Five Dynasties · Ruler

Qian Yuanguan 錢元瓘

Born c. AD 887

Passages: 15
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Qian Yuanguan was a ruler.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Mingbao	明寶	Mingbao
Posthumous name	Wenmu	文穆	Wenmu

Life and dates

Death

Age 55 · Age Reckoning sui · Cause Illness after the fire
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 136

Age

55
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 136

Attested activity

AD 941 天福六年
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passages 134, 136
AD 903 少為質於田頵
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 123
AD 923 镠授元瓘鎮海
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 122
AD 932 長興三年嗣位
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passages 130, 195

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Qian Liu (錢镠)
son 子
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 122
Parent of Qian Zuo (錢佐)
son 子
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 137

Career and standing

Zhenhai military commissioner 鎮海軍節度
Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 122
Entered
Hostage · With Tian Jun (田頵)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 123
King of Wu-Yue 吳越國王
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 130

Places and affiliations

Wu-Yue 吳越
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 130

Learning and skills

Subject Confucian classics 儒學
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 132
Skill poetry 詩 · Level adept
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 132

Events and relationships

Hangzhou fire burned his palaces; he fled and the flames followed
Disaster · Victim · At Hangzhou 杭州
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 134

Assessments and attributes

Assessment extravagantly presumptuous, loved to build palaces · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 133

References in the histories

Search passages

History

15 passages

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 67Volume 67: Hereditary House of Wuyue · 15 passages

鏐因以鎮海等軍節度授其子元瓘，自稱吳越國王，更名所居曰宮殿、府曰朝，官屬皆稱臣，起玉冊、金券、詔書三樓於衣錦軍，遣使冊新羅、渤海王，海中諸國，皆封拜其君長。 Qian Liu then transferred the Zhenhai command and related posts to his son Qian Yuanguan, styled himself King of Wu-Yue, renamed his residence "Palace" and his headquarters "Court," and had all officials call themselves ministers. At Yijin Army he built three towers for the jade register, gold voucher, and imperial rescripts; sent envoys to invest the kings of Silla and Bohai; and for every state across the sea, conferred titles on their rulers.

元瓘等遣人以絹表間道自陳。 Yuanguan and his colleagues sent envoys with silk memorials by hidden routes to plead their case.

子元瓘立。 His son Qian Yuanguan succeeded.

元瓘字明寶，少為質於田頵。 Qian Yuanguan, styled Mingbao, spent his youth as a hostage with Tian Jun.

頵叛於吳，楊行密會越兵攻之，頵每戰敗歸，即欲殺元瓘，頵母嘗蔽護之。 When Jun rebelled against Wu, Yang Xingmi joined Wu-Yue troops in attacking him. Each time Jun came back defeated he meant to kill Yuanguan; Jun's mother repeatedly shielded him.

後頵將出，語左右曰：「今日不勝，必斬錢郎。」 Later, as Jun was about to take the field, he told his attendants, "If I do not win today, I will cut off Lord Qian's head."

是日頵戰死，元瓘得歸。 That very day Jun fell in battle, and Yuanguan made it home.

諸將泣下，皆曰：「元瓘從王征伐最有功，諸子莫及，請立之。」 The generals wept. "Yuanguan followed the Prince on campaign and earned the greatest merit," they said. "None of the sons can match him. We ask that he succeed."

镠乃出管鑰數篋，召元瓘與之曰：「諸將許爾矣。」 Qian Liu brought out several boxes of keys and seals, called Yuanguan forward, and handed them over. "The generals have chosen you," he said.

镠卒，元瓘立，襲封吳越國王，玉冊、金印，皆如镠故事。 Qian Liu died. Yuanguan succeeded, inherited the kingship of Wu-Yue, and received jade register and gold seal by the same precedent as his father.

王延政自立於建州，閩中大亂，元瓘遣其將仰詮、薛萬忠等攻之，逾年，大敗而歸。 Wang Yanzheng declared himself at Jianzhou and threw Min into chaos. Yuanguan sent Yang Quan, Xue Wanzhong, and others against him; after more than a year they were badly beaten and withdrew.

元瓘亦善撫將士，好儒學，善為詩，使其國相沈崧置擇能院，選吳中文士錄用之。 Yuanguan also knew how to comfort his troops, loved the Confucian classics, and wrote poetry well. He had his chief minister Shen Song establish the Academy for Selecting Talent and recruited Wu literati for office.

天福六年，杭州大火，燒其宮室迨盡，元瓘避之，火輒隨發。 In Tianfu 6 a great fire at Hangzhou burned his palaces nearly to ash. Yuanguan fled, and wherever he went the flames followed.

元瓘大懼，因病狂。 Yuanguan was terrified and lost his mind to illness.

是歲卒，年五十五，謚曰文穆。 He died that year at fifty-five. His posthumous title was Wenmu.