Cui Yuan (8th-century Tang chancellor)

Cui Yuan (崔圓) (705–768), courtesy name Youyu (有裕), formally Duke Zhaoxiang of Zhao (趙昭襄公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Suzong.

Cui Yuan was born in 704, during the reign of Wu Zetian. His family was from Bei Prefecture (貝州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), and traced its ancestry to officials of Han Dynasty, Cao Wei, Later Yan, Liu Song, Northern Wei, and Northern Qi. His grandfather Cui Zhengu (崔貞固) served as a county secretary general for Tang Dynasty, and his father Cui JIngzhi (崔景晊) served as a judge of the supreme court. Cui Yuan lost his father when he was young, and he was said to be poor but having great ambitions, studying military strategies fervently.

During the Kaiyuan era (713-741) of Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Xuanzong held a special imperial examination for those who might have missed out on regular examinations. Cui Yuan received a high score on military strategy, and was made a military officer—but as he was proud of his literary abilities, he was not pleased with the commission. When he later served under Xiao Jiong (蕭炅) the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆府, encompassing the capital Chang'an), however, Xiao recommended him, and he was made the secretary general of Huichang County. He was later promoted to be Sixun Yuanwailang (司勳員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs. In 752, when the chancellor Yang Guozhong became also the military governor (jiedushi) of Jiannan Circuit (劍南, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), Yang invited him to serve on staff, and he became the military advisor to the governor of Shu Commandery (蜀郡, i.e., Chengdu) and acting military governor, in Yang's absence.

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