Yang Jian (Song dynasty)
Yang Jian (Chinese: 楊戩, died 1121) was a huanguan (eunuch) and minister under Emperor Huizong of Song, best-known for implementing oppressive tax policies to increase government revenue. In subsequent works of fiction, such as the classic novels Water Margin and Jin Ping Mei, he is almost always portrayed as treacherous and corrupt.
Early career
[edit]Yang Jian became a eunuch at a young age. During Emperor Huizong's early reign he worked in the imperial garden and often pleased the emperor. In the chongning (1102–1106) era he was promoted and put in charge of various affairs such as the management of the shrines, the casting of ding (tripods), and the construction of the Bureau of the Music of Great Brilliance[1] (
In 1114, Yang Jian was appointed as the jiedushi (military governor) of Zhanghua (
Tax policies
[edit]While he was in Ru Prefecture, one of his subordinates named Du Gongcai (
Later life
[edit]In 1119, Emperor Huizong began a palace project known as Genyue (
When Yang Jian died in 1121, he was honored as the Grand Preceptor and the Duke of Wu (
In fiction
[edit]Yang Jian appears in a number of fictional works. In many later stories he is known as Yang Taiwei or "Grand Commandant Yang" even though the historical figure never assumed that title.[6]
The 12th-century story collection Yijian Zhi by Hong Mai contains a number of stories that feature him. The story "Yang Jian's Retainer" (楊戩
In Xuanhe Yishi, Yang Jian frequently accompanied Emperor Huizong to brothels. In the 14th-century novel Water Margin by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong, Yang Jian is described as a dishonest official allied with Gao Qiu, Cai Jing, and Tong Guan. He was beaten by Li Kui in one of the earlier chapters. Near the end of the novel, he conspired to falsely accuse the Mount Liang heroes of treason. He was the mastermind behind Lu Junyi's poisoning.
Yang Jian also appears in the short story "The Leather Boot as Evidence against the God Erlang's Impostor" (
In the 17th-century erotic novel Jin Ping Mei, the depraved protagonist Ximen Qing became an official for being a follower of Yang Jian and an associate of Cai Jing.[8]
Guan Hanqing's 14th-century play The Riverside Pavilion tells the story of the beautiful and intelligent Tan Ji'er, whom a powerful Yang Yanei (楊衙
Notes and references
[edit]- ^ Ebrey, p. 637.
- ^ Ebrey, p. 198.
- ^ a b c d e Toqto'a; et al., eds. (1345). "Ch. 468". Song Shi (
宋 史 ) [History of Song] (in Chinese). - ^ Levine, Ari Daniel (2009). "The Reigns of Hui-tsung (1100–1126) and Ch'in-tsung (1126–1127) and the Fall of the Northern Sung". In Twitchett, Denis; Smith, Paul Jakov (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 5, Part One: The Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors, 907–1279. Cambridge University Press. p. 591. ISBN 978-0-521-81248-1.
- ^ Ebrey, pp. 273–274.
- ^ a b Hu, p. 317.
- ^ Hu, pp. 308–360.
- ^ Xu, Shuofang; Sun, Qiuke (2021). A History of Literature in the Ming Dynasty. Translated by Li Ma. Zhejiang University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-981-16-2490-2. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Hu, Lenny Lingyi (1999). Sexuality and Containment: Ling Mengchu's Erotic Stories (PDF) (Ph.D. thesis). University of Toronto.
- Ebrey, Patricia Buckley (2014). Emperor Huizong. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-72525-6 – via ProQuest Ebook Central.