 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...
). When his term of office was complete, his subordinates, as a farewell gift, gave him 10,000 sheets of paper -- then a highly valuable commodity. He only accepted 100 and returned the rest. The witnesses commented, "In the past, there had been honest officials who only received gifts of a single large coin. This is similar." He later served as the sheriff of Zheng County (鄭縣, in modern Weinan
Weinan
Weinan is a Municipality in the province of Shaanxi, PRC. The Grand Historian Sima Qian was born in Weinan.-Administration:...
, 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...
), and was again known for his honesty. At that time, the official Yang Fu (楊孚) was serving as the military advisor to the prefect of Hua Prefecture (華州, roughly modern Weinan), which Zheng County belonged to, and was impressed with Du. Later, while Yang was serving as a judge at the supreme court (大理寺, Dali Si), Du was accused of an offense. Yang commented, "If even this sheriff could be accused of a crime, how can we encourage officials to be clean and honest?" He informed this to his superiors and had Du made a Dali Pingshi (大理評事) -- a judicial clerk.
During Emperor Xuanzong's reign
In 716, 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...
, Du Xian was made Jiancha Yushi (監察御史), an imperial censor. On one occasion, there was a dispute between the deputy Protectorate General to Pacify the West
Protectorate General to Pacify the West
The Protectorate General to Pacify the West, Grand Protectorate General to Pacify the West, or Anxi Protectorate was a Chinese outpost established by Tang Dynasty in 640 to control the regions of Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains...
Guo Qian'guan (郭虔瓘), the general Liu Xiaqing (劉遐慶), and the Tang vassal Western Tujue's khan Ashina Xian. Emperor Xuanzong sent Du to the region to investigate the dispute. As part of his investigation, he visited the Tuqishi (突騎施) tribe. A Tuqishi chieftain gave him gold as a gift. Du initially declined, but his subordinates pointed out that rejecting the gift might be viewed as an insult, so Du accepted it -- and then buried it below the tent. After he left Tuqishi, he then sent messengers to the chieftain to inform him where the gold was buried. This impressed the Tuqishi chieftain.
Du later served as imperial attendant (給事中, Geishizhong), but later left civil service to observe a mourning period when his stepmother died. In 724, then-Protectorate General to Pacify the West, Zhang Xiaosong (張孝嵩), was made the mayor of Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
Municipality, and he recommended Du to replace him. Emperor Xuanzong recalled Du, while he was still in the mourning period, to serve as the deputy protectorate general, acting as the protectorate general. In 725, when the vassal king of Yutian, Yuchi Tiao (尉遲晀), was plotting with the local tribes to rebel against Tang. When Du found out, he attacked Yuchi Tiao, killed him, and placed a new king of Yutian on the throne. He was given the honorific title of Guanglu Daifu (光祿大夫). It was said that during Du's service as protectorate general, he cared greatly for the soldiers under him and worked hard, earning the love of both the Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
and the non-Han.
In fall 726, for his accomplishments, Du was recalled 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...
, and, while he continued to be titularly protectorate general, remained at Chang'an to serve as chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). However, he was also responsible for an incident that damaged the relationship with Tuqishi -- as the khan of Tuqishi, Sulu (蘇祿), had married the daughter of a prior Western Tujue khan, Ashina Huaidao, and Emperor Xuanzong created her the Princess Jiaohe. When Princess Jiaohe sent messengers and 1,000 horses to Du's headquarters to sell horses, the messengers read of an order from her, as princess -- and Du responded by angrily stating, "How dare an Ashina woman issue me an order?" He caned the messengers and detained the horses, which largely died in a few subsequent snowstorms. In late 726, after Du left his office, Sulu attacked, causing much damage, and Sulu withdrew only after he heard that Du had been made chancellor.
By 729, Du was having repeated disagreements with fellow chancellor Li Yuanhong, and the senior chancellor Yuan Qianyao
Yuan Qianyao
Yuan Qianyao , formally the Duke of Anyang , was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.-Background:...
was unable to moderate them. This drew Emperor Xuanzong's displeasure with them, and he removed all three of them, replacing them with Yuwen Rong
Yuwen Rong
Yuwen Rong was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor for 100 days during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong...
and Pei Guangting
Pei Guangting
Pei Guangting , courtesy name Liancheng , formally Baron Zhongxian of Zhengping , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong...
, while retaining fellow chancellor Xiao Song
Xiao Song
Xiao Song , formally the Duke of Xu , was an official and general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.- Background :...
. Du was demoted to be the secretary general at Jing Prefecture (荊州, roughly modern Jingzhou
Jingzhou
Jingzhou is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the banks of the Yangtze River.Its population is 5,691,707 at the 2010 census whom 1,154,086 in the built up area made of 3 urban districts.-Geography:Jingzhou occupies an area of...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
). He later successively served as prefect of Wei Prefecture (魏州, in modern Handan
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) and mayor of Taiyuan Municipality.
In 732, when Emperor Xuanzong visited Taiyuan, he made Du the minister of census (戶部尚書, Hubu Shangshu), and had Du accompany him back to Chang'an. Subsequently, when Emperor Xuanzong visited Luoyang, Du was left in charge of Chang'an. In Emperor Xuanzong's absence, Du conscripted soldiers to repair the three main palaces and the city walls, personally attending to the projects without rest. Emperor Xuanzong issued an edict thanking him for his diligence. Later, Du was made the minister of rites (禮部尚書, Libu Shangshu) and created the Marquess of Wei County.
It was said that Du was honest but without sufficient knowledge, and often spoke in vulgar terms. Ever since his youth, he made a vow not to accept gifts, and when Du died in 740, he was given posthumous honors, but while his son Du Xiaoyou (杜孝友) accepted the imperial bestowments, he declined all gifts from Du's colleagues and subordinates. There was a dispute over his posthumous name
Posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
, as the ministry of worship initially suggested Zhensu (貞肅, meaning "faithful and stern"), while the officials Liu Tongsheng (劉同升) and Wei Lian (韋廉) believed that Du was both faithful to the state and filially pious and should be given a greater posthumous name signifying both virtues. The imperial scholar Pei Zong (裴總) believed that that was inappropriate, pointing out that Du came out of the period of mourning to take an office and thus, in Pei's opinion, could not be considered sufficiently filially pious. After Du Xiaoyou submitted a petition to Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Xuanzong had the matter reexamined, and eventually, Du Xian was given the posthumous name of Zhenxiao (貞孝, meaning "faithful and filial").