Gao Qu
Encyclopedia
Gao Qu (died 865
), courtesy name Yingzhi (瑩之), was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, serving briefly (for about two months) during the reign of Emperor Yizong
.
, and one of his ancestors, Gao Shilian
, served as a chancellor during the reign of the great early Tang emperor Emperor Taizong
, although the Gao family was not subsequently prominent. Both Gao Qu's uncle Gao Shaoyi (高少逸) and father Gao Yuanyu (高元裕), however, were prominent officials in the imperial government.
s in the Jinshi class in 849
, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong of Tang
, and after that he served on the staffs of regional governors. He later served as Zuo Shiyi (左拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), and was made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi), apparently during Emperor Xuānzong's reign. He was later raised in his examination bureau post from Zuo Shiyi to Jianyi Daifu (諫議大夫), against the trend at the time that imperial scholars were rarely promoted in their other posts.
, Gao Qu was made the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang
, Sichuan
), but soon thereafter was recalled to Chang'an to serve as deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang), with the additional designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor. He died two months thereafter and was given posthumous honors — although, at the urging of the scholar Cao Ye (曹鄴), who argued that many of Gao's associations were with improper people, he was given the rather unflattering posthumous name
of La (剌, "indiscriminate").
865
Year 865 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Ethelred succeeds as king of Wessex .* Louis the German divides his kingdom among his sons....
), courtesy name Yingzhi (瑩之), 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...
, serving briefly (for about two months) during the reign of Emperor Yizong
Emperor Yizong of Tang
Emperor Yizong of Tang , né Li Wen , later changed to Li Cui , was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 859 to 873. Yizong was the eldest son of Emperor Xuānzong...
.
Background
Gao Qu's family was descended from the imperial house of Northern QiNorthern 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...
, and one of his ancestors, Gao Shilian
Gao Shilian
Gao Shilian , formal name Gao Jian but went by the courtesy name of Shilian, formally Duke Wenxian of Shen , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
, served as a chancellor during the reign of the great early Tang emperor Emperor Taizong
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
, although the Gao family was not subsequently prominent. Both Gao Qu's uncle Gao Shaoyi (高少逸) and father Gao Yuanyu (高元裕), however, were prominent officials in the imperial government.
Early career
Gao Qu passed the imperial examinationImperial 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 in the Jinshi class in 849
849
Year 849 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* In the Tang Dynasty Chinese capital city of Chang'an, an imperial prince was impeached from his position by officials at court for erecting a building that obstructed a street in the northwesternmost ward in South...
, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong of Tang
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...
, and after that he served on the staffs of regional governors. He later served as Zuo Shiyi (左拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), and was made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi), apparently during Emperor Xuānzong's reign. He was later raised in his examination bureau post from Zuo Shiyi to Jianyi Daifu (諫議大夫), against the trend at the time that imperial scholars were rarely promoted in their other posts.
Chancellorship
During the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor YizongEmperor Yizong of Tang
Emperor Yizong of Tang , né Li Wen , later changed to Li Cui , was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 859 to 873. Yizong was the eldest son of Emperor Xuānzong...
, Gao Qu was made the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang
Mianyang
Mianyang is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Its administrative area includes the city proper of Mianyang, with 985,586 inhabitants in the built up area , the county-level city of Jiangyou, and six counties, covering an area of over and a population...
, 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...
), but soon thereafter was recalled to Chang'an to serve as deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang), with the additional designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor. He died two months thereafter and was given posthumous honors — although, at the urging of the scholar Cao Ye (曹鄴), who argued that many of Gao's associations were with improper people, he was given the rather unflattering 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...
of La (剌, "indiscriminate").