Gao Zhizhou

Who was Gao Zhizhou?

Gao Zhizhou was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.

Gao Zhizhou was born in 602, during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui, the founding emperor of Tang's predecessor Sui Dynasty. His family was from what would become Chang Prefecture. He was said to have been studious in his youth and, after passing the imperial examination, served as the county magistrate of Fei County. As his salary was higher than those of the sheriff and the secretary general of the county, he shared his salary evenly with them. He was also said to be a capable county magistrate, and the people and subordinate officials carved a stone monument in his honor. Eventually, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, he was made an imperial scholar and participated in the creation of the literary works Yaoshan Yucai and Wenguan Cilin, headed by Emperor Gaozong's crown prince Li Hong. Further, he and two other officials, He Kai and Wang Zhenru, assisted in Li Hong's studies. In 668, he took a vacation home to bury his parents, and when he reached home, he commented to his relatives, "Knowing how to advance but not how to retreat is the way to disaster."