Liu Xu

Liu Xu (Chinese: 劉昫; 888–947),¹ courtesy name Yaoyuan (耀遠), formally the Duke of Qiao (譙公), was a Chinese historian and politician of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states Later Tang and Later Jin, serving as a chancellor during both of those short-lived dynasties. He was the lead editor of the Old Book of Tang, one of the official histories of the preceding Tang dynasty, completed during Later Jin, although most of the work was probably completed during the term of his predecessor Zhao Ying.

Background

Liu Xu was born in 887, during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. His family was from Zhuo Prefecture (涿州, in modern Baoding, Hebei). His grandfather Liu Cheng (劉乘) and father Liu Yin (劉因) both served as officers at You Prefecture (幽州, in modern Beijing).¹

It was said that in his youth, Liu Xu was known for his handsome appearance and his literary abilities, and both his older brother Liu Xuan (rendered 劉晅 in the History of the Five Dynasties¹ and 劉暄 in the New History of the Five Dynasties²) and younger brother Liu Hao (劉皞) were known in their home territory. Sometime during the era (904-907), there was a time when forces of the captured Zhuo, and Liu Xu was captured and taken to Xin Prefecture (新州, in modern , ), but he escaped his Khitan captors. He later took up residence at Mount Daning (大寧山), living with Lü Mengqi (呂夢奇) (later a Later Tang official as well) and Zhang Lin (張麟), spending the time reciting and writing poems.