Liu Fei, Prince of Jiangdu
| Liu Fei (劉非) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Jiangdu | |||||
| Reign | 153– c.Jan 128 BCE | ||||
| Successor | Liu Jian | ||||
| Born | 168 BCE | ||||
| Died | c.Jan 128 BCE | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Emperor Jing of Han | ||||
| Mother | Consort Cheng | ||||
Liu Fei (
Liu Fei's mausoleum has been excavated by archaeologists from the Nanjing Museum, who unearthed numerous artifacts, including 100,000 coins, dozens of chariots, and the only jade coffin to have survived intact in Chinese archaeology.
Biography
Liu Fei was one of the fourteen sons of
In 154 BCE, rulers of seven kingdoms, led by Liu Pi, the King of Wu, rebelled against the Han dynasty. Liu Fei, then a strong 15-year-old (by East Asian reckoning), volunteered to join the fight against the rebels. Emperor Jing awarded him the seal of the general, and let him lead an army to attack Wu, the main rebel kingdom. The rebellion was suppressed after a few months.[2][3] The following year, Emperor Jing created the kingdom of Jiangdu in part of the former territory of Wu and made Liu Fei its king. Wu's capital Guangling (present-day Yangzhou, Jiangsu) became the capital of Jiangdu.[2][3] In addition, he was awarded the banners of the Son of Heaven for his contribution in the suppression of the rebellion.[2][3]
In 129 BCE, during the reign of Emperor Wu, the Xiongnu nomadic empire attacked the Han. Liu Fei volunteered to join the counterattack against Xiongnu, but his request was denied by the emperor.[2]
According to the Han historian
Death and aftermath
Liu Fei died in c. January 128 BCE, after 26 years of reign as King of Jiangdu.
In 121 BCE, Liu Jian was involved in the plot of rebellion by Liu An, King of Huainan, and Liu Ci, King of Hengshan. After the plot was discovered, all three committed suicide, and their kingdoms were abolished. Jiangdu came under direct imperial rule and was reorganized as Guangling Commandery.[2]
Mausoleum
Liu Fei's mausoleum has been located in present-day Xuyi County, Jiangsu province. Because it was threatened by quarrying, archaeologists from the Nanjing Museum performed a "rescue excavation" of the site from 2009 to 2011, and published the excavation report in 2014. The complex includes three major tombs, eleven subsidiary tombs, two horse-and-chariot pits, and two pits for weapons. It is surrounded by an enclosure wall, which was originally 490 metres (1,610 ft) long on each side.[4]
Although the site has been looted in ancient times, archaeologists still unearthed more than ten thousand artifacts: gold, bronze vessels, weapons, a
Liu Fei's coffins were damaged and his body was missing, but fragments of his jade burial suit were found. The most important find was from an adjacent tomb, labeled M2, which contained the only jade coffin known to have survived intact in China.[4]
One of the eleven attendant tombs contained items inscribed with the surname Nao (淖). Its occupant was probably related to Liu Fei's consort Lady Nao.[4]
References
- ^ 12th month of the 1st year of the Yuan'shuo era, per vol. 18 of Zizhi Tongjian and vol.06 (Emperor Wu's biography) of Han Shu . The month corresponds to 19 Jan to 17 Feb 128 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar.
- ^ ISBN 978-7-101-07272-3.
- ^ a b c d Sima Qian. 五宗世家 [House of the Five Clans]. Records of the Grand Historian (in Chinese). Guoxue. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "2,100-Year-Old King's Mausoleum Discovered in China". Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 31 August 2014.