Sang Weihan

Sang Weihan (桑維翰) (898 – January 12, 947), courtesy name Guoqiao (國僑), formally the Duke of Wei (魏公), was an official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Later Jin, serving as chief of staff (Shumishi) during the reigns of both of Later Jin's emperors, Shi Jingtang and Shi Chonggui. While not a soldier by training, he was said to be capable and respected as the overseer of the armies of the realm.

Sang Weihan was born in 898, during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang. He was from the Tang Dynasty eastern capital Luoyang — as his father Sang Gong (桑珙) was a "guest general" (客將, kejiang) under Zhang Quanyi, the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region). (The fact that Sang Gong was described as a "guest general" suggests that Sang Gong himself was not from Luoyang or vicinity, but later joined Zhang's army after first having served under another warlord.)

Sang Weihan was said to have an unusual, repulsive appearance — short in stature, with a very long face. However, it was said that he considered his appearance to be a reason to have great ambition. When he submitted himself for imperial examinations, however, the chief examiners initially did not want to pass him, because they disliked his surname Sang (a homophone of 喪, "funereal"). When others, hearing of this, tried to dissuade him from submitting for the imperial examinations, he was lamenting and yet not discouraged, and wrote a poem entitled, "Ode to the Sun Rising from Fusang" to declare his ambition. He eventually passed the imperial examinations during the Tongguang era (923-926) of Later Tang's emperor Li Cunxu.

During the subsequent reign of Li Cunxu's adoptive brother and successor Li Siyuan, Li Siyuan's son-in-law Shi Jingtang served as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan). He invited Sang Weihan to serve as his secretary in charge of communications. When Shi was subsequently transferred to Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) in 932, Sang followed him to Hedong.

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