Du Xiao (杜曉) (died March 27, 913''

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. 268.Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter
),

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 ...

Mingyuan (明遠), 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 ...

and Later Liang, 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 Later Liang.

During the Tang dynasty

It is not known when Du Xiao was born. Both his grandfather

Du Shenquan Du Shenquan (杜審權), courtesy name Yinheng (殷衡), formally Duke De of Xiangyang (襄陽德公), was an official of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty, who served as a Chancellor of the Tang dynasty, chancellor during the reign of Empe ...

and father

Du Rangneng Du Rangneng (杜讓能) (841–893), courtesy name Qunyi (群懿), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was a former ''jiedushi'' of the late Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xizong and Emperor Xizong's brother Em ...

served as

s during

— Du Shenquen during the reign of Emperor Yizong, and Du Rangneng during the reigns of Emperor Yizong's sons Emperor Xizong and Emperor Zhaozong.'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 18. Du Rangneng was a close confidant of Emperor Zhaozong's. In 893, after Emperor Zhaozong's failed campaign against the warlords Wang Xingyu the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern

Xianyang Xianyang ( zh, s=咸阳 , p=Xiányáng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now int ...

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 ...

) and

Li Maozhen Li Maozhen (; 856 – May 17, 924), born Song Wentong (), courtesy name Zhengchen (), formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin (), was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Qi (901–924). He had become a powerful ...

the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern

Baoji Baoji ( zh, s= , t= , p=Bǎojī; ) is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi. Geography The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a ...

) — a campaign that Du Rangneng had coordinated after Emperor Zhaozong ordered him to even though he was against the campaign — Wang and Li marched on the imperial 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 ...

; under duress from them, Emperor Zhaozong was forced to order Du Rangneng to commit suicide. After Du Rangneng's death, Du Xiao mourned him bitterly, and even after the traditional three-year mourning period, he still partially wore mourning clothes for over a decade and did not embark on an official career. His older brother Du Guang'ai () was suffering from a mental illness, such that at times he would act out violently or speak angrily, but despite this, Du Xiao served him humbly as an older brother. During Emperor Zhaozong's ''Guanghua'' era (898-901), when the chancellor

Cui Yin Cui Yin (崔胤) (854''New Book of Tang'', :zh:s:新唐書/卷223下, vol. 223, part 2. – February 1, 904''Zizhi Tongjian'', :zh:s:資治通鑑/卷264, vol. 264.Academia Sinica]Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Chuixiu (垂休), ...

served also as the director of salt and iron monopolies, Cui offered him a number of positions in the imperial government — as an assistant to Cui as the director of the monopolies; as a ''Xiaoshulang'' (), a copyeditor at the

Palace Library The Palace Library (; in Vietnam: 秘書所, ''Bí thư sở'') was a central government agency in Imperial and monarchical China, Korea, and Vietnam generally in charge of maintaining and archiving the collection of the monarch's documents. C ...

; a county sheriff near Chang'an; and a scholar at Hongwen Pavilion (); he declined them all. Later, after Emperor Zhaozong was forced by the warlord

Zhu Quanzhong Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (), personal name Zhu Quanzhong () (December 5, 852 – July 18, 912), né Zhu Wen (), name later changed to Zhu Huang (), nickname Zhu San (朱三, literally, "the third Zhu"), was a Chinese military general, mona ...

the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern

Kaifeng Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan, central Henan province, China. It is one of the Historical capitals of China, Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

) to move to

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 ...

, the chancellor Cui Yuan, who was then also serving as the director of taxation, offered him the posts of assistant to Cui as director of taxation and the deputy director of palace affairs (殿中丞, ''Dianzhong Cheng''). Cui spoke to him to persuade him to accept: Du Xiao therefore agreed to accept the posts. Shortly after, he was made ''Zuo Shiyi'' (), an advisory official at the examination bureau (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''), and soon was made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, ''Hanlin Xueshi'') and ''Shanbu Yuanwailang'' (), a low-level official at the ministry of rites (禮部, ''Libu''). After Cui himself was removed (and later killed) by Zhu in 905, Du lost his position as imperial scholar and was only serving as ''Shanbu Yuanwailang''. Several months later, however, he was given the responsibility of drafting imperial edicts, and was then given back his position as imperial scholar, and promoted to a supervisory position as ''Shanbu Langzhong'' ().

During Later Liang

In 907, Zhu Quanzhong had Emperor Zhaozong's son and successor Emperor Ai yield the throne to him, ending Tang and starting a new Later Liang as its Emperor Taizu.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 266. Du Xiao was made ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng'') and continued to serve as an imperial scholar. In 909, he was made the deputy minister of public works (工部侍郎, ''Gongbu Shilang'') and chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, ''Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi''). That fall, he was made a chancellor with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (), as well as the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, ''Hubu Shilang'').''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 267. In 912, Emperor Taizu was assassinated by his son Zhu Yougui the Prince of Ying, who took the throne himself. Zhu Yougui retained Du as a chancellor and gave him additional titles minister of rites (禮部尚書, ''Libu Shangshu'') and grand scholar at Jixian Hall (). In 913, Emperor Taizu's nephew, the general Yuan Xiangxian, who was working in league with Emperor Taizu's son-in-law Zhao Yan and son

Zhu Youzhen Zhu Zhen () (20 October 888 – 18 November 923), often referred to in traditional histories as Emperor Mo of Later Liang (後梁末帝, "last emperor") and sometimes by his princely title Prince of Jun (均王), né Zhu Youzhen (朱友貞), know ...

the Prince of Jun, rose against Zhu Yougui and attacked the palace. Zhu Yougui committed suicide. After Zhu Yougui's death, the imperial guards began to pillage Luoyang. During the confusion, Du Xiao was wounded by the soldiers and died from his injuries. After Zhu Youzhen subsequently took the throne, he gave Du posthumous honors.

Notes and references

* '' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 18. * ''

New History of the Five Dynasties The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 t ...

'', vol. 35. * ''

'', vols.

267 __NOTOC__ Year 267 ( CCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Paternus and Arcesilaus (or, less frequently, year 1020 ''Ab urbe condita''). The d ...

268 __NOTOC__ Year 268 (Roman numerals, CCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Paternus and Egnatius (or, less frequently, the year 1021 ''Ab urbe ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Du, Xiao 9th-century births 913 deaths Politicians from Xi'an Tang dynasty government officials Later Liang (Five Dynasties) chancellors Du clan of Jingzhao