Wang Xiang (184 – 30 April 268''wuxu'' day of the 4th month of the 4th year of the ''Taishi'' era, per Emperor Wu's biography in ''Book of Jin''. Wang Xiang's biography in the same work indicated that he died in the 5th year of the ''Taishi'' era, but also indicated that

Wang Yuanji Wang Yuanji (217 – 20 April 268) was a Chinese noble lady, aristocrat and later empress dowager of Jin dynasty, who lived during the Three Kingdoms period. She was the wife of Sima Zhao, a regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three King ...

died just before him. Since Empress Dowager Wang died in April 268, Wang Xiang's death date should be in 268 as well.),

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 ...

Xiuzheng, was a Chinese politician who lived through the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

(25–220), the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period (220–280), and the early

Western Jin dynasty Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

(266–316) of China. He served among the highest positions in the government, including Minister of Works () and Grand Commandant () in the

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

state during the Three Kingdoms period, and Grand Protector () during the Western Jin dynasty. He was also one of

The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars ''The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars'', also translated as ''The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety'' (), is a classic text of Confucian filial piety written by Guo Jujing ()() Wang, Qi (). ''Xu Wenxian Tongkao'' () vol. 71. during the Yuan dyn ...

Family background

Wang Xiang's ancestor was Wang Ji (), who served as a Counsellor Remonstrant () in the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

. His grandfather, Wang Ren (), served as the Inspector () of

Qing Province Qingzhou or Qing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China dating back to BCE that later became one of the thirteen provinces of the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The Nine Provinces were first described in the '' Tribut ...

in the

. His uncle, Wang Rui (; died 189), served as the Inspector of

Jing Province Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in Chinese historical texts such as the ''Tribute of Yu'', '' Erya'' and '' Rites of Zhou''. Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of Empe ...

and was killed by the warlord

Sun Jian Sun Jian () () (155–191?), courtesy name Wentai, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a ...

. Wang Xiang's father, Wang Rong (), turned down offers to serve in the government and remained a commoner throughout his life. Wang Xiang's mother, Lady Xue (), was from Gaoping County (; northwest of present-day

Weishan County, Shandong Weishan County () is a county of southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China, bordering Jiangsu province to the south. It is under the administration of Jining Jining () is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong provin ...

). She presumably died early as Wang Rong took a second wife, Lady Zhu (), who bore him another son, Wang Lan ().

Early life

Wang Xiang was born in the chaotic era towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, when various warlords were fighting for power throughout the Han Empire. Around the time, Wang Xiang's only surviving family members were his stepmother Lady Zhu and half-brother Wang Lan. They fled from their home in

Langya Commandery Langya Commandery ( zh, , ) was a commandery in historical China from Qin dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in present-day southeast Shandong and northeast Jiangsu. The commandery was established in Qin dynasty on the former territories of Qi. Fro ...

(; around present-day

Linyi Linyi () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. As of 2011, Linyi is the largest prefecture-level city in Shandong, both by area and population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo t ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

) and headed south to Lujiang Commandery (; around present-day

Lu'an Lu'an (), is a prefecture-level city in western Anhui province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan to the northwest and Hubei to the southwest. As of the 2020 census, it had a total population of 4,393,699 inhabitants whom 1,752,537 liv ...

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

), where they lived in seclusion for over 20 years. During this time, Wang Xiang received invitations to serve as an official in the local commandery office but he turned them down.

Service in Cao Wei

During the

period, Lü Qian, an official of the

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

state serving as the Inspector of

Xu Province Xuzhou as a historical toponym refers to varied area in different eras. Ordinarily, it was a reference to the one of the Nine Provinces which modern Xuzhou inherited. History Pre-Qin era Xuzhou or Xu Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ...

, wanted to recruit Wang Xiang to be an Assistant Officer () under him. Wang Xiang initially refused, but relented after his brother Wang Lan urged him to accept. Lü Qian put Wang Xiang in charge of civil and domestic affairs in Xu Province. During his tenure, he implemented educational policies and sent soldiers to deal with bandits in the region. His successful policies earned him much respect and praise from the people in Xu Province. In recognition of his achievements, Wang Xiang was nominated as a ''maocai'' (; an outstanding civil service candidate) and appointed as the Prefect () of Wen County (; east of present-day

Mengzhou Mengzhou () is a County-level city in Henan province, People's Republic of China. It is administered by the prefecture-level city Jiaozuo Jiaozuo ( ; postal: Tsiaotso) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Henan province, China. Sitting ...

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 ...

). Later on, he was promoted to the position of Minister of Finance () in the central government. In 254, Wang Xiang supported the regent

Sima Shi Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, all ...

in deposing the third Wei emperor,

Cao Fang Cao Fang () (232–274), courtesy name Lanqing, was the third emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second ruler of Wei. Cao Fang ruled from 239 to 254 as a nominal emperor bef ...

, and replacing with him

Cao Mao Cao Mao () (241 – 2 June 260), courtesy name Yanshi, was the fourth emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a grandson of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. Described as intelligent and studious, ...

. As a reward for Wang Xiang's support, Sima Shi awarded him the title of a Secondary Marquis () and appointed him as Minister of the Household (), but later reassigned him to be Colonel-Director of Retainers (). In 255, when the generals

Guanqiu Jian Guanqiu Jian (died 16 March 255), courtesy name Zhonggong, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Guanqiu Jian was from Wenxi County (), Hedong Commandery, which i ...

and

Wen Qin Wen Qin (died February or March 258), courtesy name Zhongruo, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He served as the Inspector of Yang Province during the reign of t ...

started a rebellion in Shouchun (; present-day

Shou County Shou County or Shouxian () is a county in the north-central part of Anhui Province, China, and is located on the southern (right) bank of the Huai River. It is the southernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city A prefectur ...

), Wang Xiang accompanied Sima Shi as he led imperial forces to suppress the revolt. After the rebellion was crushed, Sima Shi appointed Wang Xiang as Minister of Ceremonies () and promoted him from a Secondary Marquis to a village marquis under the title "Marquis of Wansui Village" (). As Minister of Ceremonies, Wang Xiang served as a tutor to the young emperor Cao Mao and taught him the ways of a ruler. In 260, Cao Mao, no longer willing to be a puppet emperor, staged a ''coup d'état'' to seize back power from the regent

Sima Zhao Sima Zhao () (211 – 6 September 265), courtesy name Zishang, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Sima Zhao capably maintained control of Wei, which had been ...

(Sima Shi's brother). However, he ended up being assassinated by Cheng Ji (), an officer under Sima Zhao's close aide

Jia Chong Jia Chong (217–19 May 282), courtesy name Gonglü, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty of China. He started his career as an advisor to Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, the regents of the ...

. During Cao Mao's funeral, a 75-year-old Wang Xiang wept bitterly and said, "I, an old minister, am so unworthy!" His words made some of the officials who attended Cao Mao's funeral feel ashamed of themselves. In 261, during the reign of the fifth Wei emperor Cao Huan, Wang Xiang was promoted to Minister of Works. In 264, he was reassigned to be Grand Commandant () and given an additional role as a Palace Attendant (). In the same year, Sima Zhao restored the five-rank nobility system, which was previously abolished, and enfeoffed Wang Xiang as the Duke of Suiling () with a dukedom comprising 1,600 taxable households.

Service under the Jin dynasty

In 265, following Sima Zhao's death, his son Sima Yan (Emperor Wu) usurped the throne from Cao Huan, ended the Cao Wei state and established the Jin dynasty with himself as the emperor. After his coronation, Emperor Wu appointed Wang Xiang as Grand Protector () and allowed him to keep his peerage as the Duke of Suiling. By then, Wang Xiang, He Zeng (), Zheng Chong () and some former Wei officials were already in their old age, so it was no longer convenient for them to regularly attend imperial court sessions. Emperor Wu thus sent

Ren Kai Ren or REN may refer to: Abbreviations * Orenburg Tsentralny Airport, IATA code REN, civil airport in Russia * Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), Portuguese company * Renanthera, abbreviated as Ren, orchid genus * Ringer equivalence number ( ...

(), then a Palace Attendant (), to visit them and seek their advice on policy matters. Wang Xiang, then already in his 80s, sought permission on a number of occasions from Emperor Wu to retire, but the emperor refused. Hou Shiguang (), a Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk (), once asked Emperor Wu to dismiss Wang Xiang because Wang Xiang had been absent from imperial court sessions for a long time due to poor health. However, as Emperor Wu respected and favoured Wang Xiang, he ordered the Imperial Censorate (; in charge of keeping track of officials' performance in office) to make an exception for Wang Xiang. He also allowed Wang Xiang to remain in office and continue drawing his salary, even though Wang Xiang spent most of his time at home. Wang Xiang died in April 268 at the age of 85 (by

East Asian age reckoning Countries in the East Asian cultural sphere (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and their diasporas) have traditionally used specific methods of reckoning a person's numerical age based not on their birthday but the calendar year, and what age one is ...

) and was awarded the

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

"Duke Yuan" (). Hence, he was formally referred to as "Duke Yuan of Suiling".

Family

Wang Xiang's half-brother, Wang Lan (), served as a Household Counsellor () under the Jin dynasty. He was also a fourth-generation ancestor of the famous calligrapher

Wang Xizhi Wang Xizhi (; ; 303 AD361 AD) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, general and writer during the Jin Dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty. He was best known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. Wang is sometimes regarded as the greatest Chinese ...

. Some known descendants of Wang Xiang are as follows: * Wang Zhao (), Wang Xiang's first son born to a concubine. He served as a Cavalry Commandant (), Official Who Concurrently Serves in the Palace (), and the Administrator of Shiping () under the Jin dynasty. ** Wang Jun (), Wang Zhao's son, served as an assistant to the crown prince, later enfeoffed as the Marquis of Yongshi (). *** Wang Xia (), Wang Jun's son, served as the Administrator of Yulin (). * Wang Xia (), Wang Xiang's first son born to his wife, died early. * Wang Fu (), Wang Xiang's second son born to his wife, inherited his father's peerage as the Duke of Suiling. He served as the Administrator of Shangluo (). ** Wang Gen (), Wang Fu's son, inherited his father's peerage as the Duke of Suiling. * Wang Lie (), Wang Xiang's son born to a concubine, died early. * Wang Fen (), Wang Xiang's son born to a concubine, died around the same time as Wang Lie.

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). ''

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 ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...