Xia Yan (Ming dynasty)

Xia Yan (1482–1548), courtesy name Gongjin, art name Guizhou, was a Chinese scholar-official during the Ming dynasty. He held a high position in the court of the Jiajing Emperor in the mid-16th century, serving as minister of rites from 1531 to 1537 and later as grand secretary. He also intermittently served as head of the Grand Secretariat from 1538 to 1548.

He was born in Guixi County in the southern Chinese province of Jiangxi and passed the highest level of civil service examinations, known as the palace examination, in 1517. This marked the beginning of his civil service career. He started as an supervising secretary in the Office of Scrutiny of the Ministry of War and later in the Office of Scrutiny of the Ministry of Personnel. He was known for his meticulousness, consistency, energy, and fearlessness in politics. In 1530, his proposals for ceremonial reforms caught the attention and favor of the Jiajing Emperor, leading to his promotion to the ministry of rites and later to the position of grand secretary. As minister and grand secretary, he pursued a decisive and aggressive foreign policy, but played a less prominent role in domestic politics. While he initially enjoyed the emperor's favor, he gradually lost it due to his disagreement with the emperor's excessive focus on Taoist ceremonies. He also refused to adapt to the emperor's changing positions on political matters, which further strained their relationship. In 1548, he definitively lost the emperor's support and was removed from office, arrested, and executed due to disagreements over the defense of the northwest border.