Wu Jing

Wu Jing (670–749), courtesy name Xizhai, was a native of Junyi in Bianzhou (present-day Kaifeng, Henan) and a historian of the Tang dynasty. He served under Empress Wu Zetian, Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Xuanzong, held a post in the history office for nearly thirty years, and took part in compiling the Veritable Records of Empress Wu Zetian and of Emperor Zhongzong. He insisted on truthful, straightforward recording and was known as a "good historian." In the ninth year of the Kaiyuan era (721) he completed the Zhenguan Zhengyao (Essentials of Government of the Zhenguan Era) in ten volumes and forty chapters, which records the words and deeds of Emperor Taizong and his ministers in governing the state. It is an important source for studying the Zhenguan governance and has circulated widely, often being read in later ages as a classic on political wisdom and on self-cultivation and conduct. He also wrote the Yuefu Gutu Yaoshi, a study of the origins of old yuefu titles, showing a command of both history and literature. His writing is marked by factual record and thorough citation, and his works have both historical and readable value.