Tang of Shang
Tang 湯 | |||||||||
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King of the Shang dynasty | |||||||||
Predecessor | Jie (Xia dynasty) | ||||||||
Successor | Bu Bing Da Ding (disputed) | ||||||||
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Tang of Shang | |
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Tâi-lô | Thng/Thong |
Old Chinese | |
Baxter–Sagart (2014) | *r̥ˤaŋ |
Cheng Tang
Rise of Shang
Tang ruled Shang, one of the many kingdoms under the suzerainty of the Xia dynasty, for 17 years. During Jie's reign, Shang grew in power, initially at the expense of Xia's other vassals. He was able to win many supporters from as many as 40 smaller kingdoms.[4] Tang recognized that Jie mistreated his people and used this to convince others. According to legend, in one speech, Tang said that creating chaos was not something he wanted, but given the terror of Jie, he had to follow the Mandate of Heaven and use this opportunity to overthrow Xia.[4] As an advantage he pointed out that even Jie's own military generals would not obey his orders.[4]
In the 15th year of Jie's reign, Tang began moving Lü to the capital Bo. About two years later Shang sent his minister Yi Yin as an envoy to Jie. Yi remained in the Xia capital for about three years, before returning to Shang.
The Shang's power continued to grow. In the 26th year of Jie's reign, Shang conquered Wen. Two years later, Shang was attacked by
Battle of Mingtiao
The Shang army
Jie himself escaped and fled to Sanzong. The Shang forces under their general Wuzi pursued Jie to
King of the Shang
Tang's reign was regarded as a good time by the Chinese.[1] He lowered taxes and the conscription rate of soldiers. His influence spread to the Yellow River, and many outlying tribes, such as Di and Qiang, became vassal states. He also established Anyang as the new capital of China.
According to the Bamboo Annals, Tang built a palace called Xia She (夏社) to memorialize the Xia dynasty. In the first five years of his reign, there were several droughts. Tang ordered golden coins to be made and distributed to poor families who had been forced to sell their children because of the drought. It was intended for them to use this money to buy their children back.
According to the Bamboo Annals, in the 9th year of his reign, he moved the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, made by Yu the Great, to the Shang Palace.
Myths
Tang has been portrayed in different ways in Chinese mythology and these portrayals have influenced popular depiction and paintings of him.[1]
He is often drawn as being "a nine-foot-tall, white-faced, whiskered man with a pointed head, six-jointed arms, and a body markedly larger on one side than on the other."[1]
A tradition about the I Ching was that most of it was written by Tang of Shang.[6]
Notes
References
- ^ Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
- ^ Theobald, Ulrich (2010-11-13). "Hetu luoshu 河圖洛書". Chinaknowledge. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Lai, Selena; Brown, Waka Takahashi (November 2006). "The Shang Dynasty, 1600 to 1050 BCE". SPICE. Stanford University. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ ISBN 962-8885-24-3. p 30.
- ^ ISBN 957-11-4312-X, 9789571143125. p. 46.
- ISBN 978-0-393-05974-8.