Ma Zhou
Encyclopedia
Ma Zhou (601–648), courtesy name Binwang (賓王), was a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang
. He was initially a commoner and a guest of the general Chang He (常何), and after Chang submitted suggestions that Ma drafted, Emperor Taizong was impressed and retained Ma as an imperial official, eventually rising to the post of chancellor.
. He appeared to have been born from a relatively poor household in Qinghe Commandery (清河, roughly modern Xingtai
, Hebei
) and lost his father early in life. He was studious, particularly concentrating on the Shi Jing
and the Spring and Autumn Annals
, but was also carefree, not paying attention to details, and because of this, the people of his home region did not view him highly. During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang
, he served as a teacher in Bo Prefecture (博州, i.e., Qinghe), but was said to spend his days drinking, not concentrating on teaching the students, and was often rebuked by the prefect Daxi Shu (達奚恕). He thus resigned and went to travel in the region of Cao (曹州, roughly modern Heze
, Shandong
) and Bian (汴州, roughly modern Kaifeng
, Henan
) Prefectures. While there, however, on one occasion he was insulted by Cui Xianshou (崔賢首), the county magistrate for Junyi County (浚儀, in modern Kaifeng), and in anger, he travelled to the capital Chang'an
. Once there, he became a guest of the general Chang He.
In 629, Emperor Gaozu's son and successor Emperor Taizong
ordered his officials to submit suggestions for him. As Chang was unacquainted with historical writings, Ma drafted some 20 suggestions for him. When Emperor Taizong read the suggestions that Chang submitted, he was impressed, but he knew that Chang was not wel-studied, he summoned Chang to ask him how he came up with the suggestions. Chang told Emperor Taizong that he did not write the suggestions and that Ma did. He also told Emperor Taizong that whenever he conversed with Ma, Ma was always concerned about faithfulness and filial piety. Emperor Taizong sent messengers to summon Ma into his presence, and once they conversed, he was impressed by Ma and, while initially not giving him an official position, had him serve at the examination bureau of the government (門下省, Menxia Sheng). in 632, he officially made Ma a governmental auditor. He awarded Chang with silk for having discovered Ma.
for its importance, which made several suggestions to Emperor Taizong:
Emperor Taizong was impressed by Ma's suggestions and promoted him.
In 637, Ma submitted another petition considered important enough to be included in its entirety in the Book of Tang. He noted that at the time, even though Emperor Taizong had reigned for over a decade, the empire was still, overall, a fraction of the strength of Sui at its prime, in terms of population and wealth. He pointed out that the population was therefore ill equipped to deal with the construction projects that Emperor Taizong was then carrying out for his own palaces and for mansions for his sons and daughters. He advocated frugality, and further pointed out that Emperor Taizong's favors for his sons were creating competition between them, which was not good for the long term, either for his sons or for their descendants. Emperor Taizong praised Ma for his suggestions. Also based on Ma's suggestions, the institution of Chang'an city criers (who would call out at both dawn and dusk) and replaced with drums, greatly reducing the amount of labor necessary.
In 638, Ma was made a mid-level official at the legislative bureau (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). Ma was praised for his alertness and logical thinking, and Emperor Taizong once stated, "If I did not see Ma Zhou for a while, I would always miss him." The chancellor Cen Wenben
also stated, "When Mr. Ma analyzes matters, he took examples from both history and current events. He deletes what is not necessary, and then analyzes thoroughly. Nothing should be added and nothing should be taken away from what he writes. His words are well-written, and one will not get tired of them." In 641, Ma was given three different posts -- assistant auditor, imperial advisor, and secretary to Emperor Taizong's son Li Zhi
the Prince of Jin. After Li Zhi replaced his older brother Li Chengqian as crown prince
, Ma was made an advisor to the new crown prince as well as deputy head of the legislative bureau.
In 644, when Emperor Taizong, at an imperial gathering, stated to his key officials their strengths and weaknesses, he spoke, with regard to Ma:
Later that year, Ma was made the acting head of the legislative bureau -- a position considered one for a chancellor. In 645, when Emperor Taizong attacked Goguryeo
, he left Li Zhi in charge of logistics at Ding Prefecture (定州, roughly modern Baoding
, Hebei
), assisted by Gao Shilian
, Liu Ji
, and Ma. Once Emperor Taizong returned from the Goguryeo campaign, he gave Ma the additional post as minister of civil service affairs.
Ma was said to suffer from chronic diabetes, and when Emperor Taizong built his summer palace Cuiwei Palace (翠微宮, in the Qinling Mountains
), he looked for a place near the palace to construct a summer mansion for Ma. He also had the imperial physicans attend to Ma and often supplied Ma with imperial meals. As Ma's illness grew worse, Emperor Taizong personally attended to Ma's medicinal needs, while sending Li Zhi to greet him. As Ma grew gravely ill, he asked his family to bring him the copies of the petitions he had submitted to Emperor Taizong, and he personally burned them, stating, "Guan Zhong
and Yan Ying [(晏嬰)] [both great chancellors of the Spring and Autumn Period] publicly showed their lords' faults to become famous for posterity. That is something I will not do." He died in 648 and was buried near the tomb of Emperor Taizong's wife Empress Zhangsun
, where Emperor Taizong himself would eventually be buried. After Emperor Taizong died in 649 and Li Zhi succeeded him (as Emperor Gaozong), Ma was posthumously created the Duke of Gaotang. Later, after Emperor Gaozong's own death in 683, during the time when Emperor Gaozong's son Emperor Ruizong
was emperor under the regency of his mother Empress Dowager Wu
, Ma was worshipped at Emperor Gaozong's temple.
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
. He was initially a commoner and a guest of the general Chang He (常何), and after Chang submitted suggestions that Ma drafted, Emperor Taizong was impressed and retained Ma as an imperial official, eventually rising to the post of chancellor.
Background and discovery by Emperor Taizong
Ma Zhou was born in 601, during the reign of Emperor Wen of SuiEmperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui — personal name Yang Jian , Xianbei name Puliuru Jian , nickname Naluoyan — was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty . He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state...
. He appeared to have been born from a relatively poor household in Qinghe Commandery (清河, roughly modern Xingtai
Xingtai
Xingtai is a city in southern Hebei province, North China. The prefecture-level city of Xingtai, with a total area of , administers 2 districts, 2 county-level cities and 15 counties. In 2004 it had an urban population of 561,400 and a total population of 6.73 million...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) and lost his father early in life. He was studious, particularly concentrating on the Shi Jing
Shi Jing
The Classic of Poetry , translated variously as the Book of Songs, the Book of Odes, and often known simply as its original name The Odes, is the earliest existing collection of Chinese poems and songs. It comprises 305 poems and songs, with many range from the 10th to the 7th centuries BC...
and the Spring and Autumn Annals
Spring and Autumn Annals
The Spring and Autumn Annals is the official chronicle of the State of Lu covering the period from 722 BCE to 481 BCE. It is the earliest surviving Chinese historical text to be arranged on annalistic principles. The text is extremely concise and, if all the commentaries are excluded, about 16,000...
, but was also carefree, not paying attention to details, and because of this, the people of his home region did not view him highly. During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
, he served as a teacher in Bo Prefecture (博州, i.e., Qinghe), but was said to spend his days drinking, not concentrating on teaching the students, and was often rebuked by the prefect Daxi Shu (達奚恕). He thus resigned and went to travel in the region of Cao (曹州, roughly modern Heze
Heze
Heze is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong, it borders Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively. The old name of Heze was Caozhou and now a part...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
) and Bian (汴州, roughly modern Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) Prefectures. While there, however, on one occasion he was insulted by Cui Xianshou (崔賢首), the county magistrate for Junyi County (浚儀, in modern Kaifeng), and in anger, he travelled to the capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
. Once there, he became a guest of the general Chang He.
In 629, Emperor Gaozu's son and successor Emperor Taizong
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
ordered his officials to submit suggestions for him. As Chang was unacquainted with historical writings, Ma drafted some 20 suggestions for him. When Emperor Taizong read the suggestions that Chang submitted, he was impressed, but he knew that Chang was not wel-studied, he summoned Chang to ask him how he came up with the suggestions. Chang told Emperor Taizong that he did not write the suggestions and that Ma did. He also told Emperor Taizong that whenever he conversed with Ma, Ma was always concerned about faithfulness and filial piety. Emperor Taizong sent messengers to summon Ma into his presence, and once they conversed, he was impressed by Ma and, while initially not giving him an official position, had him serve at the examination bureau of the government (門下省, Menxia Sheng). in 632, he officially made Ma a governmental auditor. He awarded Chang with silk for having discovered Ma.
Service under Emperor Taizong
In 632, Ma Zhou submitted a petition to Emperor Taizong that was later included in its entirety in the Book of TangBook of Tang
The Book of Tang , Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...
for its importance, which made several suggestions to Emperor Taizong:
- That Emperor Taizong expand Da'an Palace (大安宮), the residence of Emperor Gaozu (who was then Taishang HuangTaishang HuangRetired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used throughout East Asian feudal regimes for former emperors who had abdicated voluntarily to their sons. This title appeared in the history of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam...
(retired emperor)), to show filial piety. - That Emperor Taizong should not spend much time away from Chang'an in the summer, because he would then be unable to attend to Emperor Gaozu.
- That Emperor Taizong's plans to create a feudal systemFeudalismFeudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
of governance, where the contributors to his reign would be given inheritable prefectural posts to be passed to their descendants, were inadvisable, because there would be no guarantees in future generations that the descendants of capable men would also be capable. - That Emperor Taizong should personally offer sacrifices to the imperial ancestors.
- That Emperor Taizong should be careful not to bestow honors on people not due them.
Emperor Taizong was impressed by Ma's suggestions and promoted him.
In 637, Ma submitted another petition considered important enough to be included in its entirety in the Book of Tang. He noted that at the time, even though Emperor Taizong had reigned for over a decade, the empire was still, overall, a fraction of the strength of Sui at its prime, in terms of population and wealth. He pointed out that the population was therefore ill equipped to deal with the construction projects that Emperor Taizong was then carrying out for his own palaces and for mansions for his sons and daughters. He advocated frugality, and further pointed out that Emperor Taizong's favors for his sons were creating competition between them, which was not good for the long term, either for his sons or for their descendants. Emperor Taizong praised Ma for his suggestions. Also based on Ma's suggestions, the institution of Chang'an city criers (who would call out at both dawn and dusk) and replaced with drums, greatly reducing the amount of labor necessary.
In 638, Ma was made a mid-level official at the legislative bureau (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). Ma was praised for his alertness and logical thinking, and Emperor Taizong once stated, "If I did not see Ma Zhou for a while, I would always miss him." The chancellor Cen Wenben
Cen Wenben
Cen Wenben , courtesy name Jingren , formally Viscount Xian of Jiangling , was a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang. He was an assistant editor of the Book of Zhou, the official history of Northern Zhou.- Background :Cen Wenben was born in 595, during the reign of Emperor Wen...
also stated, "When Mr. Ma analyzes matters, he took examples from both history and current events. He deletes what is not necessary, and then analyzes thoroughly. Nothing should be added and nothing should be taken away from what he writes. His words are well-written, and one will not get tired of them." In 641, Ma was given three different posts -- assistant auditor, imperial advisor, and secretary to Emperor Taizong's son Li Zhi
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
the Prince of Jin. After Li Zhi replaced his older brother Li Chengqian as crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
, Ma was made an advisor to the new crown prince as well as deputy head of the legislative bureau.
In 644, when Emperor Taizong, at an imperial gathering, stated to his key officials their strengths and weaknesses, he spoke, with regard to Ma:
- Ma Zhou has quick reactions and is faithful and honest. When he evaluated others, he did so truthfully, and whatever task I give him, he usually performed it to my great satisfaction.
Later that year, Ma was made the acting head of the legislative bureau -- a position considered one for a chancellor. In 645, when Emperor Taizong attacked Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
, he left Li Zhi in charge of logistics at Ding Prefecture (定州, roughly modern Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
), assisted by Gao Shilian
Gao Shilian
Gao Shilian , formal name Gao Jian but went by the courtesy name of Shilian, formally Duke Wenxian of Shen , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
, Liu Ji
Liu Ji (Tang Dynasty)
Liu Ji , courtesy name Sidao , was a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, who was particularly relied on by Emperor Taizong late in his reign...
, and Ma. Once Emperor Taizong returned from the Goguryeo campaign, he gave Ma the additional post as minister of civil service affairs.
Ma was said to suffer from chronic diabetes, and when Emperor Taizong built his summer palace Cuiwei Palace (翠微宮, in the Qinling Mountains
Qinling Mountains
The Qin Mountains are a major east-west mountain range in southern Shaanxi province, China. The mountains provide a natural boundary between the North and South of the country, and support a huge variety of plant and wildlife, some of which is found nowhere else on Earth.To the north is the...
), he looked for a place near the palace to construct a summer mansion for Ma. He also had the imperial physicans attend to Ma and often supplied Ma with imperial meals. As Ma's illness grew worse, Emperor Taizong personally attended to Ma's medicinal needs, while sending Li Zhi to greet him. As Ma grew gravely ill, he asked his family to bring him the copies of the petitions he had submitted to Emperor Taizong, and he personally burned them, stating, "Guan Zhong
Guan Zhong
Guǎn Zhòng was a politician and statesman during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His given name was Yíwú . Zhong was his courtesy name. Recommended by Bao Shuya, he was appointed Prime Minister by Duke Huan of Qi in 685 BC.-Achievements:Guan Zhong modernized the Qi State by...
and Yan Ying [(晏嬰)] [both great chancellors of the Spring and Autumn Period] publicly showed their lords' faults to become famous for posterity. That is something I will not do." He died in 648 and was buried near the tomb of Emperor Taizong's wife Empress Zhangsun
Empress Zhangsun
Empress Zhangsun , formally Empress Wendeshunsheng or, in short, Empress Wende , was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was the wife of Emperor Taizong and the mother of Emperor Gaozong...
, where Emperor Taizong himself would eventually be buried. After Emperor Taizong died in 649 and Li Zhi succeeded him (as Emperor Gaozong), Ma was posthumously created the Duke of Gaotang. Later, after Emperor Gaozong's own death in 683, during the time when Emperor Gaozong's son Emperor Ruizong
Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Emperor Ruizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Dàn , known at times during his life as Li Xulun , Li Lun , Wu Lun , and Wu Dan , was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty...
was emperor under the regency of his mother Empress Dowager Wu
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
, Ma was worshipped at Emperor Gaozong's temple.