The Study On The "ligan" Prime Minister In The Earlier Song Dynasty

As the highest level officials in Earlier Song Dynasty, the prime ministers played a veryimportant role in the political life of the Song Dynasty. Studies on the prime ministers, is notonly beneficial to our deeper excavating era characteristics in Earlier Song Dynasty, but alsoto today’s social life has the certain enlightenment function, deserves our thinking.Studies of the Song history on the prime minister are mostly focused on ZaiFuinstitution, power operation, the relationship between prime minister’s power and imperialpower, or grouped and individual, but the current research on the classification of the primeminister, are still lacking. From the perspective of talent view, official administration, abilityand insight, etc, this paper divides the prime ministers in Earlier Song Dynasty into “Ligan”and “Wenshi” two kinds, mainly defines and studies the “Ligan” prime minister. Throughthe method of group research, at the center of the five persons---Chen Zhi-zhong, Liu Hang,Feng Zheng, Jia Chang-chao, Liang Shi, who were recorded in the two hundred andeighty-fifth vol of “History of the Song Dynasty”. This paper analysis of the deep researchin the “Ligan” prime minister in Earlier Song Dynasty.Song dynasty is an important period of changing and transition in the ancient Chinesesociety. From the Later Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasty’s Fan Zhen regime to the SongDynasty, and after several emperors’ consolidating, great changes had taken place during theperiod in the politics, economy, culture and social life. The “Ligan” prime minister were fullof complications, survived ups and downs.Taking these “Ligan” prime ministers such as Chen Zhi-zhong etc for example，wefound that not only they were with the generality of the "Ligan" prime minister,as well asown individual character. The “Ligan” prime ministers are industrious on governmentadministration, good at official affairs, but neglect on literary talents and not follows thescholars. They have strong management capacity but are lacks of literary ability. They aregood at local management, dare to responsible and place for serious. But some of them arelack of literary talent, even have neither learning nor skill, also have stains of conduct andcharacter, so they are despised by the mainstream of literary intelligentsia then.The “Ligan” prime minister’s literary talent are not as good as the “Wenshi” primeminister’s. It became their soft rib of the attack, shortcomings in officialdom career, and criticized by the scholar. But they have abilities of government administration, and the spiritof working with hard applications, the “Wenshi” prime minister don’t have. Through thehorizontal comparison to the two kinds prime minister, they have both strengths andweaknesses. So the prime minister who belong to both “Ligan” and “Wenshi” become thegoal the scholars pursuit in the Song Dynasty.In Earlier Song Dynasty, the philistines evaluation and opinion of the “Ligan” primeminister, tend to be praises, mainly for their abilities of government administration, such asZhao Pu. In the middle of Song Dynasty, the scholars’ points of view on the “Ligan” primeministers became more criticism, mainly for their lacks of literary talent. The reason why thescholars’ points of view changed, is not only the Social environment of Earlier Song Dynastyhad changed but also the body of the review, the role of public institutions had both changed.The “Ligan” prime minister are good at government administration, but they are not inconformity with the the mainstream scholars’ knowledge, sentiment and ideal. But to acertain extent, the “Ligan” officials are the foundation of governance place for the court.Government administration is necessary of innovation affairs of state and times change. the“Ligan” officials are industrious on government administration and down-to-earth, work withhard applications. These spirits leave the successors the inspiration and warning of “workhard for country development”.