"Revolving Heaven and Treasure Events - An Lushan Events - Tang and Song Historical Materials Notes"

Author: (Five Dynasties) Wang Renyu / (Tang) Yao Ruren compiled / Zeng Yifen edited
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The Remains of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Eras, compiled by Wang Renyu (881–956) of the Five Dynasties. Wang Renyu, styled Beinian, was a native of Tianhui. In his youth, he took pleasure in hunting with dogs and horses. At the age of twenty-five, he began his studies and later gained fame for his literary talents in the regions of Qin and Long. During the late Tang Dynasty, he served as the judge of Qinzhou Circuit, and in the Five Dynasties period, he held positions such as Academician of the Hanlin Academy and Counselor of State, as well as Minister of War. He excelled in poetry and prose, and was knowledgeable in music. Scholars like Xing He and Ning Cong were renowned for their writings during the Five Dynasties. According to the Biographical Record in the New Five Dynasties History, Wang Renyu once compiled over 10,000 poems from his lifetime into 100 volumes, titled the West River Collection. The Art Catalog of the Song Dynasty, however, records not only the Remains of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Eras but also other works such as "Records of Entering Lu" (one volume), "Records of the Southward Journey" (one volume), "Records of Observations" (three volumes), "Records of the Late Tang Era" (eight volumes), "The Collection of Riding in a Rucum" (five volumes), "The Collection of the Purple Pavilion" (five volumes), "The Collection of Purple Clay" (twelve volumes), "The Later Collection of Purple Clay" (forty volumes), and "The Collection of Poems" (ten volumes). The Remains of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Eras primarily records trivial matters in the imperial court and customs both within and outside the palace. It was criticized by Hong Mai of the Southern Song Dynasty as a shallow and frivolous book, with four main reasons: First, Yao Chong had already served as a prime minister during Wu Zetian's reign, yet the book claims he became a Hanlin Academician in the early Kaiyuan era. Second, Yuan Zhen was exiled and died on the road in the second year of the Tianjian era, while Zhang Jiazheng was only a prime minister in the eighth year of the Kaiyuan era. The book, however, states that Yuan Zhen was young and Zhang Jiazheng took him as a son-in-law. Third, Zhang Jiuling was dismissed as prime minister ten years before Yang Guozhong obtained his position, yet the book claims that when Yang Guozhong was in his prime, Zhang Jiuling refused to visit his door. Fourth, Su Ting became a prime minister in the early Shenlong era, while Zhang Jiuling had not yet reached that position. The book, however, claims that Zhang Jiuling admired Su Ting as a leader of the literary arena. Hong Mai's refutations were entirely justified. In reality, the errors in the Remains of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Eras are limited to these four points. For example, in the poem "Golden Bells on Flowers," it is written, "In the early Tianbao era, Ning Wang served daily at court, fond of music and elegance, surpassing the other princes." According to the Biographical Record in the Old Tang History (Volume 95), Ning Wang Li Xian passed away in the eleventh month of the eleventh year of the Kaiyuan era. The poem's claim of "the early Tianbao era" is clearly incorrect. Yet this is not sufficient evidence to prove that the book is attributed to Wang Renyu. The book should have been destroyed. Chao Gongwu, in his "Records of Readings in the Prefectural Study," said: "After the fall of Shu, Renyu arrived in Haojing and collected folk tales, compiling 159 records of the Remains of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Eras, divided into four volumes."