Zhao Yuanyan (), officially the Prince Gongsu of Zhou (周恭肅王) (985 – 13 February 1044), was an imperial prince of the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
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 ...
, known for his
virtues
Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...
. He was the 8th son of
Emperor Taizong and a younger brother of
Emperor Zhenzong. He was referred to as the "Eighth Prince" (八大王). He was the only surviving paternal uncle of
Emperor Renzong during the latter's reign.
Family
*Father:
Emperor Taizong of Song
*Mother:
Virtuous Consort, of the Wang clan (德妃 王氏)
*Consorts and their respective issue(s):
**Princess Consort, of the Zhang clan (王妃 张氏)), daughter of Zhang Yongde (张永德
***Zhao Yunchu, Prince Gong of Boping'an (博平安恭王赵允初, 1032 – 1064), fourth son
**''Furen'', of the Liu clan (夫人 刘氏)
***Zhao Yunliang (赵允良, 1013 – 1066), Prince of Ding (定王), second son
**Unknown
***Zhao Yunxi (赵允熙), Marquess of Boping (博平侯), first son
***Zhao Yundi (赵允迪, 1014－1048), Prince Sike of Yongjia (永嘉思恪王), third son
***Princess Zhao (趙氏), first daughter
****married Liu Congguang (刘从广), second son of Liu Mei (刘美)
***Princess Zhao (趙氏), second daughter
****married Cui Shangxian (崔上贤)
Biography
As a child Zhao Yuanyan was known for his intelligence. He was a favorite of
Emperor Taizong and often accompanied guests at his father's
banquets
A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...
. Zhao Yuanyan was also known for his
filial piety as he would personally serve his mother,
Consort Wang, every day when she became sick. Unlike others in the
royal family
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
, Zhao Yuanyan enjoyed books and literature. He also practiced
calligraphy
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
after the masters
Wang Xianzhi and
Wang Xizhi.
When his young nephew
Emperor Renzong succeeded the throne,
Empress Liu acted as the real
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
. In order to avoid conflicts with the
empress dowager
Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) () is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere.
The title was also g ...
, Zhao Yuanyan stayed at home, feigning
lunacy. Only after
Empress Liu's death did he return to the imperial court, where he also revealed the secret that
Consort Li, and not
Empress Liu, was the emperor's real mother.
Known for his stern demeanor, he became a trusted adviser of
Emperor Renzong. When he became gravely ill, the emperor offered 5000
taels of silver but he refused, saying: "How can a man on death bed burden the country?" After his death,
Emperor Renzong conducted memorials for him three times and distributed his writings and poems to different officials.
In fiction
The "Eighth Prince" or "Eighth Virtuous Prince" is an important character in
folk stories
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...
about the
generals of the Yang clan, the
generals of the Huyan clan,
Di Qing and
Bao Zheng. Many works present his name as
Zhao Defang
Zhao Defang (; c. 959–981) was an imperial prince of imperial China's Song Dynasty. He was the fourth son of Emperor Taizu and the younger brother of Zhao Dezhao.
He was the 3rd great-grandfather of Emperor Xiaozong of Song.
Family
*Parent ...
(趙德芳), who in history is Zhao Yuanyan's cousin and died at the age of 22 in 981 during
Emperor Taizong's reign, long before many of the stories' historical characters (including Zhao Yuanyan himself) were born.
In fiction, the Eighth Prince married Di Qianjin (狄千金), the aunt of Di Qing, and raised
Emperor Renzong as his adoptive parents since infancy, as the baby was almost killed in a conspiracy orchestrated by
Consort Liu. The fiction also said that the Eight Prince lived in the Southern Palace (南清宮) and had one son, Prince Luhua (潞花王).
References
*
Toqto'a et al., ''
History of Song History of song (or History of Song) may refer to:
* ''History of Song'', one of the Twenty-Four Histories of China
* History of the Song dynasty
* History of Song, a state during the Zhou dynasty
* History of the Chinese surname, Song
* History of ...
'',
vol. 245 (Zhao Yuanyan).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuanyan, Zhao
986 births
1044 deaths
Song dynasty princes