He medalled twice at the Olympics.

Further excavation revealed that there had been in the earliest period, perhaps continued to all later times, a foregate, a kind of outer rampart to mask the entrance to the gate so as to require everyone who approached it to do so by a narrow entrance directly in front of the gate and so subject to a concentrated fire of projectiles from the defenders of the gate. This foregate was some fifteen feet in front of the gate itself. At either side of the gate was a great fortress or buttress flanked by a heavy revetement, a fortress also on the north side and a buttress on the south side of the gate.

He also enjoyed unprecedented favor from the emperor, who appointed him to high-ranking offices, dubbed him prince (a privilege usually reserved for members of the imperial clan), had a mansion built for him in Changan, and granted him the right to mint coins. By 755 An became aware that Chief Minister Yang, a cousin of Yang Guifei, in Changan was plotting to remove him from power and began to fear that he was losing the emperor's favor.

The cruel punishment was countenanced by the government, although it was not officially legal.