Related Research Articles
Zhao was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It emerged from the tripartite division of Jin,along with Han and Wei,in the 5th century BC. Zhao gained considerable strength from the military reforms initiated during the reign of King Wuling,but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Qin at the Battle of Changping. Its territory included areas in the modern provinces of Inner Mongolia,Hebei,Shanxi and Shaanxi. It bordered the states of Qin,Wei,and Yan,as well as various nomadic peoples including the Hu and Xiongnu. Its capital was Handan,in modern Hebei province.
The Chu–Han Contention (楚漢相爭),also known as the Chu–Han War (楚漢戰爭),was an interregnum period in Imperial China between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the establishment of the Western Han dynasty. After the third and last Qin ruler,Ziying,unconditionally surrendered to rebel forces in 206 BCE,the former Qin Empire was divided by rebel leader Xiang Yu into the Eighteen Kingdoms,which were ruled by various rebel leaders and surrendered Qin generals. A civil war soon broke out,most prominently between two major contending powers –Xiang Yu's Western Chu and Liu Bang's Han. Some of the other kingdoms also waged war among themselves but these were largely insignificant compared to the main conflict between Chu and Han. The war ended in 202 BCE with a Han victory at the Battle of Gaixia,during which Xiang Yu committed suicide after making a last stand. Liu Bang subsequently proclaimed himself emperor and established the Western Han dynasty.
Zhang Han was a Chinese military general of the Qin dynasty. When uprisings erupted throughout China during the reign of Qin Er Shi,Zhang Han led the Qin armies and successfully quelled several of these rebel forces. In 207 BC,Zhang Han was defeated by Xiang Yu of Chu at the Battle of Julu,after which he surrendered along with his 200,000 troops. He was conferred the title "King of Yong" (雍王) by Xiang Yu and given part of the lands in Guanzhong as his fief when Xiang split the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms after the fall of the Qin dynasty. Zhang Han's territory was conquered by Liu Bang in 206 BC,and he committed suicide a year later.
Chu was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BC. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted during the Spring and Autumn period. At the end of the Warring States period it was destroyed by the Qin in 223 BC during the Qin's wars of unification.
Chen Sheng,also known as Chen She,posthumously known as King Yin,was the leader of the Dazexiang Uprising,the first rebellion against the Qin Dynasty. It occurred during the reign of the Second Qin Emperor.
Emperor Yi of Chu,also known as King Huai II of Chu before receiving his de jure emperor title,personal name Xiong Xin,was the ruler of the revived Chu state in the late Qin dynasty. He was a grandson of King Huai of Chu. In 223 BC,during the Warring States period,the Chu state was conquered by the Qin state,which unified the various Chinese feudal states in a series of wars and established the Qin dynasty in 221 BC. In 209 BC,when rebellions broke out throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty,the Chu state was revived as an insurgent state against Qin imperial rule. Xiong Xin was discovered by Xiang Liang,a rebel leader who descended from a famous Chu general,Xiang Yan,and installed on the Chu throne as "King Huai II of Chu". However,Xiong Xin was a puppet ruler because power was concentrated in Xiang Liang's hands,and while he was able to assert his power after Xiang Liang was killed in battle,eventually Xiang Liang's nephew,Xiang Yu,would concentrate power in his own hands through a coup against King Huai II's general Song Yi during the Battle of Julu. In 206 BC,the Qin dynasty was overthrown by the rebels,after which Xiang Yu,who was the de facto leader of all the rebel forces,divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms. He promoted King Huai II to a more "honourable" title –Emperor Yi of Chu –and made him the nominal sovereign ruler over all the Eighteen Kingdoms. Xiang Yu then had Emperor Yi relocated to Chen County and secretly ordered Ying Bu to assassinate the emperor during the journey.
The grand chancellor,also translated as counselor-in-chief,chancellor,chief councillor,chief minister,imperial chancellor,lieutenant chancellor and prime minister,was the highest-ranking executive official in the imperial Chinese government. The term was known by many different names throughout Chinese history,and the exact extent of the powers associated with the position fluctuated greatly,even during a particular dynasty.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong. The series was produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and was first aired on the network in 1994. It spanned a total of 84 episodes,each approximately 45 minutes long. One of the most expensive television series produced at the time,the project cost 170 million yuan. It was completed over four years and involved over 400,000 cast and crew members,including divisions of the People's Liberation Army from the Beijing,Nanjing and Chengdu military regions. Some of the dialogue spoken by characters was adapted directly from the novel. Extensive battle scenes,such as the battles of Guandu,Red Cliffs and Xiaoting,were also live-acted.
Cao Shen or Cao Can,courtesy name Jingbo,was a Chinese military general and politician. He served as a chancellor of the Western Han dynasty. He participated in the Chu–Han Contention on Liu Bang 's side and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty.
Qin's wars of unification were a series of military campaigns launched in the late 3rd century BC by the state of Qin against the other six powers remaining in China —Han,Zhao,Yan,Wei,Chu and Qi. Between 247 and 221 BC,Qin had developed into one of the most powerful of China's Seven Warring States that coalesced in the wake of the Zhou dynasty's decline,by now retaining a weak and merely ceremonial position among the warring states. In 230 BC,King Ying Zheng of Qin began the sequence of campaigns that would bring the Warring States period to a close,setting out to conquer each remaining sovereign one by one. This was completed in 221 BC with the fall of Qi,leaving the former Zhou sphere unified under a more centralized Qin control. Ying Zheng declared himself the First Emperor,or Qin Shi Huang—becoming the first sovereign over a unified China under the imperial Qin dynasty.
The Story of Han Dynasty is a Chinese television series based on the events in the Chu–Han Contention,an interregnum between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the founding of the Han dynasty in Chinese history. The series was first broadcast on CCTV in China in 2003. Directed by Wei Handao,the series starred Hu Jun,Xiao Rongsheng,Jacklyn Wu,Kristy Yang,Wang Gang and Li Li-chun.
The Battle of Pengcheng was fought in Pengcheng in April 205 BC between the kingdoms of Western Chu and Han,led by Xiang Yu and Liu Bang respectively. The Han forces were unprepared and suffered heavy losses. Several of Liu Bang's family members were captured and some of his allies defected to Chu as a result of his defeat.
White Vengeance,also known as Hong Men Yan,is a 2011 Chinese historical film directed by Daniel Lee,starring Leon Lai,Feng Shaofeng,Liu Yifei,Zhang Hanyu,Anthony Wong,Jordan Chan,Andy On,Xiu Qing and Jia Qing. The film is loosely based on events in the Chu–Han Contention,an interregnum between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the founding of the Han dynasty in Chinese history. The film's Chinese title is a reference to the Feast at Hong Gate,one of the highlights of that era.
Ying Bu was a Chinese military general,monarch,politician,and warlord who lived during the early Han dynasty. He was a native of Lu County. In his early life under the Qin dynasty,Ying Bu was convicted and sentenced to qing,so he was also called Qing Bu (黥布). He was then sent to Mount Li to perform hard labour by constructing Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. He later escaped with some men and became the leader of a bandit gang. Ying Bu participated in the insurrection against the Qin dynasty after the Dazexiang Uprising broke out in 209 BC. After the uprising failed,he became part of a rebel force led by Xiang Liang. He assisted Xiang Liang's nephew and successor Xiang Yu in overthrowing the Qin dynasty. After the fall of Qin,he initially fought on Xiang Yu's side in the Chu–Han Contention,a power struggle for supremacy over China between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. However,later,he defected to Liu Bang's side and helped Liu defeat Xiang Yu and become the emperor. During this period of time,Ying Bu held the title "King of Jiujiang". In c.August 203,Liu Bang appointed Ying Bu as a vassal king and granted him the title "King of Huainan". In 196 BC,Ying Bu rebelled against the Han dynasty but was defeated and killed.
Li Xin (李信),courtesy name Youcheng (有成),was a Chinese military general of Qin during the Warring States era. Alongside Wang Jian,Wang Ben and other generals,Li Xin served under Qin Shi Huang in his conquest of the six Warring States. He is also the great-great-grandfather of Li Guang,a Han dynasty general.
Wei Bao was the ruler of the Kingdom of Western Wei (西魏國) of the Eighteen Kingdoms during the Chu–Han Contention,an interregnum between the Qin and Han dynasties of China.
The Qin Empire II:Alliance is a 2012 Chinese television series adapted from Sun Haohui's novel of the same Chinese title,which romanticises the events in China during the Warring States period primarily from the perspective of the Qin state during the reigns of King Huiwen and King Wu.
The Qin Empire III is a 2017 Chinese television series based on Sun Haohui's novel of the same Chinese title,which romanticizes the events in China during the Warring States period primarily from the perspective of the Qin state under King Zhaoxiang. It was first aired on CCTV-1 in mainland China in 2017. It was preceded by The Qin Empire (2009) and The Qin Empire II:Alliance (2012) and followed by The Qin Empire IV (2019),which were also based on Sun Haohui's novels.
Word Of Honor,previously titled A Tale of the Wanderers (天涯客),is a 2021 Chinese costume streaming television series co-produced by Ciwen Media,and Youku,directed by Cheng Zhi Chao,Ma Hua Gan,and Li Hong Yu,written by Xiao Chu,adapted from the danmei novel "Faraway Wanderers" (天涯客) by Priest. It starred Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun in the leading roles. The series aired on Youku from February 22 to May 5 with 36 episodes,plus a short bonus clip shows what happened after the end of the main series.
References
- ↑ Ban Biao; Ban Gu; Ban Zhao. "陳勝項籍傳" [Biographies of Chen Sheng and Xiang Ji]. Book of Han (in Chinese). Vol. 31. Retrieved 15 August 2010.