Qian Weiyan(, 977 – September 3, 1034) was a Chinese politician and poet. He was the 14th son of the last king of
Wuyue
Wuyue (; ), 907–978, was an independent coastal kingdom founded during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960) of Chinese history. It was ruled by the Haiyan Qian clan (海盐钱氏), whose family name remains widespread in t ...
Qian Hongchu
Qian Chu (September 29, 929 – October 7, 988, courtesy name Wende), known as Qian Hongchu before 960, was the last king of Wuyue, reigning from 947 until 978 when he surrendered his kingdom to the Song dynasty.
Life
Qian Chu came to power aft ...
and the great grandson of
. He was best known for his literary style "Xikun style" which features the use of various anecdotes as well as ornate diction.
Weiyan was born in
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...
which was the capital of Wuyue. In 978, he moved to
Bianliang with his father after the surrender of Wuyue to Song. He was then appointed the military training commissioner of Song. During the reign of
Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Qian was transferred from military departments to civil positions. As an editor, he participated the establishment of ''
Cefu Yuangui
''Cefu Yuangui'' (冊府元龜) is the largest ''leishu'' (encyclopedia) compiled during the Chinese Song Dynasty (AD 960–1279). It was the last of the '' Four Great Books of Song'', the previous three having been published in the 10th cen ...
'', the largest encyclopedia compiled during the Song dynasty.
In 1015, Qian became a member of
Hanlin Academy. In 1020, he was appointed
Shumishi
Shumishi (), or shumi, was an official title in history of China, imperial China important in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Liao dynasty, the Song dynasty and the Jin dynasty (1115–1234). ''Shumishi'' managed the Bureau of Mili ...
. In 1033, Qian became the
Jiedushi
The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", " legate" ...
of Taining Jun and the Executive of
Henan Fu. Qian enjoyed a luxury life as a former prince. During his term in Henan Fu, He occasionally selected and sent special varieties of
Paeonia suffruticosa
Paeonia or Paionia may refer to:
* The genus ''Paeonia'', which comprises all peony plants
* Paeonia (kingdom), an ancient state occupying roughly the same area as the present-day Republic of North Macedonia
* Paionia (municipality)
Paionia ( e ...
to the imperial court with the purpose of entertaining courtiers.
Su Shi
Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of ...
, one of the renowned poet in Chinese history, wrote a poem mocking his luxurious life-style. Ouyang Xiu recorded Qian's action after his coral penholder was stolen. According to Ouyang, Qian simply paid a mount of money that satisfied the thief and took the penholder back.
Qian was regarded as a bookworm by his contemporaries. It is said that he never stopped reading books in his daily life.
[歐陽修《歸田錄》] Eventually, Qian's political fortune waned after Emperor Renzong of Song took over his power. As a trusted courtier of
Empress Guo whom Emperor Renzong saw as a political threat, Qian was expelled from the imperial court.
Qian died in the year of 1034 and was given a posthumous name "Wenxi" ().
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiyan, Qian
977 births
1034 deaths
Poets from Zhejiang
Politicians from Hangzhou
Song dynasty jiedushi of Taining Circuit
Song dynasty poets
Song dynasty politicians from Zhejiang