Yuan Qianyao facts for kids

Yuan Qianyao (died December 22, 731) was an important politician in ancient China. He lived during the Tang dynasty and served twice as a top advisor, known as a chancellor, to Emperor Xuanzong. He was also given the special title of the Duke of Anyang.

Early Life and Family Background

Yuan Qianyao came from Xiang Prefecture, which is in modern-day Handan, Hebei province. His family had a long history of serving the government. His ancestors included Yuan He, an official from the Northern Wei dynasty. Later, his family members worked for the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasty governments.

Yuan Qianyao's grandfather, Yuan Shimin, was a deputy minister of justice during the Sui dynasty. His father, Yuan Zhixin, was a minister of justice under Emperor Gaozong of Tang. However, his father was sent away to the Lingnan region and died there. Yuan Qianyao himself passed the special government exams, called imperial examinations, which allowed him to become an official. We don't know exactly when he passed these exams.

Serving Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong

During the second time Emperor Zhongzong ruled (from 705 to 710), Yuan Qianyao started his career as a low-level imperial censor. His job was to check on things in the Jiangdong region, which is now parts of southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang. He was good at his job and was promoted to a higher position.

After Emperor Zhongzong's brother, Li Dan, became emperor again in 710, there was a discussion about stopping a traditional ceremony. This ceremony involved the emperor leading officials in shooting arrows. Yuan Qianyao spoke against stopping it. He argued that it was an important tradition based on Confucian rules. Soon after, he was made the commandant (a military leader) at Liang Prefecture.

Working for Emperor Xuanzong

In 712, Emperor Ruizong gave his throne to his son, Li Longji, who became Emperor Xuanzong. Early in Emperor Xuanzong's reign, some staff members of the emperor's cousin, Li Shouli, got into trouble. Emperor Xuanzong wanted a good leader for Li Shouli's team.

Yuan Qianyao's Rise to Power

Jiang Jiao, a close friend of Emperor Xuanzong, suggested Yuan Qianyao for the job. Emperor Xuanzong met Yuan and was very impressed by his energy and smart answers. So, Yuan became the secretary general for Li Shouli. He also became the deputy minister of palace supplies.

Emperor Xuanzong quickly promoted Yuan Qianyao again. He became the deputy minister of census and then the deputy chief censor. Eventually, he was promoted to a high position in the executive branch of the government.

First Time as Chancellor

In late 716, Emperor Xuanzong made Yuan Qianyao a deputy head of the examination bureau. He also gave him the special title that made him a chancellor. This meant he was one of the emperor's most important advisors.

However, Emperor Xuanzong still relied more on an older chancellor named Yao Chong. Yao Chong was sick at the time, so Emperor Xuanzong often sent Yuan Qianyao to talk with him. It was said that if Yuan Qianyao gave good advice, Emperor Xuanzong would say, "This must be Yao Chong's idea!" If the advice wasn't good, the emperor would tell Yuan, "Go talk to Yao Chong first."

Soon after, Yao Chong faced accusations that his sons were involved in corruption. Yao offered to resign and suggested Song Jing take his place. Just two months after Yuan Qianyao became chancellor, both he and Yao Chong were removed from their chancellor roles. They were replaced by Song Jing and Su Ting.

Mayor of Chang'an

When Emperor Xuanzong was in the eastern capital, Luoyang, he made Yuan Qianyao the mayor of Chang'an, the main capital city. Yuan was in charge of the city while the emperor was away. He served as mayor for three years and managed the capital very well.

One time, Emperor Xuanzong lost his white eagle while hunting. He ordered everyone to find it. Yuan's team found the eagle, but it was dead and stuck in thorns. Yuan's subordinates were scared the emperor would be angry. But Yuan told them the emperor wouldn't punish them for something that happened by accident. He then wrote a letter to the emperor, taking the blame himself. Just as he thought, Emperor Xuanzong was not offended and did not punish anyone.

Second Time as Chancellor

In 720, Yuan Qianyao was again made a chancellor, along with Zhang Jiazhen. He was soon promoted to be the head of the examination bureau, which was another top chancellor position.

Yuan Qianyao noticed that the sons of powerful officials often got jobs in the capital city. This meant that younger officials without such connections had to work far away. He suggested that the sons of powerful officials should also be sent to work outside the capital. He even offered to send two of his own three sons, who were working in the capital, away. Emperor Xuanzong praised his idea and made a rule that no official's family could have three members all working in the capital.

In 722, Emperor Xuanzong decided that chancellors should have enough money to focus on their important work. So, he ordered that each chancellor receive tax money from 300 households. Yuan Qianyao and Zhang Jiazhen were the first chancellors to benefit from this new rule.

Later Years and Retirement

In 725, another chancellor, Zhang Shuo, suggested that Emperor Xuanzong perform special sacrifices at Mount Tai. Yuan Qianyao disagreed with this idea, and it was said that he and Zhang Shuo started to have disagreements from then on. After the sacrifices were done in 726, Yuan was given another high position as one of the heads of the executive bureau, while still being a chancellor.

Later in 726, Zhang Shuo was accused of corruption. Yuan Qianyao was one of the officials asked to question Zhang. However, Zhang was mostly forgiven and only lost his chancellor position.

It was said that Yuan Qianyao was very careful as a chancellor. He often let other chancellors like Zhang Jiazhen and Zhang Shuo make the big decisions. Some people criticized him because he didn't try to help Jiang Jiao, who had recommended him years before, when Jiang was exiled in 722.

By 729, Yuan was serving with two other chancellors, Li Yuanhong and Du Xian. Li and Du often argued, and Yuan didn't do much to stop them. This made Emperor Xuanzong unhappy with all three. In the summer of 729, he removed all three from their chancellor jobs.

Yuan Qianyao kept his position as one of the heads of the executive bureau for a short time. In the fall of 729, he was asked to become an advisor to the Crown Prince, Li Hong. However, Yuan declined because his grandfather's name, Yuan Shimin, had the character "Shi" in it. This was a "naming taboo," meaning he couldn't use a title that had the same character as an ancestor's name.

To solve this, Emperor Xuanzong changed the name of the advisor position so Yuan could accept it. On the day Yuan took his new job, Emperor Xuanzong held a big ceremony with music and food to celebrate Yuan, Song Jing, and Zhang Shuo taking their new roles. The emperor even wrote a poem praising their contributions. He also officially made Yuan the Duke of Anyang.

In 731, Emperor Xuanzong planned to visit Luoyang again. Yuan Qianyao was old and sick and could not go with the emperor. He stayed in Chang'an. He died in the winter of that year and was buried with great honors.

His Sons

Yuan Qianyao had four sons:

• Yuan Fu, who became a prefect (a high official) in Hua.
• Yuan Bi, who was a supervisory official at the ministry of public works.
• Yuan Jie, who was a county magistrate in Henan.
• Yuan Qing, who married Princess Zhenyang, a daughter of Emperor Xuanzong.