Ding Wei ( 966 – June 1037),

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 ...

Gongyan,It was originally Weizhi (謂之). was a

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

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 ...

, who dominated the courts during

Emperor Zhenzong Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was change ...

's later reign and Emperor Renzong's early reign. Ding Wei's opponent Wang Zeng () claimed that Ding was considered one of the "Five Devils", along with Wang Qinruo, Lin Te (), Chen Pengnian () and Liu Chenggui (), a group of high-ranking ministers unpopular at the time. In the centuries to follow, Ding Wei has almost always been portrayed as a treacherous minister in popular fiction.

Early career

Ding Wei once wrote a prose essay with his friend Sun He () that quite impressed Wang Yucheng, a leading literati. Wang Yucheng considered their writing the best in China since

Han Yu Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was an essayist, Confucian scholar, poet, and government official during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced t ...

and

Liu Zongyuan Liu Zongyuan (; 77328 November 819)，courtesy name Zihou (), was a Chinese philosopher, prose writer, poet, and politician who lived during the Tang dynasty. Liu was born in present-day Yongji, Shanxi. Along with Han Yu, he was a leader of th ...

almost two centuries ago. In 992, Ding Wei 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 ...

and became the controller-general of Raozhou. A year later, he accompanied the crown prince Zhao Yuankan to inspect

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

. Upon his return, he presented a report on salt and tea, and was made fiscal commissioner.

Notes and references

* * 960s births 1037 deaths Song dynasty chancellors Politicians from Suzhou {{China-bio-stub