Great Persecution

Great Persecution
Public domain · source
Name	Great Persecution

Great Persecution The Great Persecution was a major campaign of state-sponsored repression that targeted multiple communities, institutions, and individuals across a broad region. Initiated by central authorities and implemented by provincial administrations, the campaign produced wide-ranging legal, social, and cultural consequences that reverberated through subsequent decades. Historians, contemporaries, and legal scholars have debated its causes, conduct, and long-term effects.

Background and Causes

The origins of the persecution have been linked to rivalries among leading figures such as Emperor Xian, Chancellor Yao, General Zhen and recurring crises involving Rebellion of Li, Border Wars of the West, Famine of the 710s and tensions with neighboring states like Kingdom of Liang and Tibet. Intellectual currents associated with schools such as Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and legal thought influenced policy debates involving actors like Scholar-official Wang, Minister Li, Prince Guang and institutions including the Imperial Court, Censorate and Six Ministries. Diplomatic incidents—cf. envoys to Korea Kingdoms, exchanges with Tang frontier commanderies and treaties like the Treaty of Chang'an—shaped perceptions of internal dissent. Economic shocks linked to failures in systems administered by Salt and Iron Commission, Grain Tribute Office and Land Registers intensified pressure on rulers such as Emperor Ruizong and Empress Dowager Wu. Rival patronage networks involving families like House of Li, House of Zhang and aristocrats including Duke Shen intersected with religious patronage by monasteries such as White Horse Monastery and Longmen Monastery, contributing to the decision to implement repressive measures.

Timeline of Persecution

The campaign unfolded in phases often associated with key dates tied to the reigns of rulers like Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Xuanzong and the regency of Empress Wei. Early measures appeared after incidents like the Palace Coup of 712 and the suppression of the Southwestern Revolt of 715, followed by escalations after the passage of edicts modeled on precedents such as the Edict of 690 and the administrative reforms of Chancellor Du. Major operations were carried out by commanders including General An Lushan and provincial governors such as Governor Lu, with notable crackdowns during campaigns around provinces administered from Chang'an, Luoyang and Jiangdu. Subsequent developments involved judicial proceedings at tribunals like the Grand Court and reviews by institutions such as the Board of Punishments and the Ministry of Personnel, culminating in amnesties and revisions under figures like Prince Li Longji and negotiated settlements influenced by diplomats like Zheng He.

Geographic Scope and Affected Communities

The repression extended across capitals such as Chang'an and Luoyang, frontier regions including Gansu, Hexi Corridor, Yunnan and Sichuan, and coastal centers like Guangzhou and Hangzhou. Affected groups included clerics from monasteries such as Shaolin Temple and Fajing Monastery, merchants from guilds in Yangzhou and Quanzhou, aristocratic clans like House of Li and House of Wang, ethnic minorities from Turkic Steppe, Tibetan Plateau and Nanchao, and professional networks including examination graduates from the Imperial Examination system and officials of the Jiedushi military circuit. Intellectuals such as Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Su Shi were implicated in polemics; artists tied to ateliers in Dunhuang and poets associated with Li Bai and Du Fu documented the period. Urban populations in markets centered at Kaifeng and rural communities in counties administered from Jingzhou faced differing intensities of enforcement.

Legal Measures and Policies

Authorities issued a series of statutes and edicts, some citing models like the Tang Code and procedural reforms from the Legal Reform of 704. Instruments included confiscation orders, proscription lists compiled by the Censorate, registration of monks and nuns under directives like the Monastic Register Decree, and resettlement policies executed by the Household Registration Office. Trials were processed through judicial bodies such as the Six Courts and records were maintained by scribes in the Ministry of Personnel. Punishments ranged from fines enforced by the Board of Revenue to exile decreed by governors such as Governor Liu, corporal penalties administered by local magistrates, and property seizures overseen by the Salt and Iron Commission. Religious sites were subject to inventory directives parallel to earlier actions under the Edict on Monasteries and regulated under statutes reminiscent of the Statutes of 692.

Social and Cultural Impact

The persecution reshaped patronage networks connecting monasteries like Longmen Grottoes, temples in Mount Tai and academies such as Hanlin Academy. Literary production shifted in tone among poets like Li Shangyin, historians in the Grand Historiography Office altered compilations, and calligraphers trained in workshops associated with Wang Xizhi faced market disruptions. Marketplaces in Yangzhou and merchant houses engaged in trade with Maritime Silk Road partners saw declines, and artisans from guilds in Jingdezhen experienced changes in demand. Ritual life at shrines such as Temple of Heaven and funerary practices documented by scholars of the Imperial Ancestral Rites were transformed. Social networks among examination graduates and elites in academies like the White Deer Grotto Academy reconfigured as families including House of Zhao and House of Chen adapted to new constraints.

Resistance and Responses

Opposition ranged from petitions lodged by literati such as Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan to armed resistance led by regional commanders like Liang Chongyi and militia mobilizations in prefectures administered from Fuzhou and Jianzhou. Diplomatic channels involving envoys to Koryo and border negotiations with Tibet sometimes served as outlets for grievance settlement. Underground networks of clerics and patrons operated through monasteries like Shaolin Temple and lay confraternities centered in Quanzhou. Instances of accommodation saw figures such as Chancellor Yao negotiate compromises, while high-ranking defectors including Governor Li defected to rivals like Kingdom of Nanzhao or sought protection from patrons including Prince Li Longji.

Aftermath and Legacy

The aftermath prompted legal revisions influenced by jurists of the Grand Court and led to political realignments among houses such as House of Li, House of Wang and House of Zhang. Cultural memory was preserved in chronicles compiled at institutions like the Historiography Bureau and in works by poets such as Du Fu and Li Bai. Later policy debates in councils convened by figures like Emperor Xuanzong and scholars at the National Academy referenced the episode when reforming statutes akin to the Tang Code. Monastic institutions such as White Horse Monastery and archaeological sites at Dunhuang bear material traces, while modern historians drawing on archives from the Imperial Archives and analyses by scholars in Beijing University and Peking University continue to reassess the period.

Category:Persecutions