Lingyan Pavilion () was a small tower beside Sanqing Hall () in the southwest of Taiji Palace (),

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 ...

, the capital of the

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 ...

. Its location in modern China is roughly in the north of

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

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 ...

The original 24

On 23 March 643,兩千年中西曆轉換
/ref> during the Zhenguan era of the reign of Emperor Taizong in the Tang dynasty, the emperor commissioned the artist Yan Liben to paint life-sized portraits of 24 officials to commemorate them for their meritorious service and contributions aiding him in his establishment of the Tang Empire. However, many among the 24 men were also instrumental in helping Taizong seize power during the

Xuanwu Gate Incident The Xuanwu Gate Incident was a palace coup for the throne of the Tang dynasty on 2 July of 626, when Prince Li Shimin (Prince of Qin) and his followers assassinated his brothers Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Yuanji (Prince of Qi). L ...

. The paintings were displayed in Lingyan Pavilion and all of them faced north. The pavilion was divided into three layers: the innermost held the portraits of

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 ...

s; the middle displayed paintings of princes and dukes; the outermost for the remaining ones. Emperor Taizong often visited the pavilion to view the portraits and reminisce the past. The 24 officials are listed as such: File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View H.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View G.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View F.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View E.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View D.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View C.jpg File:Chinese - The Twenty-Four Ministers of the Tang -T'ang- Dynasty Emperor Taizong -T'ai-Tsung- - Walters 3557 - View B.jpg

After Taizong

Five Tang emperors after Taizong also honored officials whom they felt have contributed greatly to the empire, by hanging their portraits in Lingyan Pavilion. Such officials include

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 ...

(honored by Tang Daizong and

Tang Dezong Emperor Dezong of Tang (27 May 742According to Li Kuo's biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the ''guisi'' day in the 4th month of the 1st year of the ''Tianbao'' era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 27 May 74 ...

) and Li Guangbi (honored by Tang Suzong), who were vital in putting down the

An Lushan Rebellion The An Lushan rebellion was a civil war in China that lasted from 755 to 763, at the approximate midpoint of the Tang dynasty (618–907). It began as a commandery rebellion attempting to overthrow and replace the Tang government with the rogue ...

. In a twist of fate,

Chu Suiliang Chǔ Suìliáng (596–658), courtesy name Dengshan, formally the Duke of Henan, was a Chinese calligrapher, historian, and politician who served as a chancellor during the reigns of the emperors Taizong and Gaozong in the Tang dynasty. He beca ...

, whose calligraphy was used when honoring the original 24, was posthumously inaugurated into Lingyan Pavilion by

, and again by Tang Xuanzong, Li Chen. Some officials were commemorated by more than one emperor. Thus, while the final number of portraits hung in the pavilion was 132, only about 100 officials were honored. However, some officials were inaugurated by emperors who seek to curry favor through such a move. This was due to the weakening of imperial authority after the An Lushan Rebellion. Such officials include enunchs like Yu Chaoen and Cheng Yuanzhen, and generals like Tian Chengsi who helped usher in the era of fanzhen which became largely autonomous and defied control by the imperial court.

References

* ''

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. 7

* ''

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. 196. {{Twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion Tang dynasty paintings 643 History of Xi'an 7th century in China Sets of portraits

The original 24

After Taizong

See also

References