Ge Fuyuan
Encyclopedia
Ge Fuyuan (died November 7, 691) was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
and Wu Zetian
's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as a chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.
It is not known when Ge Fuyuan was born, but it is known that he was from Bian Prefecture (汴州, roughly modern Kaifeng
, Henan
). Nothing is known about his father Ge Churen (格處仁), but his uncle Ge Deren (格德仁) was known for scholarship during Tang's predecessor Sui Dynasty
. Ge Fuyuan's brother Ge Xiyuan (格希元) served on the staff of Wu Zetian's son Li Xian
and participated in Li Xian's project to write commentaries for the Book of Later Han
.
Ge Fuyuan passed the imperial examination
when he was young, and served in successively higher offices. As of 691, when Wu Zetian had already claimed the title of "emperor," establishing Zhou and interrupting Tang, Ge was serving as the imperial censor in charge of reviewing central government affairs (左肅政大夫, Zuo Suzheng Daifu) when Wu Zetian made him the minister of finance (地官尚書, Diguan Shangshu) and gave him the designation of Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.
Just four months later, however, Ge offended Wu Zetian, as there had been a movement led by one Wang Qingzhi (王慶之) to have Wu Zetian's nephew Wu Chengsi
made crown prince, displacing Wu Zetian's son Li Dan
(formerly emperor until Wu Zetian took the throne in 690). Ge's senior colleague Cen Changqian
opposed the movement and advocated that Wang's group of petitioners be disbanded, and Ge supported Cen. In late 691, Ge, Cen, and another chancellor Ouyang Tong
were arrested by Wu Zetian's secret police official Lai Junchen
and executed.
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...
and 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...
's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as a chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.
It is not known when Ge Fuyuan was born, but it is known that he was from Bian Prefecture (汴州, roughly modern Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
). Nothing is known about his father Ge Churen (格處仁), but his uncle Ge Deren (格德仁) was known for scholarship during Tang's predecessor 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....
. Ge Fuyuan's brother Ge Xiyuan (格希元) served on the staff of Wu Zetian's son Li Xian
Li Xian
Li Xian , courtesy name Mingyun , formally Crown Prince Zhanghuai , named Li De from 672 to 674, was a crown prince of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the sixth son of Emperor Gaozong, and the second son of his second wife Empress Wu...
and participated in Li Xian's project to write commentaries for the Book of Later Han
Book of Later Han
The Book of the Later Han or the History of the Later Han is one of the official Chinese historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources...
.
Ge Fuyuan 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...
when he was young, and served in successively higher offices. As of 691, when Wu Zetian had already claimed the title of "emperor," establishing Zhou and interrupting Tang, Ge was serving as the imperial censor in charge of reviewing central government affairs (左肅政大夫, Zuo Suzheng Daifu) when Wu Zetian made him the minister of finance (地官尚書, Diguan Shangshu) and gave him the designation of Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.
Just four months later, however, Ge offended Wu Zetian, as there had been a movement led by one Wang Qingzhi (王慶之) to have Wu Zetian's nephew Wu Chengsi
Wu Chengsi
Wu Chengsi , formally Prince Xuan of Wei , was a nephew of Chinese sovereign Wu Zetian and an imperial prince during her Zhou Dynasty...
made crown prince, displacing Wu Zetian's son Li Dan
Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Emperor Ruizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Dàn , known at times during his life as Li Xulun , Li Lun , Wu Lun , and Wu Dan , was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty...
(formerly emperor until Wu Zetian took the throne in 690). Ge's senior colleague Cen Changqian
Cen Changqian
Cen Changqian , briefly known as Wu Changqian during the reign of Wu Zetian, formally the Duke of Deng , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, as well as Wu Zetian's reign and her earlier...
opposed the movement and advocated that Wang's group of petitioners be disbanded, and Ge supported Cen. In late 691, Ge, Cen, and another chancellor Ouyang Tong
Ouyang Tong
Ouyang Tong , formally the Viscount of Bohai , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.- Background :...
were arrested by Wu Zetian's secret police official Lai Junchen
Lai Junchen
Lai Junchen was a secret police official during the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, whose ability to interrogate and falsely implicate officials of crimes made him a subject of fear and hatred...
and executed.