There is a saying in the Tang Dynasty: "Wei and Du in the south of the city are five feet away from the sky", which means that the Wei and Du families are the largest families closest to the emperor. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, the Wei and Du families were prominent and talented, and they were the representatives of the aristocratic families in Guanzhong. Outstanding figures include Du Yu, Du Fu, Du Mu, Du Ruhui, Wei Zhuang, Wei Yingwu, Empress Wei, and Concubine Wei.
The Paper learned that the "Five Chi Away from the Sky: A Special Exhibition on the Life of the Wei and Du Families in Chang'an during the Han and Tang Dynasties" will be on display at the Guangzhou Maritime Museum on April 16. The exhibition presents the development origins and outstanding figures of these two ancient legendary families in the Han and Tang dynasties through exquisite cultural relics.
The Wei and Du families are legendary aristocratic families in ancient China. During the Han and Tang dynasties, the Wei and Du families served as prime ministers, served in the court, governed local areas, and intermarried with the royal family, with blood and power intertwined; some fought on the battlefield, made military achievements, and glorified their families; some were obsessed with literature, history, poetry, and painting, and were obsessed with the exploration of life. The political reputation of "Fang's strategy and Du's judgment", the life attitude of "I have a gourd of wine to comfort the wind and dust", the spirit of poetry and history, and the famous works of saving the world, "Tongdian" and "Tang Liudian", are all legends of the Wei and Du families that have survived to this day.
Tracing back to the Wei family in the Wei-Du family: in the Western Han Dynasty, Wei Xian, Wei Xuancheng, and Wei Shang were three generations in a row who were promoted to the position of the Three Dukes, and the family became a famous family in Guanzhong. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was already known as the Three Auxiliary Crown Clan. In the Han, Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Jingzhao Wei family had many important officials such as ministers, prime ministers, ministers, and senior generals, so it became the representative of the county surnames in Guanzhong. Entering the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Jingzhao Wei family was further developed. In the Tang Dynasty, the Jingzhao Wei family successively produced 17 prime ministers (and 2 envoys). "Old Tang Book Wei Shu Biography" records: "Some people say that since the Tang Dynasty, the prosperity of the clan has not surpassed that of the Wei family." This shows the glory of the Jingzhao Wei family in the Tang Dynasty. The Jingzhao Wei family enjoyed a very high reputation in the Middle Ages, and Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty called it "a noble family for hundreds of generations."
The lineage of the Jingzhao Du family can be traced back to Du Zhou, the Imperial Censor of the Western Han Dynasty. In the Cao Wei Dynasty, there was the famous minister Du Ji; in the Western Jin Dynasty, there was the military strategist Du Yu; in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there were famous generals Du Ji and Du Fan; in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there were even more, including the "Poet Saint" Du Fu and nine prime ministers. Among them, Prime Minister Du Ruhui was one of the "Twenty-four Meritorious Officials of the Lingyan Pavilion"; Prime Minister Du You was the compiler of the historical collection "Tongdian", and his grandson Du Mu was a famous poet in the late Tang Dynasty.
It is reported that the five chapters of this exhibition, "Full Moon in Chang'an", "Red Clouds Transformed into Nirvana", "Wings of the Imperial Household", "Life in the Shang Dynasty" and "Smoke and Sea in Lingnan", respectively tell the stories of the two major families of Wei and Du moving to Chang'an, moving from the civil governance of the Han Dynasty to the military exploits of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, entering the core layer of the imperial rule, writing joys and sorrows in the inn, and leaving profound footprints in Lingnan. It is like a five-act epic, closely following the family and the context of the times, and vividly reproducing the glorious trajectories of the two major families in the Han and Tang societies.
The first chapter of the exhibition focuses on the story of the Wei and Du families moving to Chang'an. Wei and Du are both ancient surnames. The Wei family originated from the Shang Dynasty's Shu Wei family, and the Du family originated from the Western Zhou Dynasty's Du Bo. During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, the ancestors of Wei and Du were ordered to move to the south of Chang'an, opening a new chapter for the family. During the Han Dynasty, the family produced many talents, including father and son prime ministers and Confucian masters, who promoted the family's class transition. The inheritance of family style and virtues laid the foundation for becoming a "famous family." Following filial piety, learning, advocating frugality, and making good friends, Wei Xuancheng pretended to be crazy and gave way to his successor, showing his filial piety and virtue; Du Yannian "harmonized the court" and resolved the contradictions between generals and ministers, showing wisdom and fairness. The family's cultural heritage and family tradition inheritance are constantly demonstrated.
Exhibition View
A Han Dynasty gold, silver and bronze tiger-shaped ornament, collected by the Chang'an Museum in Xi'an
During the Han Dynasty, the family was mainly engaged in studying and governing the people; when the chaotic times came, generals such as Du Yu and Wei Xiaokuan rebuilt the family's reputation with their military achievements. In the Battle of Yubi City, Wei Xiaokuan stubbornly resisted the attack of the Eastern Wei and reshaped the confrontation pattern. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, family members served the Guanzhong regime, and Wei Yu, Wei Guan and others promoted ethnic integration in local governance. Family generals such as Wei Biao and Wei Gao wore "golden armor" to guard the border and promote national unification and ethnic integration.
In the second chapter of the exhibition, we can see how the Wei and Du families moved from the civil governance of the Han Dynasty to the military achievements of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Their military achievements brought about a qualitative change like the rebirth of a phoenix, continued their prominent family reputation, and entered the core ruling class of the dynasty.
Tang Dynasty Ladies' Figurines, Collection of Xi'an Chang'an Museum
Tang Dynasty Heavenly Kings Terracotta Warriors, Collection of Chang'an Museum, Xi'an
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Wei and Du families truly entered the core layer of the empire's ruling class and became the "wings" of the royal family.
The two families were full of politicians and officials, and were praised as "the crown of the country". Some of them entered the court to participate in confidential decisions, while others went to local areas to govern and protect the people, pushing the empire towards prosperity. Du Ruhui was famous for "Fang's plan and Du's judgment". Many members of the nine public houses of the Wei family served as prime ministers, such as Wei Anshi and Wei Guanzhi, who were famous for centuries. Wang Wan taught her children to be harmonious, and Wei Siqian impeached the powerful, which also demonstrated the family tradition of advocating honesty, frugality, and respecting literature and education. At the same time, the Wei and Du families frequently married into the royal family and became "golden partners". Many members of the Wei family became queens, concubines or married princesses, and the Du family also had famous officials who married into the royal family. These marriages consolidated the family's status, but also added variables to the political landscape of the Tang Dynasty.
Exhibition site
In the Tang Dynasty, a time of prosperity and war, the Wei and Du families used art and religion as a boat to explore the ups and downs and meaning of life. This was the golden age of poetry. The poets of the Wei and Du families created poems that were melancholy, bold, handsome, or tranquil and lofty with their keen observation and firm hearts. They wrote about sorrow and joy in the inn, found tranquility in the countryside, felt the gentleness of nature in spring, and soothed people's hearts with poetry. As a poet of the "Huajian School", Wei Zhuang depicted his love for nature and life. Wei Dan was famous for his calligraphy, and Wei Yan was famous for his painting, both of whom pursued a lofty and transcendent artistic conception. This was an era with a strong Buddhist atmosphere. Many people in the Wei and Du families devoted themselves to Buddhism, such as Du Shun and Du Guangting, who entered the door of Buddhism and asked about the difficult life problems of emptiness and nothingness.
Princess Anle, the daughter of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, and the daughter of Wei, is also quite famous. According to Guangzhou Daily, a tombstone and rubbings of Princess Anle were displayed in the exhibition. According to historical records, Princess Anle was arrogant and domineering, and her tombstone "arrogant by nature, determined to be extravagant. She spent all the money of the state government on the decoration of her house" is consistent with the historical records. It is said that she once customized an extremely luxurious "hundred-bird skirt" made of feathers from hundreds of birds, and sent people to Lingnan to catch birds for this purpose, which led to a sharp decrease in the number of birds.
Pottery figurines on display
The Wei and Du families have been integrated into the long river of history, and people today are more familiar with them through cultural celebrities such as Du Fu, Du Mu, Wei Zhuang and Wei Yingwu.
Du Fu (February 12, 712 [1] - 770) was the 13th-generation grandson of Du Yu. He inherited and developed the fine literary tradition of the Book of Songs that focused on reflecting social reality, becoming another peak in the development of ancient Chinese poetry art. He is recognized by later generations as the "master of poetry" in the history of poetry; his personality is also considered a model of the character of Chinese literati. Since the late Tang and Song dynasties, Du Fu's reputation has gradually spread far and wide, and he has had a profound impact on both Chinese and Japanese literature. Later generations revered him as the "Poet Saint" and called his poems "Poetry History". Most of his works handed down to us are collected in the "Du Gongbu Collection".
Modern portrait of Du Fu by Jiang Zhaohe (not on display this time)
The poet Wei Yingwu (birth and death years unknown), known as "Wei Suzhou", served as the governor of Chuzhou, Jiangzhou, and Suzhou. He was a poet of the landscape and pastoral school. Later generations often referred to him as Wang Meng, Wei Liu, and others. Wei's poems are good at all styles. His seven-character songs are beautiful in tone, and his five-character regulated verses flow smoothly. His emotions and words complement each other, which is thought-provoking.
Du Mu of the late Tang Dynasty not only wrote poetry, but also had good calligraphy. His extant calligraphy includes "Poems of Zhang Haohao". Wei Zhuang, a poet of the "Huajian School", depicted his love for nature and life. Wei Dan was famous for his calligraphy, and Wei Yan was famous for his painting.
Part of Du Mu's calligraphy of "Poem of Zhang Haohao" in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing (The Paper's material is not part of this exhibition)
Many members of the Wei-Du family left deep footprints in Lingnan. Many members of the Wei-Du family served as governors of Lingnan, such as Du You, the "Prime Minister of Three Dynasties" who wrote the first historical book in Chinese history, Tongdian. He implemented light taxes and levies, developed maritime trade, and brought stability and prosperity to Lingnan. After Wei Zhiyi was demoted to Yazhou, he organized the construction of water conservancy projects. The water conservancy projects he built, Yantangbi and Tingtangbi, were listed as national key cultural relics protection units in 2019. The activities of the Wei-Du family in Lingnan promoted the political, economic and cultural development of the Lingnan region.
Exhibition site
It is reported that this special exhibition is guided by the Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism Bureau of Huangpu District, Guangzhou, and hosted by Guangzhou Maritime Museum, Chang'an Museum and Tongchuan Museum. It will be on display until October 16.
(This article is compiled based on information from the Guangzhou Maritime Museum, historical materials from the Old Book of Tang, and reports from the Guangzhou Daily)