Yang Dongqian (Chinese: 楊洞潛) (died 935[1]), courtesy name Zhaoxuan (昭玄), was an official of the Southern Han dynasty of China, serving as a chancellor.
At one point, he became a surveillance officer for Yong District (邕管, headquartered in modern Nanning, Guangxi), then still under Tang dynasty rule.
[2] At one point, Yang Dongqian was retained to serve on the staff of the warlord Liu Yin, who then controlled the region as the military governor (jiedushi) of Qinghai Circuit (清海, headquartered at Guang Prefecture).
Rather, Yang advocated that he select refugees from the Central Plains who were well-learned, first putting them on his staff to test them and then make them prefects, so that they could govern the prefectures well and benefit the people.
[5] At Yang's suggestion,[2] Liu Yan attacked Shao Prefecture (韶州, in modern Shaoguan, Guangdong), which was then under control of Li.
Liu agreed,[2] and while he named Zhao, Yang, and another Later Liang emissary, Li Yinheng, all as chancellors, Zhao received the greater secondary office of minister of defense, while Yang was given the secondary office of deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang).
[7] In 920, Yang made the proposal to build schools,[8] to generally teach the people about the proper rites,[2] and to restart imperial examinations that had been a major part of the Tang civil service system.
Yang, finding this situation untenable, went to speak to Liu Yan:[9] The Prince of Qin is the Empire's foundation and heir.