Ding Wei ( 966 – June 1037),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Gongyan,It was originally Weizhi (謂之). was a

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, who dominated the courts during

Emperor Zhenzong Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was changed ...

's later reign and Emperor Renzong's early reign. Ding Wei's opponent Wang Zeng () claimed that Ding was considered one of the "Five Devils", along with

Wang Qinruo Wang Qinruo ( 962 – 22 December 1025), courtesy name Dingguo, was an official in China's Northern Song Dynasty. He was the chancellor from 1017 to 1019 during Emperor Zhenzong's reign and from 1023 to 1025 during Emperor Renzong's reign. Wang ...

, Lin Te (), Chen Pengnian () and

Liu Chenggui Liu Chengbei (, 951–1016) was a Chinese government official of the Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song foll ...

(), a group of high-ranking ministers unpopular at the time. In the centuries to follow, Ding Wei has almost always been portrayed as a treacherous minister in popular fiction.

Early career

Ding Wei once wrote a prose essay with his friend Sun He () that quite impressed

Wang Yucheng Wang Yucheng (or Yu-Ch'eng) (王禹偁, 954–1001) was a Chinese poet from Juye in the Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China regi ...

, a leading literati. Wang Yucheng considered their writing the best in China since

Han Yu Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was a Chinese essayist, poet, philosopher, and politician during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the devel ...

and

Liu Zongyuan Liu Zongyuan (; 77328 November 819) was a Chinese philosopher, poet, and politician who lived 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. He has been t ...

almost two centuries ago. In 992, Ding Wei passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

and became the controller-general of

Raozhou Raozhou or Rao Prefecture (饒州) was a '' zhou'' (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Poyang County, Jiangxi, China in northeastern Jiangxi at the southeastern shore of the Poyang Lake. In the Yuan, Ming and Qing The Qin ...

. A year later, he accompanied the crown prince Zhao Yuankan to inspect

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

. Upon his return, he presented a report on salt and tea, and was made fiscal commissioner.

Notes and references

* * 960s births 1037 deaths Song dynasty chancellors Song dynasty politicians from Jiangsu Politicians from Suzhou {{China-history-stub