Li Guyan (李固言),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China China, officially the People's R ...

Zhongshu (仲樞), was an official of the Chinese

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

, serving two terms as

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 Wenzong.

Background and early career

It is not clear when Li Guyan was born.The Chinese Wikipedia article for Li Guyan indicates that he was born in 782 and died in 860, but did not cite a source. According to Li Guyan's biography in the '' New Book of Tang'', he died at age 77, so if that account were correct, the dates given by the Chinese Wikipedia article would be one year off. See ''New Book of Tang'', vol. 182. His family was from the prominent Li clan of Zhao Commandery (趙郡, in modern Shijiazhuang,

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

) and traced its ancestry to the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

Zhao general

Li Mu Li Mu (; died 229 BC), personal name Zuo (繓), courtesy name Mu (牧), was a Chinese military general of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period. He was named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of the late Wa ...

. Li Guyan's ancestors later served as officials of the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

Cao Wei Wei (Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Jin dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had p ...

Former Yan The Former Yan (; 337–370) was a dynastic state ruled by the Xianbei during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin dynasty-created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, ...

and/or

Later Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Later Yan (; 384 – 407 or 409) was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xianbei people, located in modern-day northeast China, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms. All rulers of the Later Yan declared them ...

, Northern Wei,

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It ruled the eastern part of northern China ...

, Sui dynasty, and the

. His grandfather Li Bing () served as a military officer under a commandant of Yang Prefecture (揚州, in modern

Yangzhou Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Ya ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

), and his father Li Xian () served as a county magistrate. In 812, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, Li Guyan passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

s as the highest scorer in the ''Jinshi'' class. Subsequently, he successively served on the staffs of Pei Kan () the governor of Jiangxi Circuit (江西, headquartered in modern

Nanchang Nanchang (, ; ) is the capital of Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east ...

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north into h ...

) and Wang Bo the military governor (''

Jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", " legate ...

'') of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of th ...

).''New Book of Tang'', vol. 182. Eventually, he became ''Hubu Langzhong'' (), a supervisory official at the ministry of census (戶部, ''Hubu'').

During Emperor Wenzong's reign

Early in the ''Taihe'' era (827-835) of Emperor Xianzong's grandson Emperor Wenzong, Li Guyan was, in addition to being ''Hubu Langzhong'', overseeing the miscellaneous affairs at the Office of the Imperial Censors (御史臺, ''Yushi Tai''). In 830, while Li Zongmin — a leader of the Niu Faction in the then-heated Niu-Li Factional Struggles — served as

, Li Zongmin had Li Guyan made an imperial attendant (給事中, ''Jishizhong'').''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 173. In 831, when the chancellor Song Shenxi was falsely accused of treason (of wanting to overthrow Emperor Wenzong and replacing him with his brother Li Cou the Prince of Zhang) 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 2n ...

Wang Shoucheng Wang Shoucheng (王守澄) (died November 3, 835) was a powerful eunuch of the Tang dynasty of China, wielding substantial powers during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Muzong, Emperor Jingzong, and Emperor Wenzong. By 835, however, t ...

, Li Guyan was one of the advisory officials who urged that the investigation of the matter be transferred from the eunuch-controlled agencies to the imperial government-controlled agencies. It was said that it was due to the efforts of Li Guyan and his colleagues that Wang finally decided to recommend against death sentences for either Li Cou or Song, to avoid a reinvestigation. Also that year, when the imperial architect Wang Kan () was delayed in repairing the imperial ancestral temple, Wang Kan was stripped of his salary and set to be made a member of the staff of Emperor Wenzong's son and

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 is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

, Li Yong. Li Guyan returned the edict to Emperor Wenzong, pointing out that someone who had been guilty should not serve on the crown prince's staff. Wang Kan was thereafter made a teacher to an imperial prince, instead. In 832, Li Guyan was made the deputy minister of public works (工部侍郎, ''Gongbu Shilang''). In 833, he was made ''Shangshu Zuo Cheng'' (), one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''), and he was put in charge of drafting regulations on meetings between the ''Pushe'' (the heads of the executive bureau) and the emperor. In 834, when Li Zongmin's rival and leader of the Li Faction in the Niu-Li Factional struggles, Li Deyu, became chancellor, Li Guyan was sent out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern

Weinan Weinan () is a prefecture-level city in the east central Shaanxi province, China. The city lies on the lower section of the Wei River confluence into the Yellow River, about east of the provincial capital Xi'an, and borders the provinces of S ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ning ...

). Later in the year, however, Li Zongmin became chancellor again, and Li Guyan was recalled to serve as the deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, ''Libu Shilang''). In summer 835, he was made chief imperial censor (御史大夫, ''Yushi Daifu''). Soon thereafter, Li Zongmin offended Emperor Wenzong over his attempt to defend the official Yang Yuqing () against imperial wrath and was demoted and exiled. Li Guyan was made chancellor (with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' ()), as well as ''Menxia Shilang'' (), the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''), to replace Li Zongmin.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 245. It was said that Li Guyan was only made chancellor because Emperor Wenzong's close associates Li Xun and Zheng Zhu, whose machinations led to Li Zongmin's exile, wanted to put on a display of fairness. In fall 835, Zheng, as part of a plot he was forming with Emperor Wenzong and Li Xun to slaughter the eunuchs, sought to be the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern

Baoji () 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 population of 3,321,853 accordin ...

). When Li Guyan opposed, Emperor Wenzong simultaneously commissioned Li Guyan to be the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as t ...

) and Zheng to be the military governor of Fengxiang. Li Xun was made chancellor to replace Li Guyan. After Emperor Wenzong's plot with Li Xun and Zheng (later known as the Ganlu Incident) failed in late 835, with the eunuchs slaughtering a large number of officials, including Li Xun, Zheng, and Li Xun's fellow chancellors

Wang Ya Wang Ya (; died December 17, 835), courtesy name Guangjin (), formally Duke of Dai (), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Xianzong's grandson Emperor Wenzong. D ...

Jia Su Jia Su (賈餗) (died December 17, 835Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter. ...

, and

Shu Yuanyu Shu Yuanyu (; died December 17, 835Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 245.) was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving briefly as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. During Empe ...

, Emperor Wenzong came to miss Li Guyan. In spring 836, he recalled Li Guyan from Shannan West to again serve as chancellor and ''Menxia Shilang''. Soon after becoming chancellor again, he concurred (along with

Zheng Tan Zheng Tan (鄭覃) (died 842''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 18, part 1.), formally the Duke of Yingyang (滎陽公), was a Chinese historian and politician during the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. He was vie ...

) in his colleague Li Shi's petition seeking to posthumously restore Song's reputation, and Emperor Wenzong agreed, posthumously restoring Song's titles. In 837, there was a discussion between Emperor Wenzong and the chancellors, in which Li Guyan advocated the merits of commissioning officials according to their abilities, rather than seniority. In 837, Li Guyan was sent out to serve as the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern

), continuing to carry the ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' title as an honorary title, as well as the mayor of its capital Chengdu. to replace Yang Sifu, who was named chancellor.

After Emperor Wenzong's reign

After Emperor Wenzong's death and succession by his younger brother Emperor Wuzong in 840, Li Guyan was recalled from Xichuan to serve as ''You Pushe'' (), one of the heads of the executive bureau, but soon thereafter was sent out of the capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...

again to serve 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 Sh ...

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

). At that time, the bridge over the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan ...

between the two parts of Hezhong had been damaged by a flood, and the Hezhong Circuit officials were setting up a ferry between the parts of Hezhong but charging tolls for it. When Li Guyan arrived, he ordered that the collection be stopped. When Emperor Wuzong subsequently waged a campaign against the Huigu and ordered the circuits to submit wealth to support it, Li Guyan advised against it, but Emperor Wuzong did not listen to him. Subsequently, he was, on account of illness, made an advisor to the

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 is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

.However, as there was no Crown Prince at that time, the title was entirely honorary. He was later made the defender of the eastern capital

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

. Early in the reign of Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong, Li Guyan was again made ''You Pushe''. He later was made a senior advisor to the Crown Prince but ordered to have his office at Luoyang. He died sometime thereafter, and was given posthumous honors.This description of Li Guyan's activities after Emperor Wenzong's reign is based on his biography in the ''New Book of Tang''. His biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'' had a conflicting account of offices that he held, but as the ''New Book of Tang'' gave substantially more detail, it will be assumed that it is more reliable and therefore used. Compare ''New book of Tang'', vol. 182 with ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 173. It was said that Li Guyan often stuttered while speaking, and was not good with receiving guests. However, when he spoke on policy matters before the emperor, he was able to analyze the matters well.

Background and early career

During Emperor Wenzong's reign

After Emperor Wenzong's reign

References

Further reading