Liu Yan

Life

At age seven, he passed as a child prodigy and was appointed Corrector in the Secretariat; he also passed the examination for Worthy and Upright. At the end of the Kaiyuan era he served as Commandant of Luoyang. During Tianbao he served as magistrate of Xia and Wen counties, later becoming an Investigating Censor.

Under Emperor Suzong, in the first year of Zhide (756), he became a Vice Director of the Directorate of Finance and took charge of the Jianghuai tax-and-labor levies. He served as governor of Yuhang, Qianyang, Huayin, Pengyuan, and Tongchuan, and also held the governorships of Hangzhou, Longzhou, and Huazhou. In the first year of Shangyuan (760), he became Vice Minister of Revenue and commissioner for finance, salt and iron, and transport; he later served as governor of Henan and Jingzhao and as Director of Finance. His other appointments included governor of Pengyuan, Grand Master of Imperial Sacrifices (Taichangqing), Director of the Directorate of State Education (Guozijijiu), and Jianghuai Transport Commissioner; he also supervised the grain-and-labor levies and the revenues of several circuits.

Under Emperor Daizong, he was promoted in 763 to Minister of Personnel and concurrent chancellor; this year is dated as the second year of Baoying or, alternatively, the first year of Guangde. He held responsibility for finance, salt, iron, transport, and labor levies. He was soon removed as chancellor but became Chamberlain for the Heir Apparent and concurrently Chief Censor, while retaining his commissions. At the beginning of the Dali era, he shared responsibility for the empire's revenues with Diwu Qi and administered state finances for more than two decades; he served as Minister of Revenue in 766 and again as Minister of Personnel in 769, became Left Servant in 778, and was put in charge of the Directorate of Finance the following year.

Under Emperor Dezong, in the first year of Jianzhong (780), he was demoted to governor of Zhongzhou and put to death in the seventh month; one account gives his age at death as sixty-five. In the fifth year of Zhenyuan, the emperor recognized the injustice done to him, posthumously appointing him governor of Zhengzhou and adding the title of Minister of State.

Financial administration

Liu Yan was known for financial administration. He mobilized laborers to dredge the Bian River, used a segmented transport system, and sent several hundred thousand shi of grain from the Jianghuai region to Guanzhong each year. He reorganized the salt tax and introduced the equalization system, transforming the disordered finances left by the An–Shi Rebellion; he also selected capable men and formulated regulations, so that military and state expenditure depended on his administration.

Literary work

He was skilled in prose and also wrote poetry; two of his poems are preserved in the *Complete Tang Poems*. A work titled *春秋公羊違義* is also associated with him.

Family and associations

His father was 劉知晦 and his elder brother was 劉暹. His sons 劉執經 and 劉宗經 both died in 811; his son-in-law was 潘炎, and his grandson 潘孟陽 lived from 764 to 815.

He was a friend of 崔造 and had a recommending connection with 鄭珣瑜. He had a poetry-and-prose exchange with 楊玉環 and received gifts of poems or prose from 岑參, 劉長卿, 王昌齡, 李頎, 錢起, 郎士元, and 張眾甫.