Zhang Shicheng
Zhang Shicheng 張士誠 | |||||||||
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Reign | 1354–1357 (King of Zhou) 1363–1367 (King of Wu) | ||||||||
Born | Zhang Jiusi (張九四) 1321 Zhizhi 1 (至治元年) | ||||||||
Died | 1367 (aged 45–46) Zhizheng 27 (至正二十七年) | ||||||||
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Dynasty | Zhou → Wu |
Zhang Shicheng (
Early life
Zhang Shicheng came from a family of salt shippers, and he himself started out in this trade in Northern Jiangsu, transporting both "legal" and "contraband" salt, as did his brothers Zhang Shiyi (张士義), Zhang Shide (张士德), and Zhang Shixin (张士信). By his generosity he earned the respect of other salt workers who made him their leader when they rebelled against the oppressive government in 1353.[1][2]
Since the 1340s, the
Regional rule
Great Zhou 大周 | |||||||||
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1354–1357 | |||||||||
Status | Kingdom | ||||||||
Capital | Gaoyou Suzhou (1356–1357) | ||||||||
Common languages | Chinese | ||||||||
Religion | Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Chinese folk religion | ||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
King | |||||||||
• 1354–1357 | Zhang Shicheng | ||||||||
History | |||||||||
• Established | 1354 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1357 | ||||||||
Currency | Chinese coin, Chinese cash | ||||||||
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Today part of | China |
In 1354, Zhang declared the establishment of the Da Zhou state
In 1356, Zhang seized Suzhou,[4] the main hub of transportation and commerce of Jiangnan (the "South of the Lower Yangtze" region), and made the city his capital. The lands he now controlled not only were one of the country's main granaries, but also produced over half of all salt in China.[2] Zhang's regime was mostly patterned on the Yuan dynasty model, but made use of some of the earlier traditional Chinese terminology as well.[2]
Zhang appointed his brother
The Yangtze Delta literati strongly backed the Zhou regime, and because of this, his rival the future Ming emperor
Around that time, his main rival for domination in central China became
Zhang had significantly expanded his domain by 1363, when he declared himself the King of
Fall and legacy
It is speculated by modern historians that if Zhang had been more decisive and cooperated with another rival (and the western neighbor) of Zhu, Chen Youliang, Zhang and Chen could have crushed Zhu's incipient Ming state. However, "indolent" Zhang was apparently content to merely control the lower Yangtze region; his two attempts to attack Zhu's territories were both defeated decisively.[7]
After Zhu Yuanzhang's victory over
The struggle between the two "Kings of Wu" came to the end on October 1, 1367, when Suzhou fell to Zhu Yuanzhang's troops after a 10-month siege.[7] Zhang tried to hang himself. but was discovered in the act, captured, and taken to Zhu's capital, Nanjing.[7] What happened to Zhang there is not known for sure: according to various sources, he was either beaten to death[2][8] or finally managed to hang himself successfully.[7][10] Meanwhile, Zhu incorporated a quarter million of Zhang's troops into his army,[7] proclaimed himself the first emperor of the new Ming dynasty on the (Chinese) New Year Day of 1368 (January 20 or 23, 1368) and punished Zhang's surviving supporters in Suzhou by extortionate taxes.[2][8]
Zhang Shicheng's tomb in Xietang, Suzhou is still standing today. After his death, his memory still made an impression in the hearts of the peoples of Suzhou. On every 30 July (Zhang's birthday), the locals of Suzhou celebrated with straw dragon toys hanging at the doors of their houses. At the same time, they set fire to 94 straw stems, the significance being "9" and "4" forming Zhang's birth name; at the same time, it was a homonym for "continued remembrance" (久思). According to tradition, as emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang became suspicious of these local practises, and asked local officials to investigate; the locals claimed that they were worshipping Kṣitigarbha (地藏王, Dizangwang in Mandarin). This was again another word play as the locals were actually worshipping Zhang as a local prince (地张王, Dizhangwang). This celebration continued under Communist rule, and lasted until the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
Luo Guanzhong and Zhang Shicheng
Although very little reliable information exists about the life of the famous novelist Luo Guanzhong, some scholars surmise that Luo may have been a member of Zhang Shicheng's staff during the early days of Zhang's kingdom. It is believed Luo became disillusioned with Zhang after he made accommodations with the Mongol rulers. After the disillusionment, Luo turned to a literary career, writing his Romance of the Three Kingdoms. However, the scant historical evidence has been interpreted in various ways, with arguments in favor of Luo having been on the side of other participants in the conflict.[11]
References
Citations
- ^ Tora Yoshida, Hans Ulrich Vogel, Salt Production Techniques in Ancient China. On Google Books, p. 48
- ^ . P. 23.
- ISBN 978-0-521-87566-0p. 292
- ^ Hay, Jonathan. "ART OF THE MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-17. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ISBN 978-0-674-72604-8.
- ISBN 978-0-520-92147-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-31691-0.
- ^ ISBN 0-7914-1423-X, 9780791414231 On Google Books, pp. 26-27.
- ^ History of Ming (明代史),ed: Fu Lecheng (zh:傅樂成),Changqiao (長橋) Publishers, 1980
- ^ Zhang Shicheng
- ISBN 978-0-520-21585-6.
Sources
- Edward L. Farmer, Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society Following the Era of Mongol Rule. BRILL, 1995. ISBN 978-90-04-10391-7.
External links
- Media related to Zhang Shicheng at Wikimedia Commons