Duke Yansheng

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Duke Yansheng (simplified Chinese: 衍圣公; traditional Chinese: 衍聖公; pinyin: Yǎnshèng gōng; literally "overflowing with sage") was a title of nobility in China. It was originally created as a marquisate for the direct descendent of Confucius during the Western Han dynasty. The dukes enjoyed privileges that other nobles were denied such as the right to tax their domain in Qufu while being exempt from imperial taxes. Their fiefdom had its own court of law and the power of capital punishment. The dukes were usually the second richest men in imperial China, after the emperor himself. After the republican revolution, the dukes lost their privileges. In 1935, the title was changed to Sacrificial Official to Confucius (大成至聖先師奉祀官), which still exists as an office of the Republic of China, de facto hereditary. This office is vacant, last held by Kung Te-cheng, who died in 2008; the heir apparent is Kung Tsui-chang.

[edit] See also

• Descent from antiquity