Liu Xiangdao

Liu Xiangdao (劉祥道) (596–666), courtesy name Tongshou (同壽), formally Duke Xuan of Guangping (廣平宣公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who was briefly chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.

Liu Xiangdao's family was from what would become Wei Prefecture (魏州, part of modern Handan, Hebei), and claimed ancestry from Liu Pengzu (劉彭祖), a son of Emperor Jing of Han. His father Liu Linfu (劉林甫) served as a mid-level official in the administrations of Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, and carried the title of Baron of Leping. Liu Linfu died in 629, and Liu Xiangdao inherited the title.

The historical records give little information on the early parts of Liu Xiangdao's career. Early in the reign of Emperor Taizong's son and successor Emperor Gaozong, Liu Xiangdao served successively as assistant to the head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), assistant imperial censor, and assistant minister of civil service affairs, all mid-level posts in the imperial administration. In 657, he was made assistant to the head of the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng), but continued to be responsible for civil service affairs. As he saw faults in the civil service selection process, he submitted a petition to Emperor Gaozong to request changes, and in the excerpts quoted by the Old Book of Tang, he raised six points—that the civil selection process was selecting too many people who were not virtuous; that the people chosen were simply too numerous; that there was insufficient attention paid to selecting diligent students of Confucianism; that awards should be given to people who recommended new talent; that the officials should be given longer office terms so that they would have time to carry out their plans; and that as it currently student, the prominent clans' members were declining important secretarial posts, which they viewed to be below their social station, when such posts were actually quite important in efficient imperial government. Emperor Gaozong apparently initially took no action on this petition, but when the chancellor Du Zhenglun expressed similar sentiments in 658, he had Du and Liu draft proposals for revising the civil service system, but there were many oppositions to their suggestions from established officials, and the recommendations were not acted upon. Later that year, on account of Liu's participation in revising the regulations on imperial ceremonies, his title was upgraded to Marquess of Yangcheng.

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