Fang Guan

Biography

Family Background and Early Life

Fang Guan came from an official family. His father Fang Rong had been a chief councillor under Empress Wu, rising to Grand Master of Rectification and Remonstrance and Grand Councilor under the Fengge-Luantai administration. After the Shenlong coup, Fang Rong was exiled to Qinzhou and died in exile. Fang Guan thus experienced family disaster while still young, but he was studious and carried himself with calm dignity. He entered the Hongwen Academy through hereditary privilege. Naturally detached from worldly ambition and fond of reclusion, he withdrew with Lü Xiang of Dongping to Mount Luhun, in the Yiyang Mountains near present-day Luoyang, where they studied for more than ten years. This long period of reclusion helped shape Fang's attraction to metaphysical discussion and his lack of concern for wealth and rank, while also giving him deep learning that later supported his entry into official life through literary talent.

Entry into Office and Local Administration

In 724, the twelfth year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong planned to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai. Fang Guan wrote a Memorial on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices together with accompanying notes and presented them at court. Chief Councillor Zhang Yue admired his talent and recommended him for appointment as Proofreader in the Palace Library. Fang was then transferred to serve as a county commandant at Fengyi in Tongzhou but soon resigned. He sat the special examination for men fit to serve as county magistrates and was appointed magistrate of Lushi County in Guozhou. At Lushi his administration was benevolent and won strong popular support; the poet Wang Wei later wrote Presented to Magistrate Fang Guan of Lushi in praise of his clean reputation. In 734, the twenty-second year of Kaiyuan, Fang was promoted to Investigating Censor, but that same year an improper judicial decision led to his demotion as Revenue Officer in Muzhou. He subsequently served as magistrate of Cixi, Songcheng, and Jiyuan. In each post he promoted beneficial measures, eliminated abuses, repaired administrative buildings, and gained a reputation for ability. In 742 he was appointed Vice Director of the Bureau of Receptions; in 744 he was promoted on an acting basis to Director; and in 746 he was promoted on an acting basis to Supervising Secretary and granted the noble title Baron of Zhangnan County.

Mid-Career Reversals

In 746, the fifth year of Tianbao, Emperor Xuanzong renamed the Hot Springs Palace as Huaqing Palace and established office buildings for the court below Mount Li. Because Fang Guan was considered ingenious and skillful in planning, he was appointed to supervise the construction. Before the work was completed, however, his friendships with Li Shizhi, Wei Jian, and others implicated him politically, and he was demoted to governor of Yichun Commandery. He later governed Langya, Ye Commandery, and Fufeng, leaving a reputation for benevolent administration in each place. At Yichun he established a school and promoted education, winning popular support. In 755, the fourteenth year of Tianbao, on the eve of the An Lushan Rebellion, he was recalled to court as Left Adviser to the Heir Apparent and then promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

The An Lushan Rebellion and Appointment as Grand Councilor

In the sixth lunar month of 756, the fifteenth year of Tianbao, rebel forces advanced on Chang'an and Emperor Xuanzong fled hurriedly toward Sichuan. Officials such as Chen Xilie and Zhang Yi, having fallen from favor, failed to go promptly to the emperor. Fang Guan, together with Zhang Jun, Zhang Ji, Wei Shu, and others, set out in pursuit. When they reached a mountain monastery more than ten li south of Chang'an, the Zhang brothers hesitated because their families remained in the city. Fang alone continued rapidly toward Sichuan. In the seventh lunar month he caught up with Xuanzong in Pu'an Commandery. The emperor was delighted and that same day appointed him Minister of Personnel and Grand Councilor and bestowed a purple-gold fish tally. Fang thus entered the chief councillorship. After accompanying Xuanzong to Chengdu he also received the honorific title Grand Master of Silver Seal and Blue Ribbon, and one of his sons was granted office through his rank.

Investiture of Suzong and the Defeat at Chentaoxie

In the eighth lunar month of the same year, Crown Prince Li Heng was acclaimed emperor at Lingwu as Emperor Suzong and sent an envoy to Sichuan to report the event. Xuanzong consequently retired as Retired Emperor and ordered Fang Guan, Left Chief Councillor Wei Jiansu, and Vice Director of the Chancellery Cui Huan to carry the imperial seal and jade investiture to Lingwu and formally invest Suzong. In the tenth lunar month Fang met Suzong in Shunhua Commandery, present-day Qingyang in Gansu, explained Xuanzong's transfer of the throne in passionate terms, and deeply impressed the new emperor. Suzong had long heard of Fang's reputation and trusted him, allowing many matters of the temporary court to be decided by him. Fang had great confidence in his own ability and took restoration of the realm as his personal responsibility.

Fang, however, did not understand military affairs. He memorialized requesting command of an army to recover the two capitals. Suzong approved and appointed him Bearer of Credentials, with concurrent commissions to recover the western capital and defend the Pu and Tong passes. Fang personally selected his staff: Censor-in-Chief Deng Jingshan as deputy, Vice Minister of Revenue Li Yi as army marshal, Supervising Secretary Liu Zhi as strategist, and Minister of War Wang Sili as another deputy. He entrusted military affairs heavily to the scholar-officials Li Yi and Liu Zhi and boasted that although the rebels' elite Yeluohuo cavalry were strong, they could not defeat his strategist Liu Zhi. He divided the army into three forces: Yang Xiwen led the southern army from Yishou, Liu Zhe led the central army from Wugong, and Li Guangjin led the northern army from Fengtian.

On the twentieth day of the tenth lunar month, the central and northern armies reached Bian Bridge as the vanguard. The next day they encountered rebel troops at Chentaoxie in Xianyang County. Fang originally wished to hold a cautious defensive position and wait for an opportunity, but the palace eunuch Xing Yan'en pressed for immediate battle, forcing a hasty engagement. Fang adopted a style of chariot warfare modeled on the Spring and Autumn period, placing two thousand ox carts in front and protecting them with cavalry and infantry. The rebels took advantage of the wind, raised dust, shouted, and beat drums, terrifying the oxen. They then bound dry grass together and set it ablaze. Men and animals in the Tang army fell into chaos. More than forty thousand were killed or wounded, and only several thousand escaped. On the twenty-third day Fang led the southern army into battle and suffered another major defeat; Yang Xiwen and Liu Zhe surrendered to the rebels. Fang fled back to the imperial camp, bared his torso in ritual submission, and asked punishment. Suzong pardoned him, continued initially to treat him as before, and ordered him to gather the scattered troops and prepare for another effort.

Alienation and Removal from the Chief Councillorship

The Chentaoxie defeat severely damaged Fang's reputation. Helan Jinming, governor of Beihai, came to the temporary court and was appointed governor of Nanhai and acting Censor-in-Chief. He had an old quarrel with Fang and, while entering the palace to thank the emperor, slandered him before Suzong. Helan accused Fang of having advised Xuanzong at Chengdu to assign the imperial princes to major regional commands while leaving Suzong in a remote frontier area, calling this disloyal to the reigning emperor. He also described Fang as a man who prized empty reputation and was unfit to be chief councillor, and accused him of placing his associates Liu Zhi, Li Yi, Liu Hui, Deng Jingshan, Dou Shao, and others in control of military power. Suzong thereafter began to dislike Fang.

In 757, the second year of Zhide, Grand Councilor Cui Yuan came to Fufeng to pay court to Suzong. Fang assumed Cui had arrived too late and would lose his post, and therefore treated him coldly. Cui Yuan, however, cultivated the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo and remained favored by Suzong, creating lasting resentment toward Fang. Fang also frequently claimed illness and failed to attend court, spending time with Liu Zhi, Li Yi, He Ji, and others in abstract discussions of Buddhist causation and Daoist emptiness. Public opinion criticized this behavior. He often listened to the famous qin player and client Dong Tinglan, who exploited Fang's influence to accept bribes and gifts on a substantial scale. Judicial officials impeached Dong. Fang went to court to defend himself but was angrily dismissed by Suzong. Remonstrance Grand Master Zhang Gao submitted a memorial defending Fang, arguing that a client's acceptance of bribes should not implicate a senior minister. Nevertheless, in the fifth lunar month Suzong demoted Fang to Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent and appointed Zhang Gao in his place as chief councillor.

Later Years and Death

In the eleventh lunar month of 757, the second year of Zhide, Fang returned to Chang'an with Suzong. In the twelfth lunar month a general amnesty and rewards for merit brought him the honorific title Grand Master of Gold Seal and Purple Ribbon and promotion to Duke of Qinghe Commandery. After losing the chief councillorship, however, he often claimed illness and did not attend court while receiving large numbers of guests at home from morning to night. His associates also promoted the claim at court that Fang possessed both civil and military talent and deserved renewed employment. Suzong resented this. In the sixth lunar month of 758, the first year of Qianyuan, the emperor enumerated Fang's offenses and demoted him to Inspector of Binzhou.

Binzhou had long housed large military forces and was often governed by military commanders concurrently serving as inspectors. Administrative rules had collapsed. Prefectural and county offices had been turned into barracks, officials occupied private houses, and the population suffered. After taking office, Fang restored established laws and regulations, ordered prefectural and county officials to observe them, repaired official buildings, and returned officials to their proper offices, earning a strong administrative reputation. In the sixth lunar month of 759, the second year of Qianyuan, Suzong issued an edict praising him and recalled him as Guest of the Heir Apparent. In 760, the first year of Shangyuan, he was changed to Minister of Rites and soon sent out as Inspector of Jinzhou. In the eighth lunar month he was transferred to Hanzhou. While there, he paid a large bride-price to arrange the marriage of Lady Lu, a niece of Hanzhou official Li Rui, to his blind son Fang Cheng; contemporary opinion strongly criticized this action.

In 763, the first year of Guangde, Emperor Daizong appointed Fang Guan Senior Grand Master and Minister of Justice. While traveling toward the capital, Fang died of illness on August 4 in a Buddhist monastery at Langzhou, present-day Langzhong in Sichuan, aged sixty-seven. He was posthumously granted the rank of Grand Commandant.

Major Activities

Political Activities

Fang Guan's political career spanned the reigns of Xuanzong, Suzong, and Daizong. He entered office through hereditary privilege, served in a series of local posts, and often earned a good administrative reputation. During the An Lushan Rebellion, he alone continued his hurried pursuit of Xuanzong and was appointed Grand Councilor after reaching the imperial camp. He later represented Xuanzong in formally investing Suzong, playing a key role in the transfer of central Tang authority. As Grand Councilor he treated restoration of the realm as his personal mission and was entrusted with major affairs at the temporary court. The Chentaoxie disaster, however, destroyed much of his political prestige. He was repeatedly demoted under Suzong and never again returned to the center of power.

Battle of Chentaoxie

The Battle of Chentaoxie was the most important and most controversial event of Fang Guan's life. In the tenth lunar month of 756, Fang volunteered to command the recovery of the two capitals and used two thousand ox carts in a formation modeled on ancient Spring and Autumn chariot warfare. The Tang army was routed, suffering more than forty thousand casualties while only several thousand escaped. Fang's rigid reliance on ancient models and the spectacle of a scholar commanding an army became central themes in later criticism. The battle not only ruined his political prospects but also made him a representative example of a famous civil minister who failed in military affairs.

Literature and Scholarship

Fang entered official life partly because of literary talent. His early Memorial on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices won Zhang Yue's appreciation. He was broadly learned and enjoyed discussing Buddhist and Daoist doctrines of emptiness with Liu Zhi, Li Yi, and others. This attraction to abstract discourse brought him a reputation for refinement but also criticism for possessing lofty talk while lacking practical judgment. The Complete Tang Poems preserves one poem by him, Written at West Lake in Hanzhou.

Travels and Places of Activity

Fang traveled through much of China during his life. He studied in seclusion at Mount Luhun, then held local offices in Lushi, Muzhou, Cixi, Songcheng, Jiyuan, and other places. In middle age he governed Yichun, Langya, Ye Commandery, and Fufeng. In later life he was demoted to Binzhou, then served in Jinzhou and Hanzhou, and finally died at Langzhou. In many of these places he left a reputation for capable administration.

Relations with Contemporaries

Fang associated with many notable contemporaries. The poet Wang Wei wrote Presented to Magistrate Fang Guan of Lushi praising his administration. Du Fu was a close friend; when Fang was demoted, Du Fu submitted a memorial in his defense and wrote Lament at Chentao, reflecting on the defeat at Chentaoxie. Fang pursued Xuanzong together with the brothers Zhang Jun and Zhang Ji and with Wei Shu. He had conflicts with Helan Jinming and Cui Yuan, was implicated because of friendships with Li Shizhi and Wei Jian, and employed the famous qin player Dong Tinglan, whose use of Fang's influence to solicit gifts became one of the immediate causes of Fang's demotion.

Personal Relations

Family

• Fang Rong: father; chief councillor under Empress Wu, exiled to Qinzhou after the Shenlong coup
• Fang Cheng: son; blind, for whom Fang arranged a marriage with Lady Lu at great expense
• Fang Zongyan: son; rose to Censor-in-Chief
• Fang Rufu: son; rose to Inspector of Rongzhou

Teachers and Associates

• Lü Xiang: from Dongping; studied in seclusion with Fang at Mount Luhun for more than ten years
• Wang Wei: poet who wrote Presented to Magistrate Fang Guan of Lushi praising Fang's administration
• Du Fu: poet and close friend; memorialized in Fang's defense when Fang was demoted and wrote Lament at Chentao on the defeat
• Dong Tinglan: client and famous qin player who used Fang's influence to solicit bribes and gifts

Rulers and Officials

• Emperor Xuanzong of Tang: Fang followed him into Sichuan, was appointed Grand Councilor, and was later sent to formally invest Suzong
• Emperor Suzong of Tang: formally invested with Fang's participation, initially trusted Fang deeply, later alienated and demoted him after the Chentaoxie defeat and political attacks
• Emperor Daizong of Tang: appointed Fang Minister of Justice after taking the throne
• Zhang Yue: Chief Councillor who admired Fang's talent and recommended him as Proofreader

Colleagues and Conflicts

• Helan Jinming: governor of Beihai; had an old conflict with Fang and slandered him before Suzong
• Cui Yuan: chief councillor; resented Fang after being treated coldly
• Li Fuguo: powerful eunuch allied with Cui Yuan and hostile to Fang
• Li Shizhi and Wei Jian: Fang's friends, whose political troubles implicated him
• Zhang Gao: Remonstrance Grand Master who defended Fang and later replaced him as chief councillor
• Liu Zhi and Li Yi: scholar-members of Fang's staff whom he entrusted with military affairs and who shared major responsibility for the Chentaoxie disaster

Historical Assessment

Tang / Contemporary

• Emperor Suzong initially trusted Fang because of his great reputation but later alienated him after the Chentaoxie defeat and subsequent political accusations. In an edict demoting Fang, Suzong described his character as fundamentally empty and exaggerated and his speech as affected.
• Helan Jinming accused Fang of being careless and expansive, capable only of grand words and unfit to serve as chief councillor. He also claimed Fang had appeared loyal to the Retired Emperor but not to Suzong.
• Du Fu defended Fang when he was demoted, arguing that the offense was minor and did not justify removing a great minister. His Lament at Chentao also expressed deep sympathy in connection with Fang's defeat.
• The historians of the Old Book of Tang remarked that Fang possessed the abilities of a chief councillor but was placed in the role of a general, abandoning his strengths and using his weaknesses, and that defeat was therefore unsurprising.

Song and Yuan Periods

• The New Book of Tang praised Fang's broad capacity but noted his fondness for discussing Laozi and Buddhist teachings, saying he had more than enough lofty talk but lacked practical relevance.
• Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian gives a detailed account of the Chentaoxie defeat and treats Fang's use of bookish military ideas and rigid ancient models as a warning.
• Hong Mai's Rongzhai Essays similarly criticized Fang for abstract discussion detached from affairs and treated his style of pure talk as politically harmful.

Ming and Qing Periods

• Wang Fuzhi, in Reading the Comprehensive Mirror, criticized Fang for gaining high office through empty reputation and considered the Chentaoxie disaster a natural consequence of discussing military affairs without understanding war.
• Zhao Yi, in Notes on the Twenty-Two Histories, described Fang as a man who entered office through hereditary privilege and enjoyed metaphysical discussion, possessing a clean reputation but limited practical ability.
• Wang Shizhen, in Chibei Occasional Talks, described Fang as literarily talented but lacking military strategy and treated him as a classic example of a civil scholar's failed command.

Modern Period

• Chen Yinke, in Draft Discussion of Tang Political History, treated Fang as representative of a strand among Tang aristocratic elites that valued pure conversation and saw his failure as revealing the limits of such figures in a time of rebellion and war.
• Cen Zhongmian, in History of the Sui and Tang, characterized Fang as ambitious beyond his abilities and fond of metaphysical discussion, considering the Chentaoxie defeat an inevitable result of his ignorance of warfare.
• Modern scholars frequently present Fang as a representative “famous minister who failed in war,” sometimes comparing him with Zhao Kuo, to illustrate the dangers of civil scholars commanding armies without practical military experience.