The Du clan of Jingzhao () was a prominent Chinese clan, centred around the

Jingzhao Jingzhao ( zh, 京兆) was a historical region centered on the ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an. Han dynasty In early Han dynasty, the governor of the capital Chang'an and its vicinities was known as ''You Neishi'' (), and the region was also ...

region (modern day

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

). Tracing its origins back to the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

, it retained its prominence in Chinese politics and society up to the end of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

History

Han dynasty

The Du clan can be traced to Du Zhou (d. 94 BC), who served as a censor in the

under

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), formally enshrined as Emperor Wu the Filial (), born Liu Che (劉徹) and courtesy name Tong (通), was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of ancient China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His reign la ...

, and his son Du Yannian, who also served as a chief censor and shifted the clan's base to Duling (in modern-day Xi'an). After this, however, the Du family appears not to be deeply involved in politics during the Eastern Han.

Three Kingdoms Period and Jin dynasty

The Du family regained prominence in government during the late Han period with

Du Ji Du Ji (early 160s – 224), courtesy name Bohou, was an official who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later served as a high-ranking official in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He had the reputation of be ...

, who came to the attention of

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...

via Xun Yu and became a renowned governor of Hedong Commandery (modern day southern

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

). His son, Du Shu, also became a regional governor, and Du Shu's son

Du Yu Du Yu (223– January or February 285), courtesy name Yuankai, was a Chinese classicist, military general, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty. Life Du Yu was from Duling County ( ...

became the chief commander of the

conquest of Wu by Jin The conquest of Wu by Jin was a military campaign launched by the Western Jin dynasty against the Eastern Wu dynasty in 280 at the end of the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The campaign concluded with the fall of Eastern Wu and th ...

. In the wake of the Disaster of Yongjia, when the Western Jin capital at

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

was sacked, the Du clan generally did not embark on the southern migration to the Eastern Jin that was undertaken by many other prominent clans, instead choosing to remain in northern China and to serve the succeeding non-Chinese regimes. They retained their prominence even during the tumultuous period of the Five Barbarians, and are reported as filling important military and political posts after moving east into

Later Zhao The Later Zhao (; 319–351) was a dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms in northern China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity. The Jie were most likely a Yeniseian people and spoke next to Chinese one of the Yeniseian languages.Vov ...

. An exception to the trend of remaining north was Du Yi (杜乂), who achieved fame as an elegant gentleman in the Eastern Jin court, but died without issue.

Tang dynasty

During the Tang dynasty, members of the Du clan played an important role in both governance and culture. The '' Tongdian'', an encyclopedic account of governmental institutions through to the

An–Shi Rebellion The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general offi ...

, was compiled by Du You.

Prominent members

(222–285), general of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

and Jin and the conqueror of

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

Eastern Han Chinese

: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...

Du Ruhui Du Ruhui (585–630), courtesy name Keming, posthumously known as Duke Cheng of Lai, was a Chinese official who served as a chancellor under Emperor Taizong in the early Tang dynasty. He and his colleague, Fang Xuanling, were often described as ...

(585–630), chancellor under Emperor Taizong of Tang *

Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...

(712–770), Tang dynasty poet * Du You (735–812), Tang dynasty chancellor * Du Mu (803–852), Tang dynasty poet, grandson of Du You

References

{{reflist Chinese clans