Cai Jing 蔡京

Cai Jing 蔡京 (1047-1126), courtesy name Yuanchang 元長, from Xinghua 興化 (in today's Fujian province) was chief minister during the late Northern Song period 北宋 (960-1126). He is known for his corruption which contributed to the downfall of the dynasty.

He obtained the jinshi degree in 1070 and first served in a local office, before he was appointed drafter in the Imperial Secretariat (zhongshu sheren 中書舍人), and then edict attentant (daizhi 待制I in the Hall of the Dragon Chart (Longtu Ge 龍圖閣) and metropolitan prefect of Kaifeng 開封. In 1086, when Counsellor-in-chief Sima Guang 司馬光 (1019-1086) abolished the new laws of Wang Anshi 王安石 (1021-1086), Cai followed suit and replaced Wang's labour recruitment system (muyi 募役) by the traditional corvée (chaiyi 差役). In 1094, he was made provisional Minister of Revenues (quan hubu shanshu 權戶部尚書), a position in which he supported Chief Counsellor Zhang Dun 章惇 (1035-1106) in the revival of the administrative reforms. When Emperor Hui 宋徽宗 (r. 1100-1125) acceded to the throne, Cai was charged with abuse in office and dismissed. He went to Hangzhou 杭州 to wait for better times. He established contact with Tong Guan 童貫 (1054-1126), a eunuch commissioner entrusted with the purchase of art works in Hangzhou.

In this way, he could gain access to the machinations at the court and helped to fire the Counsellors Han Zhongyan 韓忠彥 (1038-1109), and Zeng Bu 曾布 (1036-1107). Cai was made Right Director of the Imperial Secretariat (you puye 右僕射) and concurrently Vice Director of the Chancellery (menxia shilang 門下侍郎. He was later granted the honorific title of Grand Preceptor (taishi 太師). For seventeen years, he was almost without interruption Counsellor-in-chief. He found support by a clique of court eunuchs like Yang Jin 楊戩 (d. 1121), Liang Shicheng 梁師成 (d. 1126), Li Yan 李彥 (d. 1126) and high officials like Tong Guan, Wang Fu 王黼 (1079-1126), Gao Qiu 高俅 (d. 1126) and Zhu Mian 朱勔 (1075—1126).

Honours were heaped upon him, like the investiture as Duke of the State of Wei 魏國公, and of the State of Lu 魯國公, thus bestowing him an eminent status because Lu was the home town of Confucius. His fifth son, Cai Tiao 蔡鞗 (b. 1107), was married to a daughter of Emperor Huizong, Princess Maode 茂德帝姬 (b. 1102). Cai urged Emperor Huizong to adapt the motto "Prosperity, abundance, peace, and greatness [of the dynasty/the nation]) (feng heng yu da 豐亨豫大), encouraging him to indulge in extravagant spending that exhausted the national resources.

Cai Jing established the Bureau of Provisions (yingfengju 應奉局) and the Palace Workshops Bureau (zaozuoju 造作局), under whose auspices the project of the marvellous-stone convoys (huashi gang 花石綱) was launched. It involved large-scale transportation of rare and curious rocks for the emperor's gardens. He also oversaw the construction of Yanfu Palace 延福宮 and Genyue Hill Garden 艮岳, which drained immense funds. Additionally, he set up the Western City Land Requisition Office (Xichen kuotian suo 西城括田所), seizing farmland from commoners and transforming it into public fields. To fill the financial deficit, Cai Jing drastically reformed the salt tax and tea tax systems and introduced large denomination coins (dan shi daqian 當十大錢), leading to severe economic turmoil. These policies resulted in widespread public resentment, a chaotic monetary system, and immense suffering for the people.

During his tenure, Cai Jing continued to implement the "Continuation Policy" (shaoshu zhi zheng 紹述之政) of the Shaosheng reign-era 紹聖 (1094-1097), fully restoring the New Laws of Wang Anshi. He also restructured official titles, renaming the Right Director of the Imperial Secretariat (you puye) as Junior Grand Chancellor (shaozai 少宰) and the Left Director of the Imperial Secretariat (zuo puye 左僕射) as Grand Chancellor (taizai 太宰). To consolidate his power, he ruthlessly persecuted ministers of the reform period of the anti-reformist Yuanyou era 元祐 (1086-1093) under the regency of Grand Empress Dowager Gao 太皇太后高 (1032-1093), suppressed political opponents, and filled the court with his loyal followers.

Cai Jing is rated by historians as one of the most corrupt and incompetent chancellors of the Northern Song period. Toward the end of the dynasty, Chen Dong 陳東 (1086-1127) submitted a petition denouncing Cai Jing, along with Tong Guan, Zhu Mian, Li Yan, Wang Fu, and Liang Shicheng, as the "Six Villains" (liu zei 六賊).

In 1126, after Emperor Qinzong 宋欽宗 (r. 1125-1126) ascended the throne, Cai Jing was exiled to Lingnan 嶺南 (present-day Guangxi, Guangzhou). However, he died en route in Tanzhou 潭州 (present-day Changsha 長沙, Hunan). The official dynastic history Songshi 宋史 included him in the biographies of treacherous officials (471-474 Jianchen liezhuan 姦臣列傳).

Cai Jing is also known as an excellent calligrapher. many official plaques and inscriptions bore his calligraphy. One famous example is the "Guishan" (龜山) inscriptionat Guishan Temple, noted for its strong and dignified structure. Zhang Chou 張丑, in Guan Jian (管見), wrote that Cai Jing was originally ranked among the great Song calligraphers, but due to his notorious reputation, his name was removed, and Cai Xiang 蔡襄 (1012–1067) was promoted in his place. Several of his works survive, namely Caotangsi tiji 草堂寺題記, Jiefu tie 節夫帖, Guanshi tie 官使帖, Jiling song ba 鹡鴒頌跋, and Ti Huizong ting qin tu 題徽宗聽琴圖.