Ma Zhi

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Ma Zhi (馬植) (? - 857 [1] ), courtesy name Cunzhi (存之), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong.

Courtesy name name bestowed in adulthood in East Asian cultures

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 Sinosphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

History of China Account of past events in the Chinese civilisation

The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty, during the king Wu Ding's reign, who was mentioned as the twenty-first Shang king by the same. Ancient historical texts such as the Records of the Grand Historian and the Bamboo Annals describe a Xia dynasty before the Shang, but no writing is known from the period, and Shang writings do not indicate the existence of the Xia. The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River. These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations, and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.

Contents

Background and early career

It is not known when Ma Zhi was born. It is known that his family was from Fufeng, but nothing else was known about his ancestry other than that his father's name was Ma Xun — with the Old Book of Tang rendering his father's personal name as 曛 [2] and the New Book of Tang rendering it as 勛 — [3] with no connections to the families of the two other Tang chancellors surnamed Ma, Ma Sui and Ma Zhou. [4]

Fufeng County County in Shaanxi, Peoples Republic of China

Fufeng County is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Baoji, in the west-central part of Shaanxi Province, China. The county lies on the north bank of the Wei River between Xi'an, 110 km (68 mi) to the east, and Baoji, 95 km (59 mi) to the west. It has a land area of 751 km2 (290 sq mi), and a population of 460,000.

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 Kingdoms period, it was superseded by the New Book of Tang which was compiled in the Song dynasty, but later regained acceptance.

The New Book of Tang, generally translated as "New History of the Tang", or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the Song dynasty, led by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi.

Ma Zhi passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 819, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, and further passed a special imperial examinations for those who were capable in planning. He was thereafter made the deputy military prefect (團練副使, Tuanlian Fushi) of Shou Prefecture (壽州, in modern Lu'an, Anhui). He thereafter served as Xiaoshu Lang (校書郎), a copyeditor at the Palace Library, and yet later served as the prefect of Rao Prefecture (饒州, in modern Shangrao, Jiangxi). [2]

Imperial examination system used in appointing officials in dynastic China

Chinese imperial examinations were a civil service examination system in Imperial China to select candidates for the state bureaucracy. Although there were imperial exams as early as the Han dynasty, the system became widely utilized as the major path to office only in the mid-Tang dynasty, and remained so until its abolition in 1905. Since the exams were based on knowledge of the classics and literary style, not technical expertise, successful candidates were generalists who shared a common language and culture, one shared even by those who failed. This common culture helped to unify the empire and the ideal of achievement by merit gave legitimacy to imperial rule, while leaving clear problems resulting from a systemic lack of technical and practical expertise.

Emperor Xianzong of Tang emperor of the Tang Dynasty

Emperor Xianzong of Tang, personal name Li Chun, né Li Chun (李淳), was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Shunzong, who reigned for less than a year in 805 and who yielded the throne to him late that year.

Luan Prefecture-level city in Anhui, Peoples Republic of China

Lu'an, is a prefecture-level city in western Anhui province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan to the northwest and Hubei to the southwest. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 5,612,590, whom 1,644,344 resided in the built-up area made of 2 urban districts. Neighbouring prefecture-level cities are the provincial capital of Hefei to the east, Anqing to the south, Huanggang (Hubei) and Xinyang (Henan) to the west, and Huainan and Fuyang to the north. Although the character "六" is normally pronounced "Liù", in this case it changes to "Lù" on account of the historical literary reading.

During Emperor Wenzong's reign

Early in the Kaicheng era (836-840) of Emperor Xianzong's grandson Emperor Wenzong, Ma Zhi was made the protector general of Annan (安南, modern northern Vietnam). It was said that Ma, in addition to his literary abilities, was a capable administrator. In 838, he submitted a report in which he claimed that the nominal magistrate of Wulu County (武陸) — under Tang's system of commissioning local tribal leaders with official titles — was faithful to Tang and was often giving good suggestions, and requested that Wulu County be upgraded to be a prefecture; Emperor Wenzong approved the request. [2] [5] It was also said that because of Ma's good governance, the tribal chiefs all sent their sons to serve as hostages and offered to pay tributes. Further, a pool at Wulu Prefecture that had previously produced pearls but were no longer doing so by Ma's time again began to produce pearls, which was viewed as a sign of divine approval. Ma was thereafter promoted to be the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Qianzhong Circuit (黔中, headquartered in modern Chongqing). [3]

Emperor Wenzong of Tang emperor of the Tang Dynasty

Emperor Wenzong of Tang (809–840), personal name Li Ang, né Li Han (李涵), was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 827 to 840. Emperor Wenzong was the second son of Emperor Muzong and younger brother of Emperor Jingzong. A rare occurrence in Chinese history, Emperor Wenzong, along with his elder brother Emperor Jingzong and younger brother Emperor Wuzong, reigned in succession.

Vietnam Country in Southeast Asia

Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula. With an estimated 94.6 million inhabitants as of 2016, it is the 15th most populous country in the world. Vietnam is bordered by China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, part of Thailand to the southwest, and the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia across the South China Sea to the east and southeast. Its capital city has been Hanoi since the reunification of North and South Vietnam in 1976, while its most populous city is Ho Chi Minh City.

Chongqing Municipality in Peoples Republic of China

Chongqing, alternately romanized as Chungking, is a major city in southwest China. Administratively, it is one of China's four municipalities under the direct administration of central government, and the only such municipality in China located far away from the coast.

During Emperor Wuzong's reign

During the middle of the Huichang era (841-846) of Emperor Wenzong's brother Emperor Wuzong, Ma Zhi was recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as the minister of palace supplies (光祿卿, Guanglu Qing), and later became Dali Qing (大理卿), the chief judge at the supreme court (大理寺, Dali Si). However, neither of these posts carried great power, as Ma, despite a reputation for being capable, was not well regarded by then-leading chancellor Li Deyu. It was said that Ma thus bore resentment toward Li Deyu. [3]

Emperor Wuzong of Tang emperor of the Tang Dynasty

Emperor Wuzong of Tang, né Li Chan, later changed to Li Yan just before his death, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, reigning from 840 to 846. Emperor Wuzong is mainly known in modern times for the religious persecution that occurred during his reign. In addition, he was known for his successful reactions against incursions by remnants of the Huigu Khanate and the rebellion by Liu Zhen, as well as his deep trust in the chancellor Li Deyu.

Changan ancient city of China

Chang'an was an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese since it was a capital that was repeatedly used by new Chinese rulers. During the short-lived Xin dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; the old name was later restored. By the time of the Ming dynasty, a new walled city named Xi'an, meaning "Western Peace", was built at the Sui and Tang dynasty city's site, which has remained its name to the present day.

Li Deyu, courtesy name Wenrao (文饒), formally the Duke of Wei (衛公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of brothers Emperor Wenzong and Emperor Wuzong and (briefly) their uncle Emperor Xuānzong. He was the leader of the so-called Li Faction in the decades-long Niu-Li Factional Struggles, and was particularly powerful during Emperor Wuzong's reign, dominating the court scene and guiding policies during the campaigns against the crumbling Huigu Khanate and against the warlord Liu Zhen. After Emperor Wuzong's death, Emperor Xuānzong, who had long despised him for his hold on power, had him demoted and banished, where he died in exile.

During Emperor Xuānzong's reign

In 846, Emperor Wuzong died and was succeeded by his uncle Emperor Xuānzong. Because Emperor Xuānzong despised Li Deyu for his hold on power, Li Deyu was almost immediately thereafter demoted and sent out of the capital, and Bai Minzhong became the leading chancellor. In 847, during a drought, which were often viewed as signs of divine displeasure over overly severe punishment, Emperor Xuānzong had the chancellor Lu Shang and the deputy chief imperial censor Feng Ao (封敖) review the cases of the prisoners held at Chang'an. Lu and Feng apparently advocated for commutation of many death sentences. Ma objected and submitted a petition to Emperor Xuānzong arguing that that leniency would have the opposite effect of drawing further divine displeasure. It was said that because of efforts by Bai, who often promoted those people he felt slighted by Li Deyu, Ma's petition was accepted, and Lu was subsequently demoted. [6] Ma was then made the deputy minister of justice (刑部侍郎, Xingbu Shilang) as well the director of the salt and iron monopolies. [3]

Bai Minzhong (白敏中) (792–861), courtesy name Yonghui (用誨), formally Duke Chou of Taiyuan (太原醜公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xuānzong and Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor Yizong. He was a second cousin of the renowned poet Bai Juyi.

Lu Shang (盧商) (789–859), courtesy name Weichen (為臣), formally the Duke of Fanyang (范陽公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong.Sudikshya lohani is also called lu sang.

In 848, Ma was made a chancellor de facto with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). [6] While serving as chancellor, Ma and Emperor Xuānzong's trusted eunuch Ma Yuanzhi (馬元贄), one of the two commanders of the Shence Armies (神策軍), became close associates, as Ma Zhi endeared himself to Ma Yuanzhi based on their common surname. On one occasion in 850, Emperor Xuānzong gave Ma Yuanzhi a jewel-studded belt as an award, and Ma Yuanzhi in turn gave it to Ma Zhi. When Ma Zhi wore it to an imperial meeting, Emperor Xuānzong recognized it and immediately interrogated Ma Zhi about it. Ma Zhi did not dare to lie to the emperor, and Emperor Xuānzong, after learning what happened, was displeased about Ma Zhi's close association with Ma Yuanzhi. The next day, Emperor Xuānzong removed Ma Zhi from his chancellor post and made him the military governor ( Jiedushi ) of Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong). After Ma's demotion, Emperor Xuānzong further had his assistant Dong Mou (董侔) detained and interrogated. When Dong gave more details about the close association between Ma Zhi and Ma Yuanzhi, Emperor Xuānzong further demoted Ma Zhi to be the prefect of Chang Prefecture (常州, in modern Changzhou, Jiangsu). [7]

Ma Zhi was later made an advisor to the Crown Prince, with his office at the eastern capital Luoyang. [3] [8] Several years later, he was made the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan) and the prefect of its capital Xu Prefecture (許州). Toward the end of Emperor Xuānzong's Dazhong era (847-860), he was made the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) and the prefect of its capital Bian Prefecture (汴州), and he died while serving there. [2]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Ma Zhi died as military governor of Xuanwu Circuit, while in 857 the next military governor named Zheng Ya was appointed.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Old Book of Tang , vol. 176.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 New Book of Tang , vol. 184.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-10-03. New Book of Tang, vol. 72 Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine .
  5. ↑ New Book of Tang, vol. 43, part 2.
  6. 1 2 Zizhi Tongjian , vol. 248.
  7. ↑ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 249.
  8. ↑ However, as there was no crown prince at the time, the post was entirely honorary.
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