Cui Dan

Cui Dan was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Wenzong and Emperor Wenzong's brother Emperor Wuzong.

Background It is not known when Cui Dan was born. He was from the "Lesser Branch" of the prominent Cui clan of Qinghe (清河, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), and his ancestors originally claimed ancestry from the ruling house of the Spring and Autumn period state Qi. Cui Dan's traceable ancestry included officials of Han dynasty (including Cui Yan), Liu Song, Northern Wei, and the Tang dynasties. His grandfather Cui Ji served as a staff member for a crown prince, while his father Cui Chui served as a deputy chief imperial censor.

Cui Dan had at least seven brothers — older brothers Cui Bin , Cui Feng , Cui Yan , Cui Xun , Cui Han , and Cui Shan , and younger brother Cui Fu . Six of the brothers would eventually reach high level positions within the Tang government. After that, Cui was recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as the deputy minister of public works (工部侍郎, Gongbu Shilang), and an imperial scholar at Jixian Hall He thereafter was also made Zhongshu Shilang , the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and given the honorary title Yinqing Guanglu Daifu . After Emperor Wenzong died in 840 and was succeeded by his brother Emperor Wuzong, although Cui's colleagues Yang Sifu and Li Jue were removed from their posts, and Li Deyu became the leading chancellor, Cui remained chancellor. (It was said that this was because Li Deyu and the Cui brothers had long had friendly relations.) In 841, when Emperor Wuzong came to believe in allegations that Yang and Li Jue had supported other candidates to succeed Emperor Wenzong rather than him and wanted to put Yang and Li Jue to death, Li Deyu, at the advice of Du Cong, interceded, along with Cui and their other chancellor colleagues Chen Yixing and Cui Gong, and Emperor Wuzong spared Yang and Li Jue's lives, although exiling them far away from the capital.

Career after chancellorship Late in 841, Cui Dan was sent out of Chang'an to serve as the military governor of Xichuan Circuit. Early in the subsequent reign of Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong, Cui was made the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), carrying the title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi as an honorary title. He died while still serving at Huainan, but the date of death is not known.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 155. New Book of Tang, vol. 163. Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 246.