Liu Cong

After Liu Cong took the throne, he created his brother Liu Ai crown prince, promising to eventually give Liu Ai the throne that he offered to Liu Cong instead. He created his wife Princess Huyan empress, and created her son Liu Can the Prince of Jin, putting him in charge of much of his troops, along with his cousin Liu Yao the Prince of Shi'an. Both Liu Yuan's empress Empress Dan and Liu Cong's own mother Consort ...

See also:

Liu Cong, Liu Cong - Early career, Liu Cong - Early reign, Liu Cong - Late reign, Liu Cong - Era names, Liu Cong - Personal information

Read more here: » Liu Cong: Encyclopedia II - Liu Cong - Early reign

China is one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with written records dating back 3,500 years. Turtle shells with markings reminiscent of ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty (商朝) have been carbon dated to around 1,500 BC. These records suggest that the origins of Chinese civilization started with city-states that may go back more than 5,000 years. Two thousand years ago is c ...

Including:

• History of China - Prehistoric times
• History of China - Ancient histories
• History of China - Xia Dynasty
• History of China - Shang Dynasty
• History of China - Zhou Dynasty
• History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire
• History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity
• History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties
• History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification
• History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity
• History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin
• History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty
• History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture
• History of China - Qing Dynasty
• History of China - The Republic of China
• History of China - Post modern independence

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia - History of China

Emperor Huai was commonly regarded as an intelligent man, and he tried to institute reforms that he felt would allow the empire to recover from the ravages of the War of the Eight Princes and the subsequent Wu Hu and agrarian uprisings. However, Sima Yue maintained a tight grip on power and would not allow the emperor to exercise much actual authority. In spring 307, Emperor Huai created Sima Qin's brother (and therefore fellow son of Emperor Huai's brother Sima Yan (司馬晏) the Prince of Wu) Sima Quan (司馬詮) crown prince. (His apparent conclusion, at the young age of 23, that he should make a nephew his heir, may i ...

See also:

Emperor Huai of Jin, Emperor Huai of Jin - As Prince of Yuzhang and crown prince, Emperor Huai of Jin - Reign, Emperor Huai of Jin - After capture by Han Zhao, Emperor Huai of Jin - Era name, Emperor Huai of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Huai of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Huai of Jin - Reign

In spring 313, the captured Emperor Huai was executed by the Han Zhao emperor Liu Cong. The news, however, took three months to get to Chang'an. Once it did, Crown Prince Ye held an official mourning for his uncle and then ascended the throne as Emperor Min. At that time, the city of Chang'an was so poor that it had less than a hundred households, and there were only four wagons available. The officials lacked official uniforms and seals. The military matters were largely entrusted to the generals Qu Yun (麴允) and Suo Lin (索綝). Empero ...

See also:

Emperor Min of Jin, Emperor Min of Jin - Prior to becoming emperor, Emperor Min of Jin - Reign, Emperor Min of Jin - After capture by Han Zhao, Emperor Min of Jin - Era name, Emperor Min of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Min of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Min of Jin - Reign

Sima Rui was born in 276 in the then-Jin capital Luoyang, as the son of Sima Jin (司馬覲) the Prince of Langye and his wife Princess Xiahou Wenji (夏侯文姬). (The Wei Shu claimed that he was not Prince Jin's biological son but the product of an affair that Princess Xiahou had, but provided no real evidence, and the claim should be considered suspect.) His father died in 290, and he became the Prince of Langye. He was ...

See also:

Emperor Yuan of Jin, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early career, Emperor Yuan of Jin - After the fall of Luoyang, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early reign, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Confrontation with Wang Dun, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Era names, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Yuan of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early career

By the 280s, a huge number (approximately 400,000) of Xiongnu herdsmen resided in the Ordos Desert and the Bing province, a political division including modern-day areas of the whole Shanxi province, southwestern part of Inner Mongolia and eastern part of Shaanxi province, after Cao Cao moved them there and split them into "five departments" (五部, pinyin Wǔbù) These Xiongnu seemed to substantially chang ...

See also:

Han Zhao, Han Zhao - The Condition of the Xiongnu in Northern China and their uprising, Han Zhao - Rulers of the Han Zhao

Read more here: » Han Zhao: Encyclopedia II - Han Zhao - The Condition of the Xiongnu in Northern China and their uprising

Archaeological sites such as Sanxingdui (三星堆) and Erlitou (二里頭) show evidence of a Bronze Age civilization in China. The earliest written record of China's past dates from the Shang Dynasty in perhaps the 13th century BC, and takes the form of inscriptions of divination records on the bones or shells of animals—the so-called oracle bones (甲骨文). However the earliest comprehensive history of China, the Historical Records (史記) by Sima Qian (司馬遷), a renowned Chinese historiographer of the 2nd century B ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - Post modern independence

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Ancient histories

Archaeological sites such as Sanxingdui (三星堆) and Erlitou (二里頭) show evidence of a Bronze Age civilization in China. The earliest written record of China's past dates from the Shang Dynasty in perhaps the 13th century BC, and takes the form of inscriptions of divination records on the bones or shells of animals—the so-called oracle bones (甲骨文). However the earliest comprehensive history of China, the Historical Records (史記) by Sima Qian (司馬遷), a renowned Chinese historiographer of the 2nd century B ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Ancient histories

Though these three kingdoms were reunited temporarily in 280 by the (Western) Jin Dynasty (晉朝), the contemporary non-Han Chinese (Wu Hu, 五胡) ethnic groups controlled much of the country in the early 4th century and provoked large-scale Han Chinese migrations to south of the Chang Jiang (長江). In 303 the Di (氐) people rebelled and later captured Chengdu (成都). Under Liu Yuan (劉淵) the Xiongnu rebelled near today's Linfen County (山西省臨汾縣). His successor Liu Cong (劉聰) captured and executed the last two Western ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin, the Sixteen Kingdoms, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors, the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - Post modern independence

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Jin, the Sixteen Kingdoms, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties

With the proclamation of the People's Republic of China (中華人民共和國) on October 1, 1949, China was divided yet again, into the PRC on the mainland and the ROC on Taiwan and several outlying islands of Fujian (福建省), with two governments each regarding itself as the one true Chinese government and denouncing the other as illegitimate. This remained true until the early 1990s, when political changes on Taiwan led the ROC to formally accept that they would never reoccupy China again. Since then, they have been pushing actively t ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - The Present

In early 318, Han Zhao's emperor Liu Cong executed Emperor Min, and three months later, news arrived in Jiankang. Sima Rui then declared himself emperor (as Emperor Yuan). At this time, the areas directly under his control were roughly south of the Yellow River and east of the Three Gorges, although pockets of Jin territory in the north -- chief among which was You Province (幽州, modern Beijing, Tianjin, and northern Hebei), controlled by the ethnically Xianbei governor Duan Pidi (段匹磾) -- largely also recognized him as emperor. Howe ...

See also:

Emperor Yuan of Jin, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early career, Emperor Yuan of Jin - After the fall of Luoyang, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early reign, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Confrontation with Wang Dun, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Era names, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Yuan of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early reign

Frustrated by the Qing court's resistance to reform and by China's weakness, young officials, military officers, and students—inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) —began to advocate the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and creation of a republic. A revolutionary military uprising, the Wuchang Uprising, began on October 10, 1911 in Wuhan (武漢). The provisional government of the Republic of China (中華民國) was formed in Nanjing on March 12, 1912 with Sun Yat-sen as President, but Sun decided to turn power ove ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - The Republic of China

The Qing Dynasty (清朝, 1644–1911) was founded after the defeat of the Ming, the last Han Chinese dynasty, by the Manchus (滿族). The Manchus were formerly known as the Jurchen and invaded from the north in the late seventeenth century. For many decades, historians did not understand the differences between the Manchu rulers and their Chinese subjects. Even though the Manchus started out as alien conquerors, they quickly adopted the Confucian norms ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Qing Dynasty

Sima Chi was one of the youngest sons of Emperor Wu, the founding emperor of Jin, by his concubine Consort Wang. Just prior to Emperor Wu's death in 290, he was created the Prince of Yuzhang. During the early stages of the War of the Eight Princes during his developmentally disabled brother Emperor Hui's reign, unlike the other princes fighting for power, Prince Chi did not get himself in political or military matters, but spent his time studying history. In late 304, when Emperor Hui was forcibly taken from the capital Luoyang to Cha ...

See also:

Emperor Huai of Jin, Emperor Huai of Jin - As Prince of Yuzhang and crown prince, Emperor Huai of Jin - Reign, Emperor Huai of Jin - After capture by Han Zhao, Emperor Huai of Jin - Era name, Emperor Huai of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Huai of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Huai of Jin - As Prince of Yuzhang and crown prince

In 311, Luoyang fell to Han Zhao forces, and Emperor Huai was captured. A large number of refugees, fleeing Han Zhao forces, crossed the Yangtze River and arrived in Sima Rui's domain. Under Wang Dao's suggestion, Sima Rui sought out the talented men among them and added them to his administration. Meanwhile, he began to exercise more imperial power, and began to put all other provinces south of the Huai River under his own control -- and, for the next few years, under the command of Wang Dun and other generals such as Tao Kan and Zhou Fang ...

See also:

Emperor Yuan of Jin, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early career, Emperor Yuan of Jin - After the fall of Luoyang, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early reign, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Confrontation with Wang Dun, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Era names, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Yuan of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Yuan of Jin - After the fall of Luoyang

Sima Ye was a son of Sima Yan (司馬晏) the Prince of Wu, a son of Jin's founding emperor Emperor Wu. However, he was posthumously adopted by his uncle Sima Jian (司馬柬) the Prince of Qin, who died in 291, nine years before his birth, and so he inherited the title of Prince of Qin. When the Jin capital Luoyang fell to Han Zhao forces in 313, Prince Ye's uncle Emperor Huai was captured, and his father Prince Yan was killed. Prince Ye himself, at age 13, was able to escape from Han Zhao forces, and he got to Mi (密縣, in modern ...

See also:

Emperor Min of Jin, Emperor Min of Jin - Prior to becoming emperor, Emperor Min of Jin - Reign, Emperor Min of Jin - After capture by Han Zhao, Emperor Min of Jin - Era name, Emperor Min of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Min of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Min of Jin - Prior to becoming emperor

For one and a half years, the former Jin emperor lived a humiliating existence in the Han Zhao capital. In 312, Liu Cong promoted him to the title of the Duke of Kuaiji. Once, after inviting the duke to a feast, Liu Cong commented on a meeting they had while the former emperor was still the Prince of Yuzhang, leading to a notable colloquy. Liu Cong first stated, When you were the Prince of Yuzhang, I had once visited you with Wang Ji (王濟). Wang praised me, and you said, "I have long heard of your fame." You showed me the ...

See also:

Emperor Huai of Jin, Emperor Huai of Jin - As Prince of Yuzhang and crown prince, Emperor Huai of Jin - Reign, Emperor Huai of Jin - After capture by Han Zhao, Emperor Huai of Jin - Era name, Emperor Huai of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Huai of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Huai of Jin - After capture by Han Zhao

By 320, Emperor Yuan's relationship with Wang Dun was at a breaking point, as Wang Dun had grown more and more arrogant and controlling of the western provinces. Emperor Yuan feared him, and therefore began to group men around him who were against Wang Dun as well, such as Liu Huai (劉隗) and Diao Xie (刁協) -- men of mixed reputation who, in their efforts to suppress the Wangs' power offended many other people. In 321, Emperor Yuan commissioned Dai Yuan (戴淵) and Liu with substantial forces, claiming that they were to defend against Later Zhao attacks, but instead was ...

See also:

Emperor Yuan of Jin, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early career, Emperor Yuan of Jin - After the fall of Luoyang, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Early reign, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Confrontation with Wang Dun, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Era names, Emperor Yuan of Jin - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Yuan of Jin: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Yuan of Jin - Confrontation with Wang Dun

There was strong sentiment, among the populace, against the rule of the "foreigner" (known as Dázi 韃子), which finally led to peasant revolts. The Mongolians were pushed back to the steppes and replaced by the Ming Dynasty (明朝) in 1368. During Mongol rule, the population had dropped by 40 percent, to an estimated 60 million. Two centuries later, it had doubled. Urbanization thus increased as the population grew and as the division of labor grew more complex. Large urban centers, such as Nanjing and Beijing, also contributed to ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture

Yuanxi (元熙 yuán xī) 304-308 Yongfeng (永鳳 yǒng fèng) 308-309 Guangxing (光興 guāng xīng) 310-311 Jiaping (嘉平 jiā pīng) 311-315 Jianyuan (建元 jiàn yuán) 315-316 Linjia (麟嘉 lín jiā) 316-318 Note: Liu Xi was Liu Yao's crown prince who was thrusted into the leadership role when Liu Yao was captured by Later Zhao's em ...

See also:

Han Zhao, Han Zhao - The Condition of the Xiongnu in Northern China and their uprising, Han Zhao - Rulers of the Han Zhao

Read more here: » Han Zhao: Encyclopedia II - Han Zhao - Rulers of the Han Zhao