Pang Ji () (988–1063) was a Chinese politician who lived during the Northern

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 ...

. He was the

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 ...

from 1051 to 1053 during Emperor Renzong's reign.

Biography

After passing 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 ...

in 1015, Pang Ji gradually moved his way up the official ranks. He successfully took control in Yanzhou (in today's

Shaanxi province Shaanxi is a 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 the west. Shaanxi ...

) after

Western Xia The Western Xia or the Xi Xia ( zh, c=, w=Hsi1 Hsia4, p=Xī Xià), officially the Great Xia ( zh, c=大夏, w=Ta4 Hsia4, p=Dà Xià, labels=no), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts ...

troops took a few cities from

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

. Pang Ji is known for instilling discipline in the troops; violations of the code were met with severe physical punishments including deaths. After he left the

frontier A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...

in 1045 he held some posts in the capital before being made the

in 1051. In 1053, a minor official Huangfu Yuan () from Qizhou (in today's

Jinan Jinan is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...

) bribed Pang Ji's nephew Zhao Qingkuang () in order to get a promotion. After

whistleblowers Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...

disclosed the scandal, Pang Ji ordered Zhao arrested and tried at the

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 ...

court, where Zhao was sentenced to

banishment Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

. Zhao died along the way, and Han Jiang () from the Kaifeng court accused Pang Ji of ordering Zhao killed to cover up. As a result, Pang Ji was stripped of the

position and sent to posts away from the capital. In 1060 Emperor Renzong summoned him back to

but at the age of 72, he was too old to take any position.

Legends

In folk stories about the generals of the Yang clan, the generals of the Huyan clan,

Di Qing Di Qing (1008–1057), formerly romanized as Ti Ch'ing, was a Chinese military general of the Northern Song dynasty. He often wore a mask in battle. He led campaigns against the Western Xia and the Nong Zhigao rebellion in Guangxi. He was kno ...

and

Bao Zheng Bao Zheng (; 5 March 999 – 3 July 1062), commonly known as Bao Gong (), was a Chinese politician during the reign of Emperor Emperor Renzong of Song, Renzong in China's Song Dynasty. During his twenty-five years in civil service, Bao was kn ...

, Pang Ji (known as Pang Ji [], with his given name being , instead of ) is portrayed as corrupt, treacherous and an enemy of the upright generals and officials. In these fictionalized stories, he is known as the Grand Preceptor, and has an imperial

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

daughter, Pang ''

Guifei The ranks of imperial consorts have varied over the course of History of China, Chinese history but remained important throughout owing to its prominence in the management of the inner court and in imperial succession, which ranked heirs accordin ...

'' (), whom he depends on for power. His son Pang Yu (), the Marquis of Anle (), was executed by

in Chenzhou (in today's

Zhoukou Zhoukou ( zh, s=周口 , p=Zhōukǒu, w=Chou-k’ou; Postal romanization, postal: Chowkow) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, province, China. It borders Zhumadian to the southwest, Xuchang and Luohe to the west, Ka ...

) for

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

and

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

. These deeds were historically tied with another contemporary official,

Zhang Yaozuo Bao Zheng (; 5 March 999 – 3 July 1062), commonly known as Bao Gong (), was a Chinese politician during the reign of Emperor Renzong in China's Song Dynasty. During his twenty-five years in civil service, Bao was known for his honesty and ...

(張堯佐), who was a corrupt

consort kin The consort kin or outer kins () were the kin or a group of people related to an empress dowager or a consort of a monarch or a warlord in the Sinosphere. The leading figure of the clan was either a (usually male) sibling, cousin, or parent o ...

with his fraternal niece Consort Zhang being Renzong's concubine.

References

* Toqto'a et al., '' History of Song'', vol. 311 (Pang Ji). {{DEFAULTSORT:Pang Ji 988 births 1063 deaths Chinese government officials The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants characters Politicians from Heze Song dynasty chancellors