Ma Zhi

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

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 and the New Book of Tang rendering it as 勛— with no connections to the families of the two other Tang chancellors surnamed Ma, Ma Sui and Ma Zhou.

Ma Zhi passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 819, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, and further passed a special imperial examination 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 , a copyeditor at the Palace Library, and yet later served as the prefect of Rao Prefecture (饒州, in modern Shangrao, Jiangxi). 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). 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.

Ma Zhi was later made an advisor to the Crown Prince, with his office at the eastern capital Luoyang. 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 . 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 , and he died while serving there.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 176. New Book of Tang, vol. 184. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 248, 249.