Background
Liu Zai was born in 715, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. His family was from Xiang Prefecture (襄州, in modern Xiangfan, Hubei) but claimed as their ancestral lands the Hedong region (河東, roughly modern Shanxi) and claimed the Jin Dynasty (265-420) official Liu Chun (柳純) as an ancestor. Their traceable ancestry included officials of Jin Dynasty, Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty. His grandfather Liu Shangsu (柳尚素) and father Liu Qingxiu (柳慶休) both served as county-level officials.
Liu Zai's father Liu Qingxiu died early. He was studious, but was poor as a result of his father's early death. He passed the imperial examinations early in Emperor Xuanzong's Tianbao era (742-756) and was made the sheriff of Danfu County (單父, in modern Heze, Shandong).
Read more about this topic: Liu Hun
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