Yu Shiji

Yu Shiji, courtesy name Maoshi, was a Chinese calligrapher, poet, and politician who served Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty as a de facto chief minister from 607 to 618. Acclaimed for his skill in the literary arts of rhapsody and calligraphy, Yu began his career as an official of the Chen dynasty and held prestigious positions in the imperial administration before Sui forces conquered Chen in 589. He subsequently entered Sui service as a low-ranking official, supporting himself financially by working as a calligrapher-for-hire. After Emperor Yang ascended to the throne, Yu rose to become deputy director of the palace secretariat and, in this role, served as one of the emperor's principal counsellors and de facto chief ministers. An astute politician and erudite intellectual, Yu was nevertheless faulted by traditional historians for personal corruption, indulging Emperor Yang's autocratic tendencies, and mismanaging the imperial response to agrarian rebellions. Amid the gradual collapse of imperial authority, Yu and his family accompanied Emperor Yang in his retreat to Jiangdu. After Emperor Yang was killed in a coup d'état led by the general Yuwen Huaji in 618, Yu and his sons were executed.