Abstract：The newly-discovered Gao Qu’s Epitaph belongs to an important official and poet in the late Tang Dynasty. Gao Qu, Prime Minister and the owner of the Epitaph, is the descendant of Gao Shilian, an official with great contributions to the founding of the early Tang Dynasty, and the son of Gao Yuanyu, a famous official in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. The Epitaph of Gao Qu, in combination with those of more than ten of his families that have been unearthed in recent years, can help outline the family lineage of Gao Shilian and portray the inheritance and evolution of the Gao family in politics and literature in the Tang Dynasty. Gao Shilian, a remote ancestor of Gao Qu, was a founding hero and the uncle of Empress Wende of Emperor Taizong. His status was so paramount that he was commemorated in Lingyan Pavilion, buried in Zhaoling Tombs, and enshrined in Imperial Ancestral Temple. However, due to the changes in the political turmoils and the conflicting political attitudes of the clansmen in the early Tang Dynasty, and particularly, the involvement of Gao Shilian’s grandson Gao Qi in the rebellion of Li Xian, Crown Prince Zhanghuai, the special favor to Gao Shilian’s clansmen ceased gradually. Until the late Tang Dynasty, the generation of Gao Yuanyu, Gao Qu’s father, revived. Although Gao Yuanyu was deeply involved in the political events such as the Coup of Ganlu, conflicts between the two political Parties of Niu and Li, and the death of Crown Princess Zhuang Ke in the late Tang Dynasty, he maintained his position in the continuous political upheavals. By virtue of the political resources of his father’s generation, Gao Qu climbed up the ideal ladder of political promotion in the Tang Dynasty, and eventually served as a prime minister.Gao Qu, along with his father Gao Yuanyu, and his uncle Gao Shaoyi, returned to the center of power thanks to their outstanding literary talent and strong political resources. This reflects how the literati of the Tang Dynasty adapted themselves to the political environment while maintaining their family cultural traditions. In the Tang Dynasty, the Gao Qu family was not only a political family lasting for several generations, but also a century-old literati family. The Gao family had a group of literati who made remarkable achievements in poetry creation and historical writing. Most of Gao Qu’s predecessors excelled at literature, such as Gao Shilian, Gao Jin, Gao Qiao, Gao Jun, Gao Shao, Gao Shaoyi, and Gao Yuanyu, and they all left master pieces for the later generations. Gao Qu’s family tradition and education in literature as well as his own efforts enabled him to make impressive accomplishments in both poetry and prose writing. His poem Farewell to Xue Feng and the essay Epitaph of Bai Minzhong are known as master pieces of the late Tang Dynasty. The political and literary evolution of Gao Qu’s family is the embodiment of part of the development of the gentry in the Tang Dynasty. A comparison between Gao Qu and the people around in their career experience is conducive to the research on the internal mechanism of the promotion of officials in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. The epitaph was authored by Liu Ye, a prime minister of the late Tang Dynasty; and written by hand by Pei Qu, an important military governor, both of whom were statesmen and poets. Centered on Epitaph of Gao Qu, this study probes into the relationship between the Gao Qu family and the official experience of Liu Ye and Pei Qu. In addition, it also examines the roles of the factors (succeeding in the imperial examination, being hired as chief officials, serving in the Imperial Academy, and receiving party support) in the official promotion of literati in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, thereby revealing part of the important issues in the research on politics and literature in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.
胡可先, 杨琼. 新发现唐代宰相高璩墓志发覆[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2021, 51(2): 143-160.
Hu Kexian, Yang Qiong. A Research on the Newly Discovered Epitaph of the Tang Dynasty Prime Minister Gao Qu. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2021, 51(2): 143-160.
2021, Vol. 51 
