Cang Ci was born in the late Eastern Han dynasty and was from Huainan.
11 Facts About Cang Ci
1.
2.
Cang Ci started his career as a minor official in a commandery.
3.
Cang Ci served as the Prefect of Chang'an in the final years of Cao Pi's reign and was known for being fair and just.
4.
Cang Ci was respected and admired by other officials and the common people.
5.
When Cang Ci arrived in Dunhuang, he sought to reform the local government, clamp down on the power of the landlords, and help the poor.
6.
Cang Ci initiated a vigorous programme of land redistribution by seizing excess plots of land from the landlords and giving them to peasants who had no land.
7.
Cang Ci saw that many criminal cases had piled up over the years because the magistrates were unable to pass any judgment and that the prisons were packed.
8.
Cang Ci personally handled the cases which had not been reviewed for years.
9.
Cang Ci's efforts revealed that less than ten crimes a year actually warranted the death penalty in Dunhuang.
10.
When Cang Ci heard about this, he personally went to reassure the foreign traders and opened up special routes leading to Luoyang exclusively for those traders, while ordering his men to protect and escort the traders as they passed through.
11.
Cang Ci died in office after serving for many years in Dunhuang.