He Chou, styled Guilin, is the nephew of the Grand Scholar He Tuo. His father, He Tong, is particularly skilled in jade carving. He Chou has been exceptionally clever since he was young, with a quick wit, meticulous thought processes, and a wealth of ideas. When he was in his teens, he witnessed the fall of Jiangling City and followed his uncle He Tuo to Chang'an. In the Northern Zhou court, he first served as a minor official in the Department of Imperial Decorations. Later, when Yang Jian became Prime Minister, he summoned He Chou to serve as a military advisor, also managing the Intelligence Bureau. During the Kaihuang era, he was appointed as a commander and later promoted to the role of Supervisor of the Imperial Household, also serving as a Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household. He Chou was well-read and deeply knowledgeable about ancient paintings and artifacts. Once, Persia presented an exquisitely beautiful golden brocade robe as tribute. The Emperor asked He Chou to make a similar one, and the robe he crafted surpassed the Persian tribute, which delighted the Emperor. At that time, China had not produced glassware for a long time, and craftsmen were reluctant to attempt it. However, He Chou successfully created glass-like ware using green porcelain, virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Not long after, he was promoted to the role of Assistant Cavalry Officer.
At the end of the Kaihuang period, a man named Li Guang from the Li tribe in Guizhou gathered a force to rebel. The court dispatched He Chao with troops to quell the rebellion. Upon reaching the mountains of Hengzhou, He Chao sent messengers to urge the rebel leader Mo Chong to surrender. Guizhou Chief Secretary Wang Wentong brought Mo Chong to He Chao. He Chao feigned an announcement, "The local government's poor governance led to the rebellion of the border people; this isn’t Mo Chong’s fault!" He then ordered Mo Chong's release and invited him to share a meal and drinks with three others. Mo Chong was thrilled and let his guard down upon returning to his stronghold. At dawn, He Chao suddenly attacked Mo Chong's stronghold, mobilizing all the Li soldiers to confront the remaining rebels. Rebel leaders such as Du Tiaoliao from Xiangzhou and Pang Jing from Luozhou surrendered in succession. He Chao then sent Liang Ni from Jianzhou to subdue the rebellious Yi leader Luo Shou, and dispatched Luozhou Governor Feng Xuan to subdue the bandit leader Li Datang; both were subdued, and their heads were sent back to the military camp. He Chao appointed those leaders who accepted the court’s authority as state and county officials, then returned to court, where everyone was pleased to comply.
The Governor of Qinzhou, Ning Mengli, led the army to meet the army of He Chou. At first, Ning Mengli occupied a steep mountain cave and wanted to rebel. Overcome with fear, he requested to personally surrender to the court. Seeing that he was very ill, He Chou harbored no suspicions of him, sent him back to Qinzhou, and made an agreement with him: "In the eighth or ninth month, you can come to the capital to see me." After returning to court, He Chou reported the situation, which displeased the emperor. In October of that year, Ning Mengli died, and the emperor said to He Chou, "You did not bring Ning Mengli back, and now he is dead." He Chou said, "I made an agreement with Ning Mengli; even if he is dead, his son should come to serve the emperor. The Yue people are known for their straightforwardness; his son will definitely come." Before his death, Ning Mengli instructed his son Zhang Zhen, "I made an agreement with the court envoy; do not betray the court. After you bury me properly, you should immediately go to the court." Zhang Zhen followed his father's words and went to the court. The emperor was very pleased and said, "How remarkable that He Chou could make the barbarians trust him so much!" Because of this merit, He Chou was appointed to the position of Kaifu.
At the beginning of the Renshou period, the Empress Dowager Wenxian passed away. He Chou and Yu Wenkai together participated in the formulation of the Empress Dowager's burial system. He Chou was a man of few words, good at understanding the emperor's intentions, and gradually gained the emperor's favor. When the emperor fell seriously ill, he said to He Chou, "You were in charge of the empress dowager's funeral; now I am about to die, you should take care of my funeral. What good does it do? It's just that I am unable to let go. If my soul is aware, we will meet in the underworld." The emperor then pulled the crown prince close and said, "He Chou, I feel very reassured entrusting my affairs after death to you. In the future, all important matters of the state must be discussed with you."
Emperor Yang Guang wanted to go to Yangzhou, so he said to Yang Chao, "Now that the world is peaceful, I have inherited the vast empire of the Sui Dynasty, but many ceremonial systems, clothing, and other items are not yet perfect. You go and check the historical records, design the ceremonial regalia, carriages, horses, and clothing properly, and send them to Jiangdu." That day, Yang Chao was appointed as the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Works.
Yang Chao began to prepare, organizing thirty-six thousand people to make the ceremonial regalia, as well as the emperor's carriages, the empress's ceremonial regalia, the officials' clothing, and so on, all of which were completed on time and sent to Jiangdu. This project was huge, involving over a hundred thousand people, and the expenses in gold and silver were staggering. Later, the emperor sent the War Minister, Ming Ya, and the Selection Minister, Xue Mai, to carefully inspect. It took several years to complete the inspection, and they found no discrepancies. Yang Chao referred to ancient and modern classics and made many improvements. For example, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the officials' leather caps had tassels but no hairpins. Yang Chao said, "This was originally attire for hunting, but now it is worn to court, so it should be changed." Therefore, he added ivory hairpins to the leather caps, a creation of Yang Chao.
In the past, officials' court clothing did not have waistbands. Yang Chao believed, "This is just clothing worn for small court meetings. How can high-ranking officials not wear waistbands and jade when meeting the emperor?" So, he added waistbands with animal head motifs and jade pendants to the court clothing. In the past, the carriage of the five-horse chariot was mounted on the shaft, with the emperor and attendants in the carriage. Yang Chao felt, "It was impractical for the sovereign and his ministers to be cramped in the same carriage." So, he enlarged the carriage, added side rails, had the attendants stand in the carriage, and included a small platform inside for the emperor to sit separately. He also made many improvements to other ceremonial regalia and other items, all detailed in the "Records of Dignity."
The emperor had Yang Chao make ten thousand military carts and eight hundred linked carts. The emperor was very satisfied and allowed Yang Chao to continue serving as the Minister of Works. Three years later, Yang Chao also took on the role of the Minister of the Treasury. Later, during the war in Liaodong, Yang Chao was appointed as the General of the Right Tunwei, commanding thirty thousand imperial crossbowmen. At that time, the Minister of Works Yu Wenkai failed to build a bridge over the Liaoshui, causing the army to be unable to cross, and the General of the Right Tunwei, Mai Tiezhang, was killed as a result. The emperor then had Yang Chao build the bridge, which Yang Chao completed in just two days.
Earlier, Yang Chao also designed and built a palace and the City of Six Harmonies. During the standoff with the enemy in Liaodong, Yang Chao used the City of Six Harmonies at night. The city had a perimeter of eight li, with walls and battlements reaching a total height of ten zhang, filled with soldiers and flags. There were towers at each of the four corners, three gates at the base of each wall, all completed before dawn. When the Goryeo people saw it from a distance, they believed it was a miracle. That year, Yang Chao was promoted to the rank of Jinzi Guanglu Dafu. The following year, he was appointed as the General of the Left Tunwei and accompanied the emperor to the front lines in Liaodong.
Twelve years later, he was promoted to the position of Right Guanglu Dafu and accompanied the emperor to Jiangdu. When the rebellion of Yu Wenhua Ji occurred, he was compelled to serve as the Minister of Works. After the failure of Yu Wenhua Ji, he was captured by Dou Jiande, who appointed him as Minister of Works as well and bestowed upon him the title of Duke of Shuguo. After the failure of Dou Jiande, he returned to the Tang Dynasty, where he was appointed Chief Architect and eventually passed on.
During the Kaihuang period, there was a man named Liu Long from Hejian. He was exceptionally clever and resourceful. When Emperor Qi Hou knew of his abilities, he had him construct the Three Jue Terrace, which greatly pleased the emperor. As a result, Liu Long's rank continued to rise. When Emperor Gaozu ascended the throne, he held him in even higher regard, appointing him as the General of the Right Guard and also as the Chief Architect. During the construction of the capital, he and Gao Feng were in charge of planning and construction, and at that time, everyone agreed that the two of them were highly capable.
During the Daye period, there was a man named Huang Geng, his origins were unknown. He and his brother Huang Jun were both exceptionally talented and had many ideas. Emperor Yang of Sui often had the two brothers work directly in the Ministry of Construction. There were numerous reconstruction projects at that time, and Huang Geng and Huang Jun were always involved. No matter what they did, He Chou always had Huang Geng and Huang Jun create the initial designs first. At that time, all the craftsmen believed their designs were excellent, and no one could find any flaws. Huang Geng later rose to the rank of a court official, and Huang Jun became a cavalry attendant.
Historical records say: Yu Wenkai's skills were well-rounded and exceptional, his problem-solving was comprehensive and thoughtful, and the ingenuity of his architectural designs could be compared to Ban Gu and Zhang Heng. At that time, all architectural designs were based on his works. He built the Renshou Palace and constructed Luoyang City, both of which pursued extreme luxury, leading to the excessive indulgence of Emperor Wen and the ultimate death of Emperor Yang, and the root of the country's turmoil can also be traced back to these extravagant projects. However, his studies of classical texts and the creation of the "Mingtang Diagram" are worth examining, even if some of his ideas were somewhat grandiose. He Chou and the Huang brothers were exceptionally talented; they excelled at learning from the experiences of their predecessors, borrowing from the systems of previous dynasties, and producing a legacy of cultural artifacts. While their works were indeed extravagant, they remain valuable for study and inspiration for future generations.
