Xue Ji

Xue Ji (Chinese: 薛稷; 649 – July 29, 713), courtesy name Sitong (嗣通), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Ruizong. He was considered one of the four greatest calligraphers of early Tang, along with Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, and Chu Suiliang.

Xue Ji was born in 649, the first year of the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. He was a great-grandson of Xue Daoheng (薛道衡), an important official of the preceding Sui dynasty, and Xue Yuanchao – a chancellor during Emperor Gaozong's reign – was a cousin to his grandfather Xue Xingcheng (薛行成). Xue Xingcheng was a county magistrate, and Xue Ji's father Xue Renwei (薛仁偉) was not recorded with any official titles. However, it is known that Xue Ji's mother was a daughter of the famed chancellor Wei Zheng. Xue Ji passed the imperial examinations at one point, although the date is not known. Late in the reign of Emperor Gaozong's wife Wu Zetian, he served as an imperial attendant, along with her lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong and several officials with literary talents, including Ji Xu, Tian Guidao (田歸道), Li Jiongxiu, and Yuan Banqian (員半千).

As of the second reign of Emperor Gaozong's and Wu Zetian's son Emperor Zhongzong (705-710), Xue Ji was serving as Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). At that time, his second cousin Xue Yao (薛曜) was serving at the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng), and both of them were known for their literary talent. Later in Emperor Zhongzong's reign, he served as Jianyi Daifu (諫議大夫), an imperial advisor, and also served as an imperial scholar at Zhaowen Pavilion (昭文館). As his grandfather Wei Zheng's household held many important literary and artistic works, he had access to many calligraphic works of Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang, and he, following their style, was a well-known calligrapher himself. He was also an accomplished painter. At that time, Emperor Zhongzong's brother Li Dan the Prince of Xiang was also a calligrapher, and he became acquainted with Xue. As part of this relationship, he married his daughter Princess Xianyuan to Xue's son Xue Boyang (薛伯陽).

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