Wang Ya (his birth year is variously given as 763, circa 765, 701, or unknown; his death is generally placed in 835, with another account giving 839) was a Tang official, poet, and man of letters. His courtesy name was Guangjin; he was ranked twentieth in his family and was also known as Wang Ershi. Taiyuan was his commandery affiliation or ancestral home, while his precise native place is given both as Taiyuan and as unknown.
Life
In 792, Wang Ya passed the jinshi examination and the Boxue Hongci examination, and was appointed magistrate of Lantian; near the end of the Zhenyuan era, he was summoned as a Hanlin academician and appointed You Shiyi. Early in the Yuanhe era, he was demoted to Sima of Guozhou and later transferred to be governor of Yuanzhou; he subsequently served as an assistant director in the Ministry of War, drafter of imperial edicts, Secretariat Drafter, Hanlin academician, and Vice Minister of Works.
In the eleventh year of Yuanhe (816), he became Vice Director of the Secretariat and concurrent chancellor, later losing the chancellorship and serving as Vice Minister of War. Under Emperor Muzong, he was sent out as military governor of Jiannan Dongchuan, later recalled as Minister of Revenue and Commissioner of Salt and Iron Transport, while also supervising the Jiangnan tea monopoly; in the second year of Baoli, he was sent out as military governor of Shannan West. The title of military governor of Jiannan Xichuan also appears in the accounts.
During Emperor Wenzong’s reign, Wang Ya became Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in 829 and Minister of Personnel in 830, took charge of the Salt and Iron Transport Commission, and advanced to Right Servant. His ennoblement is variously given as Qingyuan County Baron, Daijun Duke, and Daiguo Duke; he was also appointed Sikong and granted the additional honor of Kaifu Yitong Sansi. In 833, he reentered the chancellery.
In the tenth month of the ninth year of Taihe (835), he promulgated a tea-monopoly order, but opposition at court and beyond led to its withdrawal soon afterward. During the Sweet Dew Incident, he was serving as chancellor and had not joined Li Xun’s plot; after its failure, he was falsely accused and killed by the eunuch Qiu Shiliang and others. One account says that he fled to a tea shop in Yongchang Ward, was captured by imperial troops, executed by waist-cutting, and that his entire clan was destroyed. In the early Tianfu era of Emperor Zhaozong, an amnesty recognized his innocence and restored his titles.
Scholarship and literature
Wang Ya was learned and antiquarian, skilled in prose and poetry, and especially versed in the Taixuan; his prose was noted for elegant ideas, while his poetry was praised as having an exceptionally vigorous and remarkable resonance. His household library is described variously as containing ten thousand or tens of thousands of volumes, including calligraphic works and famous paintings.
During the Yuanhe era, he exchanged poems with Linghu Chu and Zhang Zhongsu at court and compiled the *Three Secretariat Masters Collection*; his *Collected Works of Wang Ya* in ten scrolls is lost. The *Complete Tang Poems* preserves one scroll of his poetry, and the *Supplement to the Complete Tang Poems* adds one poem; “Guangxuan Shangren’s Poem of Congratulation and Thanks for Passing the Examination” among the former is in fact attributed to Wang Qi. Other associated titles include 《太玄經（王涯）》, 《月令圖》, 《翰林歌詞》, 《唐循資格》, and 《太玄經十卷附說玄一卷釋文一卷》, whose roles are unspecified.
Family and associations
Wang Ya’s father was Wang Huang; his nephew was Huangfu Shi; and his sons were Wang Mengjian and Wang Zhongxiang. In poetic and literary exchange, he sent poems and prose to Shi Guangxuan and Li Ning, and received poems and prose from Han Yu, Liu Yuxi, Li Shen, Meng Jiao, Dou Xiang, Wen Tingyun, Li Wen, and Yang Shie.
References
- CBDB Wang Ya (92079)
- 搜韵 王涯 (18500)
- Wikidata Wang Ya (Q258025)
- 法鼓佛教人名规范数据库 王涯 (A004341)