Chang Gun

Chang Gun (常袞) (729–783), formally the Duke of He'nei (河內公), was a Chinese politician and writer during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Daizong and Emperor Dezong.

Background Chang Gun was born in 729, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. His family was from Jingzhao Municipality , which encompassed the Tang capital Chang'an. His great-grandfather Chang Xu , grandfather Chang Yi , and father Chang Wuwei all served as minor officials. He had at least one older brother, Chang Jie .

Chang Gun himself passed the imperial examinations late in Emperor Xuanzong's Tianbao era (742-756). He initially served as a scribe for Emperor Xuanzong's crown prince Li Heng (the later Emperor Suzong), and later served as an imperial chronicler.

During Emperor Daizong's reign In 764, during the reign of Emperor Suzong's son Emperor Daizong, Chang Gun was made an imperial scholar and a reserve official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu), and also put in charge of drafting imperial edicts. In 765, he was made Zhongshu Sheren , a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). Chang was said to be a capable writer, and both he and his colleague as Zhongshu Sheng, Yang Yan, were respected at the time and often discussed about together. He also advocated a curbing in the behavior of Huige soldiers who had been treated as guests in the Tang realm. (Huge armies had greatly assisted Tang in defeating the rebel state of Yan during the Anshi Rebellion). He further advocated that Emperor Daizong should decline elaborate birthday gifts that the regional governors were presenting to him or to Buddhist or Taoist temples in his honor, pointing out that these governors should have otherwise had no wealths of their own, and therefore these gifts must have come from pilfering from the people. Emperor Daizong was thankful for Chang's suggestions, but there was no indication on whether he accepted them. In 766, he was made the deputy minister of rites (禮部侍郎, Libu Shilang) and continued to be an imperial scholar. At that time, the eunuch Liu Zhongyi and the military governor Ma Lin were both trusted by Emperor Daizong and therefore were powerful. Both tried to intercede on their relatives' behalf so that the relatives could become imperial university students, but Chang rejected the intercessions. The office of the chancellors (政事堂, Zhengshi Tang) was then within the legislative bureau, and customarily, the chancellors often went through a backdoor of the office of chancellors to visit the Zhongshu Sheren, who resided at the legislative bureau. Chang believed this showed partiality, and had the door sealed. During Yuan's term of office, much bribery was involved in the promotion of officers. Chang, in response, ordered that all promotions be strictly reviewed and particularly required literary talent for promotions. It was said that while Chang's reforms ended the era of bribery-influenced promotions, it also caused government work to grind to a halt. He had Chang promoted to be the governor (觀察使, Guancha Shi) of Fujian Circuit (福建, headquartered in modern Fuzhou, Fujian). It was said that the people of Fujian Circuit were not learned at the time, and when Chang arrived there, he built schools and had the people taught in the ways of literature and rites. Thereafter, there began to be people from Fujian Circuit who stood for imperial examinations whereas there had not been. He died in 783 while still serving at Fujian Circuit and was given posthumous honors. It was said that the people of Fujian would thereafter offer sacrifices to Chang and their teachers in the spring and the fall.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 119. New Book of Tang, vol. 150. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 224, 225.