Lingyan Pavilion () was a small tower beside Sanqing Hall () in the southwest of Taiji Palace (),

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

, the capital 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 ...

. Its location in modern China is roughly in the north of

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 ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

The original 24

On 23 March 643,兩千年中西曆轉換
/ref> during the Zhenguan era of the reign of Emperor Taizong in the Tang dynasty, the emperor commissioned the artist

Yan Liben Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed inde ...

to paint life-sized portraits of 24 officials to commemorate them for their meritorious service and contributions aiding him in his establishment of the Tang Empire. However, many among the 24 men were also instrumental in helping Taizong seize power during the

Xuanwu Gate Incident The Xuanwu Gate Incident was a palace coup for the throne of the Tang dynasty on 2 July 626, when Prince Li Shimin (Prince of Qin) and his followers assassinated Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Yuanji (Prince of Qi). Li Shimin, the secon ...

. The paintings were displayed in Lingyan Pavilion and all of them faced north. The pavilion was divided into three layers: the innermost held the portraits of

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 ...

s; the middle displayed paintings of princes and dukes; the outermost for the remaining ones. Emperor Taizong often visited the pavilion to view the portraits and reminisce the past. The 24 officials are listed as such: File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View H.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View G.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View F.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View E.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View D.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View C.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View B.jpg

After Taizong

Five Tang emperors after Taizong also honored officials whom they felt have contributed greatly to the empire, by hanging their portraits in Lingyan Pavilion. Such officials include

Guo Ziyi Guo Ziyi (Kuo Tzu-i; Traditional Chinese: 郭子儀, Simplified Chinese: 郭子仪, Hanyu Pinyin: Guō Zǐyí, Wade-Giles: Kuo1 Tzu3-i2) (697 – July 9, 781), posthumously Prince Zhōngwǔ of Fényáng (), was a Chinese military general and pol ...

(honored by

Tang Daizong Emperor Daizong of Tang (9 January 727 According to Daizong's biography in the '' Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the 13th day in the 12th month of the 14th year of the Kaiyuan era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 9 Jan 727 ...

and

Tang Dezong Emperor Dezong of Tang (27 May 742According to Li Kuo's biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the ''guisi'' day in the 4th month of the 1st year of the Tianbao era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 27 May 742 in ...

) and

Li Guangbi Li Guangbi (李光弼) (708 – August 15, 764), formally Prince Wumu of Linhuai (臨淮武穆王), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician during the Tang dynasty. He was of ethnic Khitan ancestry, who was instrumental in Tang's s ...

(honored by

Tang Suzong Emperor Suzong of Tang (''yihai'' day, 711 – 16 May 762; r. 756 – 762), personal name Li Heng, né Li Sisheng (), known as Li Jun () from 725 to 736, known as Li Yu () from 736 to 738, known briefly as Li Shao () in 738, was an emperor of t ...

), who were vital in putting down the

An Lushan 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 office ...

. In a twist of fate,

Chu Suiliang Chu Suiliang (596–658), courtesy name Dengshan, formally the Duke of Henan, was a Chinese calligrapher, historian, and politician who served as a chancellor during the reigns of the emperors Taizong and Gaozong in the Tang dynasty. He became i ...

, whose calligraphy was used when honoring the original 24, was posthumously inaugurated into Lingyan Pavilion by

, and again by Tang Xuanzong, Li Chen. Some officials were commemorated by more than one emperor. Thus, while the final number of portraits hung in the pavilion was 132, only about 100 officials were honored. However, some officials were inaugurated by emperors who seek to curry favor through such a move. This was due to the weakening of imperial authority after the An Lushan Rebellion. Such officials include enunchs like

Yu Chaoen Yu Chao'en (魚朝恩) (722 – April 10, 770), formally the Duke of Han (韓公), was a eunuch official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was powerful early during the reign of Emperor Daizong and was feared by others, including chancellors ...

and

Cheng Yuanzhen Cheng Yuanzhen (程元振) (died 764?) was a Chinese eunuch, military general, and politician during the Tang Dynasty. He was exceedingly powerful early in the reign of Emperor Daizong and was said to, in his attempts to consolidate his power, hav ...

, and generals like

Tian Chengsi Tian Chengsi (705– March 4, 779), formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He served as a military general in the rebel state of Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, ...

who helped usher in the era of

fanzhen ''Fanzhen'' (), also called ''fangzhen'' (), was a governmental system involving administration through regional governors (''jiedushi''). The term ''fanzhen'' literally means "buffer town", and refers to the strategic settlement of troops in l ...

which became largely autonomous and defied control by the imperial court.

References

* ''

Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

'', vol. 7

* ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...

'', vol. 196. {{Twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion Tang dynasty paintings 643 History of Xi'an 7th century in China Sets of portraits

The original 24

After Taizong

See also

References