Du Huangchang (杜黃裳) (738 or 739Du Huangchang's biographies in the ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' disagree as to his age at death — the ''Old Book of Tang'' gave his age at death as 70, while the ''New Book of Tang'' gave it as 69. Compare ''Old Book of Tang''
vol. 147
with ''New Book of Tang''

. – October 12, 808),

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 ...

Zunsu (遵素), formally Duke Xuan of Bin (邠宣公) or Duke Xuanxian of Bin (邠宣獻公), was an official of 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 ...

, 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 reigns of Emperor Shunzong and

Emperor Xianzong Emperor Xianzong of Tang (4 March to 1 April 778''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 14. – 14 February 820; r. 805 – 820), personal name Li Chun, né Li Chun (), was an emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Shunzong, ...

. He was credited for setting the tone for Emperor Xianzong's hardline stance against warlords, leading to the restoration of imperial authority over the entire empire during Emperor Xianzong's reign.

Background

Du Huangchang was born in 728 or 729, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. His family was from Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the region of the

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 ...

) and claimed ancestry form the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

official Du Yannian (). His grandfather Du Hanzhang () serve as a prefectural official, while his father Du Wan () served as an official at the Jingzhao Municipality government.

During Emperor Daizong's and Emperor Dezong's reigns

Du Huangchang 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 and did well in a special examination on the use of grand language; he was regarded highly by Du Hongjian. He later served as a secretary to

Guo Ziyi Guo Ziyi (Kuo Tzu-i; Traditional Chinese: 郭子儀, Simplified Chinese: 郭子仪, Hanyu Pinyin: Guō Zǐyí, Wade-Giles: Kuo1 Tzu3-i2) (697 – July 9, 781), posthumously Prince Zhōngwǔ of Fényáng (), was a Chinese military general and p ...

, then the military governor (''

Jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (, Old Turkic: Tarduş) or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissi ...

'') of

Shuofang Shuofang () was an ancient Chinese commandery, situated in the Hetao region in modern-day Inner Mongolia near Baotou. First founded by Emperor Wu of Han in the wake of the successful reconquest of the area from Xiongnu tribes, it was dissolved d ...

Circuit (朔方, headquartered in modern

Yinchuan Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut people, Tangut-led Western Xia, Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 C ...

Ningxia Ningxia, officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region in Northwestern China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was later separated from Gansu in 1958 and reconstituted as an autonomous ...

).''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 147. In 778, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong's grandson Emperor Daizong, there was an occasion when Guo was at Chang'an and left Du in charge of the headquarters. The officer

Li Huaiguang Li Huaiguang (; 729 – September 19, 785) was a leading general of Mohe extraction of Tang China. He was credited with saving Emperor Dezong in the face of an attack by the rebel Zhu Ci in 783 but, dissatisfied with the lack of trust that Empero ...

wanted to seize control of the army, and therefore forged an imperial edict ordering a number of other officers, including Wen Ruya (). Du discovered that the edict was forged and questioned Li. After Li admitted his plan, Du issued orders in Guo's name to have him and several other officers who were difficult to control sent to various military outposts, to secure the headquarters. At a later unknown time during the reign of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, Du Huangchang became an imperial censor with the title ''Shiyushi'' (). However, he was disliked by Emperor Dezong's close associate Pei Yanling and therefore stuck at his position for some 10 years without movement.''New Book of Tang'', vol. 169.

During Emperor Shunzong's reign

Emperor Dezong died in 805 and was succeeded by his severely ill son Emperor Shunzong. Emperor Shunzong's close associate Wang Shuwen became very powerful, and Du Huangchang's son-in-law Wei Zhiyi became

because he was an ally of Wang's. Only thereafter was Du made the minister of worship (). At that time, Wang's partisans were apprehensive of Emperor Shunzong's

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

Li Chun. On an occasion when Du suggested to Wei that he led the other officials in suggesting that Li Chun be made

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

, Wei stated, "You, Father-in-Law, have just received a new position. How would you dare to comment on what happens in the palace?" Du angrily replied, "I, Du Huangchang, have received the grace from three emperors. How can you buy my silence with an office?" He walked out and left his meeting with Wei.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 236. Later in the year, however, several 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 ...

s seized control of Emperor Shunzong, and because Wang had to leave governmental service to observe a period of mourning for his mother, Wang's partisans began to lose power. At the instigation of the eunuch Ju Wenzhen (), Li Chun was made regent. Du was made ''Menxia Shilang'' (), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng'') and given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (), making him a chancellor, along with Yuan Zi. Shortly after, Emperor Shunzong yielded the throne to Li Chun, who took the throne as Emperor Xianzong.

During Emperor Xianzong's reign

Most of Wang Shuwen's partisans were immediately purged, but Wei Zhiyi, as Du Huangchang's son-in-law, remained chancellor for several months before he was exiled to Yai Prefecture (崖州, in modern

Sanya Sanya; Chinese postal romanization, also spelled Samah is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan, Hainan Province in Southeast China, South China. According to the Sixth National Populati ...

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

). While Wei was in exile, Du, despite their differences, protected him from further reprisal, and when Wei died in exile, Du requested permission to have his casket returned and given a proper burial. Later in 805, when Wei Gao the military governor of 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 ...

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 ...

) died, his subordinate Liu Pi seized power and demanded to be officially commissioned as the military governor of Xichuan. Emperor Xianzong initially refused but later decided that he was not ready to fight Liu yet, and so made Liu Pi acting military governor. However, Liu was not satisfied, and demanded two additional circuits — Dongchuan (東川, headquartered in modern

Mianyang Mianyang ( zh, s=绵阳, t=綿陽, w=Mien2-yang2, p=Miányáng; Sichuanese Pinyin, Sichuanese romanization: ''Mien-iang''; formerly known as Mienchow, zh, t=綿州, p=Mianzhou, links=no; Sichuanese romanization: ''Miencheo''; ) is the second lar ...

) and Shannan West (山南西道, headquartered in modern

Hanzhong Hanzhong ( zh, s= , t= , l=middle of the Han River (Hubei), Han River; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in Southern Shaanxi, the southwest of Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gans ...

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 ...

). When Emperor Xianzong refused, Liu rebelled in spring 806. When Emperor Xianzong consulted his officials as to what they thought he should do, most officials thought that Xichuan was protected by natural barriers and difficult to attack. Du, however, believed that Liu was merely an egomaniacal civilian without military abilities and could be defeated easily. He also recommended the general Gao Chongwen, who was then not well known, to command the operation against Liu. Emperor Xianzong agreed and put Gao in command. It was said that subsequently, Du drafted the strategies against Liu and coordinated them with Gao and the other generals. Knowing that Gao was apprehensive of the abilities of another general, Liu Yong (), Du warned him that if he were not successful, he would be replaced with Liu Yong, so Gao fought particularly hard during the campaign. Later in the year, Gao defeated and captured Liu Pi, allowing the imperial government to take control of Xichuan. When news of the victory reached Chang'an, it was said that Emperor Xianzong looked at Du and stated, "This is your achievement, Lord."''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 237. Further, Du advocated a fundamental change in the mindset that the imperial government had toward regional warlords — he pointed out to Emperor Xianzong that during Emperor Dezong's reign, to avoid rebellions, he appeased the warlords by giving them what they wanted, but that only caused more contempt for the imperial government. He advocated that the imperial government should assert its authority, and Emperor Xianzong agreed. Traditional historians generally credited Du with this change in mindset that eventually led to Emperor Xianzong's reassertion of imperial authority over the entire realm. Also, during 806, when Han Quanyi () the military governor of Xiasui Circuit (夏綏, headquartered in modern

Yulin, Shaanxi Yulin ( zh, s=榆林 , p=Yúlín , ‘’’local pronunciation: �y³⁵ˌljʌŋ��’’) is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi to the east, and Ningxia to th ...

) was at Chang'an, Du, pointing out that Han had previously failed as a general and been disrespectful to Emperor Dezong, ordered Han to retire. Han's nephew Yang Huilin () then tried to seize control of Xiasui Circuit but was quickly defeated and killed. Thereafter, when Li Shigu the military governor of the powerful Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern

Tai'an Tai'an () is a prefecture-level city in Western Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Centered on Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

), who had ruled the circuit even more independently from the imperial government than the other circuits, died, and his brother

Li Shidao Li Shidao, or Yi Sado ( zh, c=李師道; died March 8, 819''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241.) was a Chinese military general and politician of the medieval Chinese Tang dynasty, who, as the successor to his brother Li Shigu, ruled Pinglu Circuit ( ...

requested to succeed him, Du advocated using the chance to divide Pinglu, but Emperor Xianzong, as the campaign against Xichuan was still ongoing at that point, agreed to let Li Shidao succeed Li Shigu. Despite Du's accomplishments, however, he was also said to be careless and not particularly clean in his conduct, and therefore unable to retain his position as chancellor for long. In spring 807, Emperor Xianzong, while still letting him carry an honorary chancellor title, made him the military governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern

Yuncheng Yuncheng () is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

) as well as the mayor of its capital Hezhong Municipality. Later in the year, he was created the Duke of Bin. Du died in fall 808, while still serving at Hezhong, and was given posthumous honors. After his death, there were accusations that Du had received a bribe from Gao, and the accusations were confirmed after interrogations of a subordinate of Du's, Wu Ping (), and Du's son Du Zai (). Emperor Xianzong, remembering Du Huangchang's accomplishments, exiled Wu but took no actions against Du Zai and did not strip Du Huangchang of his honors.

Notes and references

;Notes ;Bibliography * ''

''
vol. 147
* ''

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vol. 169
* ''

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 ...

'', vols.

225 __NOTOC__ Year 225 ( CCXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Fuscus and Domitius (or, less frequently, year 978 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 225 ...

236 __NOTOC__ Year 236 ( CCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verus and Africanus (or, less frequently, year 989 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 23 ...

237 Year 237 (Roman numerals, CCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Perpetuus and Felix (or, less frequently, year 990 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominatio ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Du, Huangchang 720s births 808 deaths Chancellors under Emperor Shunzong of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Xianzong of Tang Tang dynasty jiedushi of Hezhong Circuit Mayors of Yuncheng Politicians from Xi'an Tang dynasty generals from Shaanxi Du clan of Jingzhao