Yang Rong (mandarin)

Yang Rong (1371–1440), born Yang Zirong, courtesy name Mianren, art name Dongyang, was a prominent Chinese scholar-official during the Ming dynasty. He was appointed as Grand Secretary in 1402 by the Yongle Emperor and held this position until his death. From 1418 to 1424, he served as Senior Grand Secretary. He was known for his role in maintaining the stability of the government and the empire during the first half of the 15th century. In recognition of his contributions, he was given the posthumous name Wenmin.

Yang Rong
楊榮
Portrait of Yang Rong as depicted in the Sancai Tuhui
Senior Grand Secretary
In office 1418–1424
Monarch	Yongle
Preceded by	Hu Guang
Succeeded by	Yang Shiqi
Grand Secretary
In office 1402–1440
Monarchs	Yongle Hongxi Xuande Yingzong
Personal details
Born	1371 Jian'ou, Fujian
Died	1440 (aged 68–69) Beijing
Education	jinshi degree (1400)
Birth name	Yang Zirong (楊子榮)
Courtesy name	Mianren (勉仁)
Art name	Dongyang (東楊)
Posthumous name	Wenmin (文敏)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	楊榮
Simplified Chinese	杨荣
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yáng Róng
Civil and honorary titles Crown Prince's Junior Preceptor (太子少師) concurrently Minister of Works (工部尚書), and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Hall of Praciting Moral Cultivation (謹身殿大學士)

Born in 1371, Yang Rong was from Fujian,^[1] specifically from Jian'an County in Jianning Prefecture (present-day Jian'ou, Fujian). He passed the palace examinations, the highest level of civil service examinations, and received the rank of jinshi in 1400. He then served at the Hanlin Academy. In September 1402, the Yongle Emperor appointed him as his Grand Secretary, making him one of the emperor's closest assistants. After the death of Hu Guang in 1418, Yang Rong became the head of the Grand Secretaries and served as Senior Grand Secretary.^[2] Following the death of the Yongle Emperor, he handed over the position of Senior Grand Secretary to Yang Shiqi.^[3] However, he remained a Grand Secretary until his death and was known as one of the "Three Yangs" (along with Yang Pu). From the second half of the 1420s, they jointly administered the Ming dynasty with the Xuande Emperor and, after his death in 1435, with Empress Dowager Zhang.^[4]

As a politician, Yang Rong was known for his cunning nature, in contrast to the straightforward Yang Shiqi. Despite this, he was also considered a decisive and trustworthy adviser to the emperors.^[5] He advocated for a moderate policy, as seen when the local authorities of Zhejiang requested a military campaign against rebels hiding in the mountains. Yang Rong argued that these rebels were simply poor and displaced individuals who needed appeasement, rather than violence. In the late 1420s, he was one of the politicians who urged for a withdrawal from occupied Vietnam. During the Zhu Gaoxu rebellion, he demonstrated his decisiveness by pushing for quick and energetic action from the imperial troops.^[5]

Yang Rong, along with his colleagues Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu, was a highly influential poet during his time. They were known for their contributions to the popular style of taige ti (secretariat style), which consisted of simple and sometimes monotonous poems that praised the accomplishments of the monarch and the progress of the country.^[6] His family published his collected works, titled Yang Wenmingong ji (楊文敏公集), in 25 juan.^[6]

References

Citations

1. Tsai (2002), p. 97.
2. Dreyer (1982), p. 214.
3. Chan (1988), pp. 208–209.
4. Hucker (1998), pp. 77–78.
5. Goodrich & Fang (1976), p. 1521.
6. Chang (2010), pp. 16–17.

Works cited

• Tsai, Shih-Shan Henry (2002). Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle. Seattle, Wash.; Chesham: University of Washington Press; Combined Academic. ISBN 0295981245.
• Dreyer, Edward L. (1982). Early Ming China: a political history, 1355-1435. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-1105-4.
• Chan, Hok-lam (1988). "The Chien-wen, Yung-lo, Hung-hsi, and Hsüan-te reigns". In Mote, Frederick W.; Twitchett, Denis C (eds.). The Cambridge History of China Volume 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 184–304. ISBN 0521243327.
• Hucker, Charles O (1998). "Ming government". In Mote, Frederick W.; Twitchett, Denis C (eds.). The Cambridge History of China 8: The Ming Dynasty, 1368 — 1644, Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 9–105. ISBN 0521243335.
• Goodrich, L. Carington; Fang, Chaoying (1976). Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368-1644. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-03801-1.
• Chang, Kang-i Sun (2010). "Literature of the early Ming to mid-Ming (1375–1572)". In Chang, Kang-i Sun; Owen, Stephen (eds.). The Cambridge history of Chinese literature: Volume II. From 1375. Cambridge, New York, Mebourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–62. ISBN 9780521116770.