Chen Xuanli (陳玄禮) was the General Commander of the Imperial "Longwu Army" (龙武军) during the
Chinese Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. He was a loyal subject of
Emperor Xuanzong of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
.
Biography
Chen Xuanli started as a low officer guard in the palace and then helped Li Longji launch a successful coup, deposing
Empress Dowager Wei in 710. After Li Longji took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong, Chen Xuanli was appointed commander of the Imperial Guard and became a trusted confidant of the emperor. In 755, Chen Xuanli escorted Emperor Xuanzong and
Yang Guifei
Yang Yuhuan (; 719 – 15 July 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bing'shen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the ''Zhi'de'' era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on the ...
as they fled from Tang's capital, Chang'an, during the
An Shi Rebellion
The An Lushan rebellion was a civil war in China that lasted from 755 to 763, at the approximate midpoint of the Tang dynasty (618–907). It began as a fu (administrative division), commandery rebellion attempting to overthrow and replace the Ta ...
. Chen Xuanli retired in September or October 760,
[(上元元年八月致仕。) ''Jiu Tang Shu'', vol.106. The month corresponds to 14 Sep to 13 Oct 760 in the Julian calendar.] and succumbed to illness in 762 A.D., the same year as Xuanzong's death.
Rumors and Stories
During the execution of Yang Guifei, Chen secretly plotted with
Gao Lishi to bring another woman to replace Yang. As Chen was in charge of examining Yang's body, he managed to facilitate her escape to Shankou County,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.
In fiction & popular culture
*Portrayed by
Gordon Liu
Gordon Liu Chia-hui (born Sin Kam-hei, 22 August 1955) is a retired Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and filmmaker, best known for his roles in martial arts films. He was one of the biggest male stars of Shaw Brothers Studio's martial arts cinema ...
in ''
The Legend of Lady Yang.'' (2000)
References
Further reading
*''
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.184.
*''
New Book of Tang
The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...
'',
vol.208.
"The Riddle of the Death of Concubine Yang Yuhuan"
Tang dynasty generals
760s deaths
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