The chancellor, also known by its Chinese name as the zaixiang, was a semi-formal designation for a number of high-level officials during China's Tang dynasty. This list also includes chancellors of the short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty, which is often considered an interregnum of the Tang.
Origins Ouyang Xiu, the author of the New Book of Tang, asserts that the Tang dynasty inherited its bureaucracy from its dynastic predecessor, the Sui, whose founder the Wen Emperor divided his government into five main bureaus (, ):
The Department of State Affairs (, ) The Chancellery (, ) The Legislative Bureau (, ) The Palace Library (, ) The Eunuch Bureau (initially , , but later changed to , by the Yang Emperor)
Under the Wen Emperor, the Department of State Affairs was regarded as the most important. He had his most honored officials such as Gao Jiong, Yang Su, and Su Wei lead it at various points. Its headsthe two ()were generally regarded as the Sui chancellors. Ouyang further asserts, however, that the heads of the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery were also considered chancellors.New Book of Tang, vol. 61.
Development
Emperor Gaozu, the founder of the Tang dynasty, initially followed the Sui's system of governance including the five-bureau organization. However, he established a single head for the Department of State Affairs, the (), naming his second son Li Shimin to the post.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 185. Li Shimin became emperor in 626 (posthumously remembered as Emperor Taizong) but his former post of had to be left vacant because none of his officials dared occupy it. The Department of State Affairs therefore reverted to its previous arrangement of being headed by two vice-directors (or translated to supervisors), the ., entry 4826. Around 626, probably by Emperor Taizong's orders, the institution of multiple chancellors was also formalized, treating the office as an additional honorific for the vice-directors of the Department of State Affairs, the palace attendant of the Chancellery, and the director of the Legislative Bureau (, ), whose Chinese name was changed to the Zhongshu Sheng (). The Chancellery and the Legislative Bureau themselves often had more than one head, so that there were frequently more than four chancellors in any given year. After 705,Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 208. however, the vice-directors of the Department of State Affairs were no longer considered chancellors by default, although some continued to separately received the status as an additional title.Bo Yang, ed., Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 45.
The Tang government began to designate certain high-level officials as additional chancellors with titles such as the "participator in administrative governance" (, ). These positions were given a formal designation in 643, reckoned "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" (, ). The 20th-century historian Bo Yang called such officials chancellors. The names of the Legislative Bureau and the Chancellery changed names multiple times, such that the Chinese phrasing of the chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" also required frequent adjustment. Under Emperor Xuanzong, when the Legislative Bureau was briefly known as the () and the Chancellery as the (), the additional chancellors were known as ().New Book of Tang, vol. 62. A lesser designation with similar privileges was created in 682 under Emperor Gaozong, initially known as chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery participators" (, ). These were called chancellors, second grade, by Bo. The last additional chancellor "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery third-rank officials" to be noted as such was Li Lin in the Chinese lunar year spanning late 757 and early 758. Lü Yin was also said to have carried such a title during his term as chancellor from 759 to 760Old Book of Tang, vol. 185, part 2 but he is not noted as such in the table of chancellors provided in the New Book of Tang.New Book of Tang, vol. 140 . Meanwhile, following An Lushan's rebellion, the chancellors "equivalent to the Legislative Bureau and Chancellery participators" became very common.New Book of Tang, vol. 63.
Until the second reign of Emperor Ruizong began in 710, further variations on the "participator in administrative governance" continued to appear. These titles included the "participator in important matters" (, ), the "participator in secret matters" (, ), the "participator in governance matters" (, , and , ). These were grouped by Bo as chancellors, third class.
Function Under the Tang, officials designated as chancellors met periodically at the Hall of Matters of Governance (, ), originally located within the Chancellery. In 683, Pei Yan headed both the Chancellery and the Legislative Bureau and moved the hall to the Legislative Bureau. Under Emperor Xuanzong, the chancellor Zhang Shuo changed the hall's name to "Area within the Legislative Bureau" (, ), apparently employing a triple entendre as the terms could also refer to the combination of the Legislative Bureau () and the Chancellery (), Chinese often employing asyndeton, or to disciples or students of central affairs.New Book of Tang, vol. 46. Zhang also created five offices under the chancellors to oversee the civil service, state secrets, military matters, governance, and criminal law. Under Emperor Suzong, the chancellors begin to rotate their off days so that at least one would always be on duty, although, when submissions were made to the emperor, they were signed in the names of all the chancellors whether on duty or not. The name of the meeting place also changed back to the Hall of Matters of Governance.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 225.
List These lists includes chancellors of the Wu Zhou dynasty but not various regional governors who were given the titles as honorifics. The chancellors under the pretenders Li Yun and Li Yu, Prince of De are listed, but not the chancellors under the pretender Li Chenghong. Li Chenghong was said to have had multiple chancellors but only Yu Kefeng () and Huo Huan ()) were named and their specific titles were not given.
Heads of the Department of State Affairs The executive bureau had these changes in name:
Shangshu Sheng () (618–662) Zhong Tai () (662–670) Shangshu Sheng (670–684) Wenchang Tai () (684) Wenchang Dusheng () (684–685) Wenchang Dutai () (685–703) Zhong Tai (703–705) Shangshu Sheng (705–907)
Correspondingly, the heads of the executive bureau, considered chancellors from 618 to 705, had these titles during those periods:
Shangshu Ling () (618–626) Shangshu Puye () (618–662) Kuangzheng () (662–670) Shangshu Puye (670–684) Wenchang Xiang () (684–705) Shangshu Puye (705–713) Cheng Xiang () (713–742) Shangshu Puye (742–907)
The men who held the office included (including the Shangshu Puye during Emperor Gaozu's reign, even though at that time the office was for the deputy heads of the Shangshu Sheng):
Li Shimin (as Shangshu Ling 618–626) Pei Ji (618–629) Xiao Yu (623–626, 627) Feng Deyi (626–627) Zhangsun Wuji (627–628) Fang Xuanling (629–643, 643–648) Du Ruhui (629) Li Jing (630–634) Wen Yanbo (636–637) Gao Shilian (638–643) Li Shiji (649–650) Zhang Xingcheng (651–653) Yu Zhining (651–659) Chu Suiliang (653–655) Liu Rengui (675–681, 683–685) Dai Zhide (675–679) Su Liangsi (686–690) Wei Daijia (686–689) Wu Chengsi (690–692) Cen Changqian (690–691) Doulu Qinwang (697–698, 699–700, 705–706Somewhat inconsistent with accounts about Shangshu Puye not being a chancellor post after 705, Doulu, Tang, and Wei were still referred in the table of chancellors while holding those posts during Emperor Zhongzong's second reign. See New Book of Tang, vol. 61.) Wang Jishan (699)
After 705, the heads of the executive bureau were no longer considered chancellors unless they received the chancellor-de facto designation.
Tang Xiujing (705–706) Wei Yuanzhong (706–707) Li Chengqi (710)By this point, Shangshu Puye was ordinarily not considered a position for a chancellor any more. However, the table of chancellors in the New Book of Tang listed Li Chengqi as a chancellor. See New Book of Tang, vol. 61. Li Kuo (763–764) (as Shangshu Ling) Guo Ziyi (764) (as Shangshu Ling) Li Maozhen (901–903) (as Shangshu Ling)
Heads of the Legislative Bureau The leiglsative bureau had these changes in name:Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 188.
Neishi Sheng () (618–620) Zhongshu Sheng () (620–662) Xi Tai () (662–671) Zhongshu Sheng (671–684) Feng Ge () (684–705) Zhongshu Sheng (705–713) Ziwei Sheng () (713–717) Zhongshu Sheng (717–907)
Correspondingly, the heads of the legislative bureau had these titles during those periods:
Neishi Ling () (618–620) Zhongshu Ling () (620–662) You Xiang () (662–671) Zhongshu Ling (671–684) Neishi () (684–705) Zhongshu Ling (705–713) Ziwei Ling () (713–717) Zhongshu Ling (717–742) You Xiang (742–757) Zhongshu Ling (757–907)
The men who held the office included: Xiao Yu (618–623) Dou Wei (618) Feng Deyi (620–626) Yang Gongren (623–626) Li Shimin (625–626) Fang Xuanling (626–629) Yuwen Shiji (626–627) Li Jing (628–630) Wen Yanbo (630–636) Yang Shidao (639–643, 645) Cen Wenben (644–645) Ma Zhou (644–648) Zhangsun Wuji (648–649) Chu Suiliang (648–650) Gao Jifu (649–651) Liu Shi (652–654) Lai Ji (655–657) Cui Dunli (655–656) Li Yifu (657–658, 663) Du Zhenglun (657–658) Xu Jingzong (658–662) Liu Xiangdao (664) Lu Dunxin (665–666) Liu Rengui (666–670) Yan Liben (668–673) Hao Chujun (675–679) Li Jingxuan (676–680) Xue Yuanchao (681–683) Cui Zhiwen (681–683) Pei Yan (683–684) Qian Weidao (684–685) Pei Judao (685–687)The table of chancellors in the New Book of Tang, vol. 61, recorded that Pei became Neishi in 685 and became Nayan in 686, but then again recorded in 687 that he became Nayan. According to the chronicles of Wu Zetian's reign in the Old Book of Tang, vol. 6,, he became Neishi in 685 and Nayan in 687. According to the chronicles of Wu Zetian's reign in the New Book of Tang, vol. 4 , he became Neishi in 686 and Nayan in 687. Cen Changqian (686–690) Xing Wenwei (690) Doulu Qinwang (693–694) Li Zhaode (694) Wang Jishan (697–699) Wu Sansi (698The table of chancellors in the New Book of Tang had several entries with regard to chancellor movements during Wu Zetian's reign that were considered errant entries (as they were immediately duplicated within other subsequent entries) by both its commentators and Sima Guang, the lead editor of the Zizhi Tongjian, and accordingly, those entries are not considered here. Further, it gave no date for the end of Lu Yuanfang's second stint as chancellor, but the Zizhi Tongjian did. See New Book of Tang, vol. 61.–700) Di Renjie (700) Li Jiao (704, 706–709) Yang Zaisi (704–705, 705–709) Cui Xuanwei (705) Yuan Shuji (705) Wei Anshi (705–706, 711) Wei Yuanzhong (705–706) Zong Chuke (709–710) Xiao Zhizhong (709–710, 710, 713) Zhong Shaojing (710) Wei Sili (710) Yao Chong (710–711, 713–716) Cui Shi (712–713) Zhang Shuo (713, 723–726) Zhang Jiazhen (720–723) Xiao Song (729–733) Zhang Jiuling (733–736) Li Linfu (736–752) Yang Guozhong (752–756) Cui Yuan (757–758) Li Fuguo (762) Li Huaiguang (783–784) Li Sheng (784–793) Hun Jian (796–799) Han Hong (819–822) Pei Du (839) Bai Minzhong (860–861) Wei Zhaodu (888)
Heads of the Chancellery The Chancellery had these changes in name:
Menxia Sheng () (618–662) Dong Tai () (662–671) Menxia Sheng (671–684) Luan Tai () (684–705) Menxia Sheng (705–713) Huangmen Sheng () (713–720) Menxia Sheng (720–907)
Correspondingly, the heads of the Chancellery had these titles during those periods:
Nayan () (618–620) Shizhong () (620–662) Zuo Xiang () (662–671) Shizhong (671–684) Nayan (684–705) Shizhong (705–713) Huangmen Jian () (713–720) Shizhong (720–742) Zuo Xiang (742–757) Shizhong (757–907)