Changsha Kingdom

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Changsha Kingdom
長沙國
203/202 BC–AD 33
A map of the Han dynasty and kingdoms within the empire in 195 BC, including Changsha
Kingdoms of the Han dynasty in 195 BC, with Changsha shown in light green, at bottom centre[1]
StatusKingdom of the Han dynasty
CapitalLinxiang
(present-day Changsha)
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Established
203/202 BC
• Extinction of the Wu family line
157 BC
• Reestablishment under the Liu family
155 BC
• Dissolution under Wang Mang
AD 9
• Restoration
AD 26
• Disestablished
AD 33
Changsha Kingdom
Hanyu Pinyin
Chángshā Guó
Wade–GilesCh‘ang-sha Kuo
IPA/ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ ʂä⁵⁵ kwɔ³⁵/
Xiang
IPA/ʈ͡ʂan¹³ sa̠³³ kuɤ̞²⁴/
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingcoeng4 saa1 gwok3
Southern Min
Hokkien POJTiông-sa Kok

The Changsha Kingdom was a

commandery
under the imperial government.

Changsha was one of the largest and longest-lasting kingdoms in Han China.

chancellor
Li Cang and his family, providing valuable insights into life in the kingdom and Han dynasty in general.

History

The first king of Changsha,

Wu Rui, was a Baiyue leader who had been the magistrate of Poyang County under the Qin dynasty (221 – 207 BC). He enjoyed high prestige among the local people and was known as "Lord of the Po" (番君, Pójūn).[3][4]

In 209 BC,

Chu King Xiang Yu, then the most prominent leader in the rebellion, in an attempt to redivide the empire, recognized Rui as the "King of Hengshan" (衡山王, Héngshān Wáng). The Han eventually emerged victorious from post-Qin conflicts and established itself as the preeminent power in China. In 203/202 BC, Emperor Gaozu moved Wu Rui's fief[5] and established the Kingdom of Changsha.[6] The capital was Linxiang and located within the present-day city of Changsha.[7] The new kingdom helped the Han dynasty consolidate control over the Chu heartland and served as a buffer state against the independent realm of Nanyue founded by the Qin general Zhao Tuo in present-day Guangdong.[8][9] Rui died shortly after moving to his new territory, and the title passed to his son, Wu Chen (吳臣, Wú Chén).[10] Wu Chen reigned for eight years.[11]

The kings of Changsha were staunch supporters of the Han, and their loyalty and competence was praised by successive emperors.

Yangtze River, the King of Changsha pretended to assist him in his escape to Nanyue but instead killed him in Cixiang (茲鄉, Cíxiāng) near Poyang.[15][16]

Wu Chen was succeeded by his son Wu Hui (

counties.[19][20] Later, during Empress Lü's reign, the imperial court decided to launch a military campaign against Nanyue. However, in the hot and humid summer, a plague broke out in the Han army, hindering its advance. The campaign was eventually abandoned with the death of Empress Lü.[19] In 178 BC, the kingdom passed to Wu You's son Wu Zhu (吳著, Wú Zhù), for whom the names Wu Chai (吳差, Wú Chāi) and Wu Chan (吳產, Wú Chǎn) are alternatively used in some records.[21] Wu Zhu reigned for twenty-one years, dying in 157 BC without male issue.[2][22]

After the extinction of this house,

commandery thereafter.[24]

Territory

A scan of the Mawangdui silk map. The coastline and several rivers drawn in dark colors are clearly visible.
Silk map unearthed from Mawangdui, showing Changsha and the neighboring kingdom of Nanyue

The exact extent of the first Changsha Kingdom is still unclear. The official

map unearthed from the Mawangdui tombs.[27][28] On the other hand, other preserved and unearthed texts have shown that there were two other commanderies actually controlled by the Changsha Kingdom: Wuling (武陵, Wǔlíng) and Guiyang (桂陽, Guìyáng). The first may have been granted by the imperial Han government; the historical geographer Zhou Zhenhe argues that the "Yuzhang" recorded in the Book of Han was simply a mistake for "Wuling", which would have been part of the original grant of the kingdom.[29] Guiyang was likely created by the kings of Changsha at some point for defense against invasions from Nanyue.[27][28]

The reconstruction offered by Zhou and

Jingzhou counties; and the eastern border along modern Gao'an, Yichuan, Lianhua, and Chaling counties. Changsha's southern frontier with Nanyue was approximately the modern southern border of Hunan.[30]

When Emperor Jing granted Changsha to his son Liu Fa, the kingdom's territory was reduced to Changsha Commandery alone. Consequently, the kingdom's southwestern border was in the vicinity of modern Chaling, Wugang and Quanzhou counties.[30] From Emperor Wu's reign onward, 20 marquisates were created from Changsha. These marquisates were administered as parts of neighboring commanderies, further reducing the kingdom's territory.[31]

Demographics

Changsha was sparsely populated compared to other parts of the Han Empire.[32] The population primarily consisted of descendants of Chu colonizers, members of the Qin military garrison and their offspring, assimilated Nanman, and the native Baiyue tribes. Zhao Tuo, King of Nanyue, claimed that "half of Changsha are Man and Yi". Jia Yi, grand tutor of the king from 176 to 172 BC, wrote that there were only 25,000 households in the kingdom,[33] although it is likely that the figure was an underestimate.[34] (Jia, an advocate for further limits on the kingdoms' autonomy, saw Changsha's weakness as a reason of its loyalty.) However, the population increased rapidly, partly due to the favorable agricultural policies and partly because of immigration both from within the Han empire and from Nanyue.[35] In AD 2, when the Han dynasty conducted an empire-wide population census, the population of Changsha was recorded as 235,825 living in 43,470 households. The commanderies that constituted the larger Changsha of the early Han dynasty together had a population of 717,433 living in 126,858 households, a five-fold increase from Jia Yi's estimation during the early Han period.[36]

Government

Refer to caption
A clay imprint of the seal of the chancellor of the Changsha Kingdom

In the early Han dynasty, the government structure of the kingdoms closely followed that of the

Warring States, where the post was second only to the chancellor in status, rather than the Han central government—the same post in the imperial government was merely in charge of finance and affairs in the capital region.[40][41] The responsibilities of the royal secretary (御史大夫, yùshǐ dàfū) were similar to the imperial equivalent, i.e. supervision over the bureaucrats, although his status was likely lower than the court clerk.[39] The imperial Nine Ministers also had their equivalents in the kingdom.[42] In addition, early Changsha had a unique office, the "pillar of state" (柱國, zhùguó). It was designation for an eminent official originating from the Chu state, but was not seen elsewhere in the Han dynasty;[41] the post may have merged into or been replaced by that of the chancellor.[43]

Under the Wu family, the Changsha Kingdom was administered at two levels, the

county. As described above, the state is believed to have consisted of the three commanderies of Changsha, Wuling, and Guiyang and to have claimed further commanderies under Nanyue's control. The three actual commanderies were divided into over 40 counties.[44][45] Under the cadet branch of the Liu family, the Changsha Kingdom eliminated the needless commandery level as its territory had been much reduced. In AD 2, the kingdom only administered thirteen counties.[44][45]

In regions inhabited by the Baiyue, larger but less populated

townships and villages (里, lǐ) in the same manner as in centrally administered territories of the Han dynasty.[25][46]

The reestablishment of the Changsha Kingdom under Liu Fa coincided with the abortive Rebellion of the Seven States and the subsequent drastic measures to limit the autonomy of kingdoms by Emperor Jing. In 145 BC, the vassal kingdoms were stripped of the right to appoint officials with salaries higher than 400 dan, which covered everyone from ministers in the royal court to county magistrates.[47] Furthermore, changes were made to the government hierarchy of kingdoms. A number of offices were abolished, including the royal secretary, minister of justice (廷尉, tíngwèi), minister of the royal clan (宗正, zōngzhèng), steward (少府, shǎofǔ), and court scholar (博士, bóshì).[48] Of particular importance was the abolition of the steward, as this move deprived the kings of their fiscal control over the fief.[47] Many remaining offices were demoted in rank, and lesser officials were reduced in number.[48] The titles of the chancellor and tutor were shortened to simply xiàng (相) and fù (傅) to distinguish them from their imperial equivalents.[47] Later, in 8 BC, the court clerk was abolished and the chancellor took over his duties. By then, the kingdom's government structure had become almost indistinguishable from that of a commandery in all but name.[47][48]

Kings

Kings of Changsha[17]
Posthumous name Personal name Reigned from Reigned to Relationship
with predecessor
Name In Chinese Pinyin Name In Chinese Pinyin
Wu family
King Wen of Changsha 長沙文王 Chángshā Wén Wáng Wu Rui 吳芮 Wú Ruì 203 BC 202 BC
King Cheng of Changsha 長沙成王 Chángshā Chéng Wáng Wu Chen 吳臣 Wú Chén 202 BC 194 BC Son
King Ai of Changsha 長沙哀王 Chángshā Āi Wáng Wu Hui 吳回 Wú Huí 194 BC 187 BC Son
King Gong of Changsha 長沙共王 Chángshā Gòng Wáng Wu You 吳右 Wú Yòu 187 BC 179 BC Son
King Jing of Changsha 長沙靖王 Chángshā Jìng Wáng Wu Zhu 吳著 Wú Zhù 179 BC 157 BC Son
Liu family
King Ding of Changsha 長沙定王 Chángshā Dìng Wáng Liu Fa 劉發 Liú Fā 155 BC 128 BC
King Dai of Changsha 長沙戴王 Chángshā Dài Wáng Liu Yong 劉庸 Liú Yōng 128 BC 101 BC Son
King Qing of Changsha 長沙頃王 Chángshā Qīng Wáng Liu Fuqu 劉附朐 Liú Fùqú 101 BC 83 BC Son
King La of Changsha 長沙剌王 Chángshā Là Wáng Liu Jiande 劉建德 Liú Jiàndé 83 BC 50 BC Son
King Yang of Changsha 長沙炀王 Chángshā Yáng Wáng Liu Dan 劉旦 Liú Dàn 50 BC 48 BC Son
King Xiao of Changsha 長沙孝王 Chángshā Xiào Wáng Liu Zong 劉宗 Liú Zōng 45 BC 43 BC Brother
King Miu of Changsha 長沙繆王 Chángshā Miù Wáng Liu Luren 劉魯人 Liú Lǔrén 42 BC AD 6 Son
– Liu Shun 劉舜 Liú Shùn AD 6 AD 9 Son
– Liu Xing 劉興 Liú Xīng AD 26 AD 33 Son

Economy

Agriculture in Changsha included a wide range of crops and animal species.

alcohol industry.[53]

Artifacts from Changsha noble tombs reveal advanced levels of artisanship. A plain-colored gauze gown discovered in the Mawangdui tomb, for example, measures 128 centimetres (50 in) long by 190 centimetres (75 in) wide but weights only 49 grams (1.7 oz) in total.

swords, axes, and coins.[58] There were also records of tin mining in Changsha.[51]

Culture

Lady Dai

Changsha nobility dressed similarly to contemporary nobles in the Han Empire. The forms of

ancient Chinese clothing usually found in the tombs of Changsha aristocrats were silk gauze undergarments (襌衣, dānyī) and long robes with elaborately woven patterns.[59] Men typically wore hats, while a number of hairstyles can be seen in contemporary paintings and sculptures of women.[60]

The earliest known paintings on fabric in China were unearthed from the Mawangdui tombs.

stringed instrument.[63] Archaeologists also found the first surviving examples of two previously lost ancient Chinese musical instruments, a woodwind known as a yú (竽) and a five-string instrument known as a zhù (筑).[64] Musical and dancing troupes consisting of dozens of performers were recorded in unearthed manuscripts.[65]

As seen in excavated manuscripts and artifacts, the Changsha elite practiced complicated incantations and ritual acts for their interaction with the spirit world. The

polar deity, was the central celestial deity.[66] An animistic pantheon was worshipped. In an iconographic image of Taiyi from Mawangdui, it was depicted with the Thunder Lord, the Rain Master (雨師, Yǔshī), and the Azure and Yellow Dragons, with explanatory texts on military fortunes associated with these deities.[67] A wide range of natural phenomena were connected with spirit powers, and instructions and devices on dealing with them have been found. These were among the religious elements that would later give rise to the Taoist religion.[66]

Science and technology

A simple illustration of six types of comets
Depiction of comets in the Tianwen Qixiang Za Zhan

Some of the earliest texts on

dietetics to sexual cultivation.[69]

Two new texts on astronomy and astrology, the Prognostications on the Five Planets (五星占, Wǔ Xīng Zhàn) and the Diverse Prognostications on Heavenly Patterns and Formations of Materia Vitalis (天文氣象雜占, Tiānwén Qìxiàng Zá Zhàn), were found in the Mawangdui tombs.[70] The former provided accurate observation data on the positions of planets over a 70-year period from 246 BC to 177 BC, and also elaborated on some astrological beliefs such as an astral-terrestrial correspondence, a mapping of astronomical features to those on the land.[71][72] The latter, likely a work by a Chu author of the Warring States period, included a collection of illustrations of astronomical and atmospheric features such as clouds, mirages, rainbows, stars and comets.[73][74]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Zhou 1987, pp. 11–15.
  2. ^ a b He 2013, p. 1.
  3. ^ Luo 1998, p. 13.
  4. ^ a b He 2013, p. 6.
  5. ^ a b Luo 1998, p. 14.
  6. ^ Li 2014, p. 330.
  7. ^ He 2013, pp. 260–266.
  8. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 2–3.
  9. ^ He 2013, pp. 3–5.
  10. ^ Li 2014, pp. 331–332.
  11. ^ a b Luo 1998, p. 30.
  12. ^ Luo 1998, p. 22.
  13. ^ Luo 1998, p. 28.
  14. ^ a b Loewe 1986, pp. 124–125.
  15. ^ Fu 1984, p. 106.
  16. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 25–26.
  17. ^ a b Fu 1984, p. 107.
  18. ^ Luo 1998, p. 31.
  19. ^ a b Luo 1998, p. 32.
  20. ^ Loewe 1986, p. 136.
  21. ^ Fu 1984, p. 113.
  22. ^ a b Luo 1998, pp. 32–35.
  23. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 35–36.
  24. ^ a b Luo 1998, p. 40.
  25. ^ a b Yi 1995, pp. 65–68.
  26. ^ Luo 1998, p. 42.
  27. ^ a b Luo 1998, p. 41.
  28. ^ a b He 2013, p. 231.
  29. ^ Zhou 1987, p. 119.
  30. ^ a b He 2013, pp. 221–240.
  31. ^ Zhou 1987, pp. 122–125.
  32. ^ Luo 1998, p. 78.
  33. ^ Luo 1998, p. 50.
  34. ^ Fu 1984, p. 110.
  35. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 52–53.
  36. ^ Luo 1998, p. 52.
  37. ^ a b He 2013, p. 250.
  38. ^ Wu 1990, pp. 110–111.
  39. ^ a b Wu 1990, p. 112.
  40. ^ Wu 1990, p. 111.
  41. ^ a b Wu 1990, p. 122.
  42. ^ Bielenstein 1980, p. 105.
  43. ^ He 2013, p. 254.
  44. ^ a b Fu 1984, p. 111.
  45. ^ a b He 2013, p. 175.
  46. ^ Loewe 1986, p. 151.
  47. ^ a b c d Bielenstein 1980, p. 106.
  48. ^ a b c He 2013, p. 253.
  49. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 193–199.
  50. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 199–202.
  51. ^ a b Fu 1984, p. 112.
  52. ^ Höllmann 2013, pp. 72–73.
  53. ^ Höllmann 2013, pp. 71–72.
  54. ^ Luo 1998, p. 119.
  55. ^ Liu-Perkins 2014, pp. 50–51.
  56. ^ Liu-Perkins 2014, pp. 38–39.
  57. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 122–123.
  58. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 112–113.
  59. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 185–187.
  60. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 188–191.
  61. ^ a b c Li 2013, p. 319.
  62. ^ a b Liu-Perkins 2014, pp. 48–49.
  63. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 169–170.
  64. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 168–170.
  65. ^ Luo 1998, pp. 170–171.
  66. ^ a b Harper 1999, p. 869.
  67. ^ Harper 1999, pp. 870–871.
  68. ^ Lo 2011, p. 19.
  69. ^ a b Lo 2011, pp. 20–21.
  70. ^ Pankenier 2013, p. 445.
  71. ^ Luo 1998, p. 171.
  72. ^ Pankenier 2013, p. 285.
  73. ^ Luo 1998, p. 173.
  74. ^ Pankenier 2013, p. 497.

Bibliography

Further reading
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