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 ...
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
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 change ...
. 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
Zhao Jiong (20 November 939 – 8 May 997), known as Zhao Guangyi from 960 to 977 and Zhao Kuangyi before 960, also known by his temple name Taizong after his death, was the second emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 976 to h ...
*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
In Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism, and Daoist ethics, filial piety (, ''xiào'') (Latin: pietas) is a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors. The Confucian '' Classic of Filial Piety'', thought to be written around the lat ...
as he would personally serve his mother, Consort Wang, every day when she became sick. Unlike others in the royal family, Zhao Yuanyan enjoyed books and literature. He also practiced calligraphy after the masters Wang Xianzhi and
Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi (; ; 303 AD361 AD) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, general and writer during the Jin dynasty. He was best known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. Wang is sometimes regarded as the greatest Chinese calligrapher in Chines ...
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, 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
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 ...
Di Qing
Di Qing (1008–1057), formerly romanized as Ti Ch'ing, was a Chinese military general of the Northern Song dynasty.
Biography
Di Qing was born to a poor family in Xihe, Fenzhou (汾州西河; present-day Fenyang, Shanxi). He sported tattoos ...
and
Bao Zheng
Bao Zheng (; 5 March 999 – 3 July 1062), commonly known as Bao Gong (), was a Chinese politician during the reign of Emperor Renzong in China's Song Dynasty. During his twenty-five years in civil service, Bao consistently demonstrated extr ...
. 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
*Par ...
(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).