Pei clan of Hedong

rdf:langString Pei clan of Hedong

rdf:langString The Pei clan of Hedong(河東裴氏) was a notable Chinese clan politically active from the Han dynasty to the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Their ancestral home was in Hedong Commandery. Their founding father was Pei Ling (裴陵), the Lord of Jiepei (解𨛬君), who descended from the archaic . The Pei clan came to power during the Eastern Han dynasty. Many members of this clan held key appointments in the central government or in commanderies. While being politically influential, the Pei family was also renowned for their scholarship in the study of Confucian classics. The eight Peis (八裴) refer to eight siblings from the Pei family whose fame was on par with the , another political family who played an important role in the Six Dynasties era. During the Six Dynasties era, the members of the Pei family served different empires and each of them contributed to the cementing of the Pei family's political influence. When the Sui dynasty of northern China conquered the Chen dynasty of southern China in 590 and unified China under its rule, the branches of the Pei clan who served in these two different dynasties were also reunited. During the Tang dynasty, the Pei clan reached the pinnacle of prosperity and glory. 17 men from the Pei clan served as chancellors in the Tang imperial government, while there were numerous others who held lesser appointments. Some notable figures such as Pei Du, Pei Xingjian, and Pei Yaoqing dedicated their lives to serving the Tang Empire. The Pei clan suffered severe damage during the chaotic years leading to the end of the Tang dynasty, and during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period which followed the end of the Tang dynasty. The Pei family was never able to recover their political influence and ended up dissolving into different social classes.