Dorjeban (),
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 ...
Weizhong (惟中), was an ethnic
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...
politician of the
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
of China. He was a descendant of
Muqali
Muqali ( mn, Мухулай; 1170–1223), also spelt Mukhali and Mukhulai, was a Mongol general ("bo'ol", "one who is bound" in service) who became a trusted and esteemed commander under Genghis Khan. The son of Gü'ün U'a, a Jalair leader who ...
and a member of the ruling house of
Jalairs.
Dorjeban had a high level knowledge of
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
language and was a devoted Confucian scholar. He was appointed the
Investigating censor in 1333. In 1341, he became a scholar of
Hanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an.
Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed sec ...
. Later he served as the governor of
Liaoyang Province
Manchuria under Yuan rule refers to the Yuan dynasty's rule over Manchuria, corresponding to modern Northeast China and Outer Manchuria (including Sakhalin), from 1271 to 1368. Mongol rule over Manchuria was established after the Mongol Empire's ...
.
In the 1350s, farmers of
Henan province started their riot against the dynasty because of years of famine. The imperial court interpreted the riot as a racial conflict instead of an economic one. Some Mongols suggested a genocide of Chinese civilians. Dorjeban strongly opposed this suggestion.
Dorjeban's sympathy towards rioters angered prime minister
Toqto'a. He was then relocated to Shanxi province as an investigating censor. He built roads to facilitate traffic and recruited volunteers to fight for the dynasty. He died on his term in Huguang province as a governor. Aged 40.
[History of Yuan vol.139]
Sources
Yuan dynasty politicians
Date of birth uncertain
Date of death unknown
{{China-politician-stub