Cui Guicong (崔龜從),
courtesy name Xuangao (玄告), 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, serving as a
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 Xuānzong
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (July 27, 810 – September 7, 859) (reigned April 25, 846 – September 7, 859) was an emperor in the latter part of the Tang dynasty of China. Personally named Li Yi, later renamed Li Chen (), and known before his rei ...
.
Background and early career
It is not known when Cui Guicong was born. He was from the "Greater Branch" of the prominent Cui clan of Qinghe (清河, in modern
Xingtai,
Hebei), and his male-line ancestors originally claimed ancestry from the ruling house of the
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...
state
Qi. Cui Guicong's traceable ancestry included officials of
Han Dynasty (including
Cui Yan),
Liu Song,
Northern Wei
Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties ...
,
Northern Qi,
Sui Dynasty
The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...
, and
Tang Dynasty, although neither Cui Guicong's grandfather Cui Cheng (崔誠) nor his father Cui Huang (崔黃) were listed with any offices.
Cui Guicong passed the
imperial examinations in the ''Jinshi'' class in 817, during the reign of
Emperor Xianzong, and he subsequently passed two additional special imperial examinations in the classes of those who were considered good and capable of strategies, and those who made good rulings. He thereafter served as ''You Shiyi'' (右拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng''). In 828, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong's grandson
Emperor Wenzong, he was made ''Taichang Boshi'' (太常博士), a scholar at the ministry of worship (太常寺, ''Taichang Si'').
[''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 176.]
While serving as ''Taichang Boshi'', Cui was considered an expert in proper etiquette in imperial ceremonies. As Emperor Wenzong had succeeded his older brother
Emperor Jingzong after Emperor Jingzong's death, his mourning text for Emperor Jingzong originally referred to himself as, "your filially pious younger brother." Cui pointed out that because Emperor Wenzong was of the same generation as Emperor Jingzong, "filially pious" was inappropriate, and suggested that, instead, he referred to himself by name to show respect instead. Also at Cui's suggestion, the sacrifices made to the gods of nine regions of heaven were downgraded to below those offered to the gods of the five planets (
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
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* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
,
Venus,
Mars,
Jupiter, and
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
), as he pointed out that traditionally, the gods of the nine regions were considered lower in status to the gods of the five planets. Further, it was at his suggestions that the custom that the emperor wait several days before mourning important officials be abolished — pointing out that Emperor Wenzong's distinguished ancestor
Emperor Taizong had insisted on mourning those officials immediately.
[
Cui was later made ''Kaogong Langzhong'' (考功郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, ''Libu''), as well as an editor of the imperial histories. In 835, he was made ''Sixun Langzhong'' (司勛郎中), still a supervisory official at the ministry of civil service affairs, and was also put in charge of drafting imperial edicts. Later in the year, he was made ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau.][
Early in Emperor Wenzong's ''Kaicheng'' era (836-840), Cui was sent out of the capital Chang'an to serve as the prefect of Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi). In 838, he was recalled to Chang'an to serve as the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, ''Hubu Shilang'') and put in charge of tax collection. In 839, he was briefly made acting minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, ''Hubu Shangshu''), to select officials for that year.][
]
Chancellorship and aftermaths
In 850, by which time Emperor Wenzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (July 27, 810 – September 7, 859) (reigned April 25, 846 – September 7, 859) was an emperor in the latter part of the Tang dynasty of China. Personally named Li Yi, later renamed Li Chen (), and known before his rei ...
was emperor, Cui Guicong, who was then the minister of census (戶部尚書, ''Hubu Shangshu'') and the director of finances, was made a 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 ...
''de facto'' with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事).['' Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 249.] In 851, he submitted to Emperor Xuānzong a 30-volume calendar for Tang.[ In 852, he was removed from his chancellor position and made the military governor ('' Jiedushi'') of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan).][ He served as military governor at other circuits before his death, although his terms of service and time of death were not given in his biographies.][''New Book of Tang'', vol. 160.]
Notes and 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. 176.
* ''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. 160.
* '' Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 249.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cui Guicong
Chancellors under Emperor Xuānzong of Tang
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Xuanwu Circuit
Tang dynasty historians
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
Cui clan of Qinghe