Shangguan Yi (; 608 – 4 January 665),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Youshao (), formally Duke of Chu (), was a Chinese poet and politician. He was an official 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 ...

dynasty

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 ...

, serving as

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 ...

during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. In 664, with Emperor Gaozong displeased with his wife

Empress Wu The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

(later known as Wu Zetian) for her

controlling behavior Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlling ...

, and also he grew resentful of her controlling influence in the empire, Shangguan proposed that Empress Wu be deposed, a proposal that Emperor Gaozong was initially receptive to but disavowed once Empress Wu discovered it. Empress Wu then had Shangguan accused of plotting treason with Emperor Gaozong's oldest son, the former

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

Li Zhong Li Zhong (李忠) (643 – January 6, 665Volume 201 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Li died on the ''wuzi'' day in the 12th month of the 1st year of the Linde era of Tang Gaozong's reign. This date corresponds to 6 Jan 665 on the Gregorian cal ...

(who had been displaced by Empress Wu's son

Li Hong Li Hong () (652 – 25 May 675), formally Emperor Xiaojing (孝敬皇帝, literally, "the filial and respectful emperor") with the temple name of Yizong (義宗), was a crown prince (not emperor, despite his formal title) of the Chinese dynasty ...

), and Shangguan was executed. Empress Wu then began to attend state assemblies and to oversee the emperor's actions and decisions, hearing all the details of the government and obvious intervening in the government. also, His granddaughter

Shangguan Wan'er Shangguan Wan'er (664–21 July 710) was a Chinese politician, poet, and imperial consort of the Wu Zhou and Tang dynasties. Described as a "female prime minister," Shangguan rose from modest origins as a palace servant to become secretary an ...

later served as a key secretary to Empress Wu and a beloved

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

to her son Emperor Zhongzong.

Background

Shangguan Yi was born in 608. His family was initially from what would eventually become Shan Prefecture (陝州, roughly modern

Sanmenxia Sanmenxia (; postal: Sanmenhsia) is a prefecture-level city in the west of Henan Province, China. The westernmost prefecture-level city in Henan, Sanmenxia borders Luoyang to the east, Nanyang to the southeast, Shaanxi Province to the west and Sh ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

), but as his father Shangguan Hong () served as the deputy director of

Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), also known as Emperor Ming of Sui () during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong, was the second emperor of ...

's palace at the secondary capital Jiangdu (江都, in modern

Yangzhou Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yan ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

), the Shangguan household relocated to Jiangdu and settled there. Late in Emperor Yang's ''Daye'' era (605-618), Shangguan Hong was killed by the general Chen Leng (). Shangguan Yi was still young at the time, and he escaped death by going into hiding. Thereafter, he became a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

and spent much time on studying the

sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

s. He also studied the

Confucian classics Chinese classic texts or canonical texts () or simply dianji (典籍) refers to the Chinese texts which originated before the imperial unification by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, particularly the "Four Books and Five Classics" of the Neo-Confucian ...

, and was said to be literarily talented.

During Emperor Taizong's reign

Early in the reign of succeeding

's second emperor Emperor Taizong,

Yang Gongren Yang Guan (died 639), courtesy name Gongren, better known as Yang Gongren, formally Duke Xiao of Guan, was a Chinese military general and politician during the Sui and Tang dynasties, at one point serving as a Tang chancellor. Background It ...

was serving as the acting commandant at Yang Prefecture (揚州, i.e., Jiangdu), when Yang became impressed with Shangguan's talents and recommended him for the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

. Emperor Taizong also heard of Shangguan's talent, and made him an imperial scholar and later an official at the archival bureau. As Emperor Taizong himself liked to write, he often had Shangguan review his drafts and also write responses to them; he also often invited Shangguan to imperial feasts. Shangguan also participated in the writing of the ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang X ...

'', the official history of the

Jin Dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had pr ...

, a project led by the

Fang Xuanling Fang Qiao (; 579 – 18 August 648), courtesy name Xuanling, better known as Fang Xuanling, posthumously known as Duke Wenzhao of Liang, was a Chinese statesman and writer who served as a chancellor under Emperor Taizong in the early Tang dynas ...

. After the project was complete, he became an imperial historian and was awarded with linen.

During Emperor Gaozong's reign

After Emperor Taizong's death in 649, Emperor Taizong's son

Li Zhi Li Zhi may refer to: *Emperor Gaozong of Tang (628–683), named Li Zhi, Emperor of China *Li Ye (mathematician) (1192–1279), Chinese mathematician and scholar, birth name Li Zhi *Li Zhi (philosopher) (1527–1602), Chinese philosopher from the M ...

became emperor (as Emperor Gaozong). Sometime thereafter, he made Shangguan Yi the deputy director of the archival bureau. In 662, he promoted Shangguan to be ''Xi Tai Shilang'' (), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (西臺, ''Xi Tai''), along with the honorific title ''Yinqing Guanglu Daifu'' (). He also gave Shangguan the designation ''Tong Dong Xi Tai Sanpin'' (), making him a chancellor ''de facto''. It was said that Shangguan was by now particularly known for his poetry, particularly a style featuring five characters per line; his poetry was said to be decorated and delicate—a style that was then often imitated and became known as the Shangguan Style. It was said that Shangguan was arrogant because of his talent, and became the object of much jealousy. By 664, Emperor Gaozong was said to be deeply fearful and resentful of his powerful second wife

, as she interfered too much every day with his decisions and took many of the imperial orders arbitrarily against his will. After the

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

Wang Fusheng () reported to Emperor Gaozong that Empress Wu had, against strict regulations, engaged the

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

monk Guo Xinzhen () to engage in sorcery, Emperor Gaozong was angry, and he summoned Shangguan to ask for advice on what to do. Shangguan suggested, "The empress has no control of herself, and the entire empire is dissatisfied with her. Please depose her." Emperor Gaozong agreed and had Shangguan draft an edict deposing her. However, because among Emperor Gaozong's attendants were her allies, she found out, and she immediately entered the great palace with the soldiers in an authoritarian manner appeared before him to defend herself. As Emperor Gaozong was caught red-handed with the draft edict in his hand, Emperor Gaozong was scared and ashamed, and he reconciled with her. He further blamed Shangguan for the idea, to divert Empress Wu's displeasure. As Shangguan had served on the staff of Emperor Gaozong's first

(who was not born of Empress Wu and who was displaced by Empress Wu's son

in 656 while Li Zhong was the Prince of Chen, and later both Shangguan and Wang served on Li Zhong's staff while Li Zhong was crown prince,As Li Zhong was created the Prince of Chen in 646 and crown prince in 652, and then reduced to be the Prince of Liang in 656, Shangguan's service must have been between those years. Empress Wu had her ally

Xu Jingzong Xu Jingzong (592 – September 20, 672), courtesy name Yanzu, posthumously known as Duke Gong of Gaoyang, was a Chinese cartographer, historian, and politician who served as a chancellor in the Tang dynasty. Allied with Emperor Gaozong's powerf ...

accuse Shangguan, Wang, and Li Zhong of plotting to kill Emperor Gaozong. Around the new year 665, Shangguan and Wang were both arrested and executed. Also killed was Shangguan's son Shangguan Tingzhi (). Li Zhong was thereafter forced to commit suicide. From then on, whenever Emperor Gaozong presided over imperial meetings and makes all the day-to-day decisions of the empire, Empress Wu would sit behind a pearl screen behind him to hear the all movements and reports and see and the real power of the state was fully and directly in the imperial meetings of that on Empress Wu. By order of Empress Wu Shangguan's assets were seized, and his family were taken as servants. A number of officials close to Shangguan, including fellow chancellor

Liu Xiangdao Liu Xiangdao (劉祥道) (596–666), courtesy name Tongshou (同壽), formally Duke Xuan of Guangping (廣平宣公), was a Chinese politicians of the medieval Chinese Tang Dynasty who served briefly as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozo ...

, were demoted. Shangguan Tingzhi's daughter

, who was also literarily talented, became a palace servant. Empress Wu favored her talent and made her a secretary. After Empress Wu had seized the throne herself but then was overthrown by her son Emperor Zhongzong in 705, Emperor Zhongzong took Shangguan Wan'er as a

. She became powerful, as Emperor Zhongzong often had her draft his edicts. For this reason, Emperor Zhongzong posthumously awarded both Shangguan Yi and Shangguan Tingzhi a number of honors and reburied them with honor.

Notes

References

* ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 80. * ''New Book of Tang'', vol. 105. * ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 201.

External links

Book 40
of the ''

Quan Tangshi (''Complete Tang Poems'') is the largest collection of Tang poetry, containing some 49,000 lyric poems by more than twenty-two hundred poets. In 1705, it was commissioned at the direction of the Qing dynasty Kangxi Emperor and published under ...

'' (which collects Shangguan Yi's poems) in the

Chinese Text Project The Chinese Text Project (CTP; ) is a digital library project that assembles collections of early Chinese texts. The name of the project in Chinese literally means "The Chinese Philosophical Book Digitization Project", showing its focus on books ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shangguan, Yi 608 births 665 deaths 7th-century Chinese poets Chancellors under Emperor Gaozong of Tang Poets from Jiangsu Politicians from Yangzhou Sui dynasty Buddhists Tang dynasty Buddhist monks Tang dynasty poets Tang dynasty politicians from Jiangsu Writers from Yangzhou