Quick Answer: Who Was Emperor Xiaowen?
Emperor Xiaowen (孝文帝, Xiàowén Dì) ruled the Northern Wei (北魏, Běi Wèi) from 471 to 499 during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (南北朝, Nánběicháo). Born Tuoba Hong (拓跋宏, Tuòbá Hóng), he became Yuan Hong (元宏, Yuán Hóng) when the imperial surname changed.[1][8]
- Before the move: He and Empress Dowager Feng (冯太后, Féng Tàihòu) pursued changes in land allocation and administration.[1]
- New capital: He transferred the court from Pingcheng (平城, Píngchéng) to Luoyang (洛阳, Luòyáng) in stages.[3][4]
- New court rules: His government changed official dress, court speech and family names.[5]
The reforms changed how the Northern Wei governed its households and represented itself at court.
Feng favored keeping the capital at Pingcheng. After her death in 490, Xiaowen took the court south and changed how officials dressed and spoke.[4]
Land and Household Reform Under Dowager Feng
Feng, Xiaowen’s step-grandmother, raised him and often had the final say in government. Historian Scott Pearce treats the earlier administrative reforms as the work of their joint court.[1]
The Book of Wei (魏书, Wèishū) records the 485 order to allot fields under what historians call Equal Fields (均田, jūntián). The order called for land to be allotted and returned as the eligible population changed.[2]
In 486, the court established a system of Three Chiefs (三长, sānzhǎng) to register households through three levels of local officials. Such records gave the government a way to track households and their obligations.[3][7]
How the Court Moved From Pingcheng to Luoyang
In 493 Xiaowen reached Luoyang during a campaign south. The annals say officials begged him to stop the campaign and he settled on moving the capital. In 494 he announced the reasons for the move, ordered ancestral tablets transferred and moved the imperial court. An entry in 495 records the relocation of the palace households and civil and military officials.[3]
Luoyang had housed earlier dynasties and was one of China’s ancient capitals. From the new center, Xiaowen also sought contact with scholars and officials of the rival southern court, including the refugee Wang Su (王肃, Wáng Sù).[4]
How Xiaowen Changed Court Dress, Speech and Names
Xiaowen changed the style of dress expected of the court’s Xianbei (鲜卑, Xiānbēi) elite.[4]
In 495 the Zizhi Tongjian (资治通鉴, Zīzhì Tōngjiàn) records an order to stop using northern speech at court. The speech before the decree acknowledged that officials over thirty would have trouble changing the habits of a lifetime. The formal order specified loss of office as the penalty.[5]
In 496 the ruling family adopted Yuan (元, Yuán), and many other families also changed their surnames. The court also set ranks for prominent families and brought women from established aristocratic houses, including the Lu of Fanyang, into the imperial household. Names and marriages helped define who belonged to the elite.[5]
How Longmen Commemorated Xiaowen
The Metropolitan Museum of Art dates a relief from the Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟, Lóngmén Shíkū) to about 522–23. Emperor Xuanwu (宣武帝, Xuānwǔ Dì) commissioned the cave to honor his parents. The museum identifies Xiaowen as the likely subject of the emperor’s procession. The procession depicts offerings to the Buddhas. The sculpture links the imperial family’s memory to the practice of Chinese Buddhism.[6]
FAQs About Emperor Xiaowen
Are Tuoba Hong and Yuan Hong the same person?
Yes. The name change reflects the change of the imperial family’s surname to Yuan. His given name, Hong, stayed the same. The 496 decree explained the new surname through an official account of the ruling family’s origins.[5][8]
Why do sources give 493 and 494 for the move to Luoyang?
The decision dates to 493. In 494 the court announced and implemented the move, including the transfer of the royal ancestors’ tablets. The full relocation took longer.[3]
Did the language order apply to everyone?
The 495 decree concerns speech at court. The annals describe penalties for officials who broke the rule.[3]
Sources
[1] Scott Pearce. The Two Buddhas, Northern Wei, Oxford University Press
[2] Wei Shou and others. Book of Wei, chapter 7 upper, Xiaowen annals
[3] Wei Shou and others. Book of Wei, chapter 7 lower, Xiaowen annals
[4] Scott Pearce. To Luoyang, Northern Wei, Oxford University Press
[5] Sima Guang and others. Zizhi Tongjian, chapter 140, court changes
[6] The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Emperor Xiaowen and his entourage worshipping the Buddha
[7] Eiji Sagawa. The Aims and Development of the Juntian System of the Northern Wei
[8] Bo Peng and others. Herança, volume 8, issue 4, note on Xiaowen’s names and policies