Cui Hang (崔沆) (died January 24, 881),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Neirong (內融), was an official of the

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

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 ...

, serving as a

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

during the reign of Emperor Xizong. When the agrarian rebel

Huang Chao Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a wealthy Chinese salt trader and soldier who is primarily known for instigating the Huang Chao Rebellion. In 878, he proclaimed himself emperor and the establishment of a new Qi dynasty. Huang Chao's re ...

captured the Tang capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

, Cui was unable to flee; he was then executed by Huang's new state of Qi.

Background

It is not known when Cui Hang was born. He was from the "Elder Boling branch" of the

Cui clan of Boling The Cui clan of Boling (博陵崔氏) was a notable Chinese clan of noble descent which was politically active from the Han dynasty to the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. They shared the same ancestry as the Cui clan of Qinghe. ...

(博陵, in modern

Hengshui } Hengshui ( zh, s=衡水) is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. It borders Shijiazhuang City to the west, Xingtai City to the south, and Baoding City and Cangzhou ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

), and his father

Cui Xuan Cui Xuan (), courtesy name Taishuo (), formally the Duke of Wei (), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving two terms as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Wuzong and Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong. Background It ...

served as a

during the reigns of Emperor Wuzong and Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong. He had at least four younger brothers, Cui Ting (崔汀), Cui Tan (崔潭), Cui Yi (崔沂), and Cui Ji (崔濟).

Career prior to chancellorship

At some point, Cui Hang passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

s in the ''Jinshi'' class, although when he did so is not known. He subsequently became a low-level official (員外郎, ''Yuanwailang'') in one of the ministries at the executive bureau of government (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''). Yet later, he was put in charge of drafting edicts and was made a ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng'').''

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. 163. In 872, during the reign of Emperor Yizong, the official Wei Yinyu (韋殷裕), whose wife was a cousin of Cui Hang's, submitted a report accusing Guo Jingshu (郭敬述), the brother of Emperor Yizong's favorite concubine Consort Guo, of improprieties. Emperor Yizong, in anger, caned Wei to death and confiscated his assets. Further, Wei's father-in-law (Cui Hang's uncle) Cui Yuanying (崔元應), Cui Hang, and a cousin of Cui Yuanying's, Cui Junqing (崔君卿) was exiled, as was Wei's friend Du Yixiu (杜裔休), a son of the deceased chancellor

Du Cong Du Cong (, c. 794?–873?''New Book of Tang'', vol. 166.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 252.), courtesy name Yongyu (), formally the Duke of Bin () was an official of the Tang dynasty of China, serving two terms as chancellor during the reigns of Emper ...

.''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'', vol. 252. In Cui Hang's case, he was made the census officer at Xun Prefecture (循州, in modern

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in east-central Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Hey ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

).''New Book of Tang'', vol. 160. After Emperor Yizong died in 873 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Xizong, Cui Hang was moved closer to the capital, to be the prefect of Yong Prefecture (永州, in modern

Yongzhou Yongzhou () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern bank of the Xiang River, which is formed by the confluence of the Xiao River, Xiao and Xiang Rivers, and bordering Guang ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

). He was subsequently recalled to the capital

to again serve as ''Zhongshu Sheren'', and then successively as the deputy minister of rites (禮部侍郎, ''Lǐbu Shilang'') then deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, ''Lìbu Shilang'', note different tone).

Chancellorship

In 878, when Emperor Xizong decided to remove the chancellors

Zheng Tian Zheng Tian (, 821?''New Book of Tang'', vol. 185./825?''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 178.–883?), courtesy name Taiwen (), formally Duke Wenzhao of Xingyang (), was a Chinese politician and military commander of the late Tang dynasty who served ...

and

Lu Xi Lu Xie (盧攜) (died January 8, 881Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 254.), courtesy name Zisheng (子升), was a politician of the late Tang dynasty, serving twice as chancellor under Emperor Xizong. ...

over a violent argument that Zheng and Lu had with each other, both Cui Hang and

Doulu Zhuan Doulu Zhuan (豆盧瑑) (died January 24, 881), courtesy name Xizhen (希真), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xizong. When the agrarian rebel Huang Chao captured the Tang capital Ch ...

were made chancellors to succeed Zheng and Lu, with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事). After Lu was restored to the chancellorship in 879, though, Lu was clearly the leader among the chancellors, and Doulu was described as simply following Lu's lead on policies. Further, when Cui would have policy suggestions, Doulu often stopped him from presenting them.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 253. There was one major policy decision that he prevailed on — when the warlord Wang Jingchong, who controlled Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang; Mandarin: ; formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang is the capital and most populous city of China's Hebei Province. A prefecture-level city southwest of Beijing, it administers eight districts, three county-le ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

), also sought to have the imperial government grant him Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern

Baoding Baoding is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2020 census, Baoding City had 11,544,036 inhabitants, of which 2,549,787 lived in the metropolitan area made of 4 out of 5 urban distri ...

), Cui, pointing out that Chengde, in conjunction with other warlord-controlled circuits Weibo (魏博, headquartered in modern

Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...

) and Lulong (盧龍, headquartered in modern

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

), would be even harder to control, refused. By late 880, the major agrarian rebel

captured the eastern capital

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

and the capital

. Doulu and Cui suggested sending forces to defend

Tong Pass Tongguan or Tong Pass, was a former mountain pass and fortress located south of the confluence of the Wei and Yellow Rivers, in today's Tongguan County, Weinan, Shaanxi, China. It was an important chokepoint, protecting Xi'an and the surroundi ...

to stop Huang's advance toward Chang'an, but both of them were also suggesting that the contingency plan made by the powerful

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, 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 2 ...

Tian Lingzi Tian Lingzi (田令孜) (died 893), courtesy name Zhongze (仲則), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was a powerful eunuch during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. During most of Emperor Xizong's reign, he had a stranglehold on power due to h ...

— that Emperor Xizong flee to the Sanchuan region (三川, i.e., modern

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

, and southern

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

) be implemented. After Huang captured Tong Pass and approached Chang'an, Emperor Xizong fled toward Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

), where Tian's brother

Chen Jingxuan Chen Jingxuan (陳敬瑄) (d. April 26, 893Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 259.) was a general of the Tang dynasty of China, who came to control Xichuan Circuit (西川), headquartered in modern Chengd ...

was military governor.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 254. Doulu and Cui, for reasons unknown, were unable to follow Emperor Xizong's flight, and they, along with the former chancellor Liu Ye, hid at the mansion of the general

Zhang Zhifang Zhang Zhifang () (died January 23, 881?Academia Sinica
Chinese-Western Calendar Converter ''

, who had outwardly submitted to Huang (who declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi) upon Huang's entry into Chang'an but was hiding many Tang officials at his mansion. As Qi forces sought to find hiding Tang officials, however, Liu, Doulu, and Cui tried to flee, but were captured. Refusing to submit to Huang, they were executed.''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 177.

Notes and references

* ''

'', vol. 163. * ''

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. * ''

'', vols.

252 Year 252 ( CCLII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Trebonianus and Volusianus (or, less frequently, year 1005 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 252 for t ...

253 __NOTOC__ Year 253 ( CCLIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Volusianus and Claudius (or, less frequently, year 1006 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...

254 Year 254 ( CCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 1007 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 254 for th ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cui, Hang 9th-century births 881 deaths Chancellors under Emperor Xizong of Tang People executed by China by decapitation Qi (Huang Chao) People executed by the Tang dynasty 9th-century executions by the Tang dynasty Cui clan of Boling