Qin Jingmingdi ((前)秦景明帝)
Family name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... :	Fu (苻; fú)
Given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... :	Jian (健, jiàn)
Temple name Temple name Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive... :	Gaozu (高祖, gaō zǔ)
Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... :	Jingming (景明, jǐng míng), literary meaning: "decisive and understanding"

Fú Jiàn (Chinese

Chinese character

Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...

: 苻健; 317–355), originally named Pú Jiàn (蒲健, name changed 350), courtesy name Jianye (建業), formally Emperor Jingming of (Former) Qin ((前)秦景明帝), was the founding emperor of the Chinese

History of China

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...

/Di

Di (ethnic group)

The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...

 state Former Qin

Former Qin

The Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...

.

During the reign of Shi Hu of Later Zhao

Pú Jiàn was born, as Pu Hong

Fu Hong

Fu Hong originally named Pu Hong , courtesy name Guangshi, was the Di He was the father of first emperor of Former Qin, Fu Jiàn. In 350, Fu Hong self-proclaimed to be the Prince of Three Qins receiving a prophecy willed him to become King . On the same year, he was poisoned by his subordinate Ma...

 (蒲洪)'s third son, by Lady Jiang, in 317, while Pu Hong was a Di chieftain under Han Zhao

Han Zhao

The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...

. However, he grew up largely during the time when Pu Hong served under Later Zhao

Later Zhao

The Later Zhao was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity...

's emperor Shi Hu

Shi Hu

Shi Hu , courtesy name Jilong , formally Emperor Wu of Zhao , was an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao...

. Shi Hu, while outwardly appreciative of Pu Hong's service, was deeply apprehensive of the loyalty Pu's Di soldiers had for him, and so secretly killed Pu Hong's two oldest sons. However, impressed with Pú Jiàn's bravery, archery, horsemanship, and generosity, Shi Hu favored him greatly and spared him.

In 349, as Shi Hu was gravely ill, he commissioned Pu Hong to be the governor of Yong Province (雍州, modern central and northern Shaanxi

Shaanxi

' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...

). However, it appeared that Pu Hong did not immediately proceed to his post, but was slow in preparing his Di troops for assignment while at his base at Fangtou (枋頭, in modern Hebi

Hebi

Hebi is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Situated in mountainous terrain at the edge of the Shanxi plateau, Hebi is about 25 miles south of Anyang, 40 miles northeast of Xinxiang and 65 miles north of Kaifeng....

, Henan

Henan

Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...

).

During the collapse of Later Zhao

After Shi Hu died later that year, he was succeeded by his youngest son Shi Shi

Shi Shi

Shi Shi was briefly the emperor of the Jie/Chinese Hun state Later Zhao following his father Shi Hu's death in 349. In the Chinese annals he is sometimes referred to by his title after removal as an Emperor, Prince of Qiao .Shi Shi was Shi Hu's youngest son, by his third empress Empress Liu,...

, but the power was actually in the hands of Shi Shi's mother Empress Dowager Liu

Empress Liu (Wu)

Empress Liu was an empress of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao. She was Shi Hu 's third and final empress.The future Empress Liu was the youngest daughter of the final Han Zhao emperor Liu Yao...

 and her ally Zhang Chai (張豺). Dissatisfied with Empress Dowager Liu and Zhang, Pu, along with several other generals, persuaded another son of Shi Hu, Shi Zun

Shi Zun

Shi Zun was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao. He was the second of four short-lived emperors after the death of his father Shi Hu...

 the Prince of Pengcheng to march on to the capital Yecheng

Ye, China

Ye or Yecheng was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan....

, overthrowing Shi Shi. Shi Zun became emperor, but he was apprehensive of Pu Hong taking over the Guanzhong

Guanzhong

Guanzhong , or Guanzhong Plain, is a historical region of China corresponding to the lower valley of the Wei River. It is called Guanzhong or 'within the passes' to distinguish it from 'Guandong' or 'east of the pass', that is, the North China Plain. The North China Plain is bordered on the west by...

 region, and therefore stripped Pu Hong of his title as governor of Yong Province. Pu Hong became angry, and immediately returned to his troops at Fangtou and sought assistance from Jin

Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...

. Pú Jiàn appeared to have been with his father during this time and supportive of his ambitions.

Later in the year, Shi Zun was overthrown by his adoptive nephew Shi Min, who supported another son of Shi Hu, Shi Jian

Shi Jian

Shi Jian was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao. He was the third of four short-lived emperors after the death of his father Shi Hu . He is sometimes referred to by his title prior to becoming emperor, Prince of Yiyang...

 the Prince of Yiyang, as the new emperor. As the turmoil continued, the Di and Qiang that Shi Hu had previously forced to move to eastern China began to disregard Later Zhao laws and seek to return to their ancestral homes in the west. They supported Pu Hong as their leader. In 350, when after Shi Min had issued an order for the slaughter of the non-Han

Han Chinese

Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...

, but particularly the Jie

Jie (ethnic group)

The Jié were members of a small tribe in Northern China in the 4th century CE. They established the Later Zhao state.According to the Book of Wei, their name derives from the Jiéshì area where they reside....

 and the Xiongnu

Xiongnu

The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...

 and began to show intent to take over the empire, Pu Hong was one of the generals resisting Shi Min. Later in the year, Jin created him the Duke of Guangchuan, and created Pu Jiàn the Duke of Xiangguo. However, Pu Hong did not hold onto the Jin-created titles for long, and soon declared himseof the Prince of Sanqin (i.e., the prince of the Three Qins

Three Qins

The Three Qins refer to three of the Eighteen Kingdoms, formed from the division of the empire after the collapse of the Qin Dynasty in 206 BC...

) and the Grand Chanyu

Chanyu

Chanyu , was the title used by the nomadic supreme rulers of Middle and Central Asia for 8 centuries, starting...

, and changed his family name from Pu to Fu, in response to a prophecy. He intended to march west to occupy the Guanzhong region; however, as he was planning, he was poisoned to death by his general Ma Qiu (麻秋); on his death bed, Fu Hong ordered Fú Jiàn to take over the Guanzhong region. Fú Jiàn, as his father's heir apparent

Heir apparent

An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

, took over his troops and put Ma to death. He discarded the titles that his father had claimed, and again claimed the Jin-created titles.

Later that year, Fú Jiàn readied for a campaign west, but did not want to let the general Du Hong (杜洪), who occupied Guanzhong's main city Chang'an

Chang'an

Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...

, know his intention, so he pretended to be ready to permanently settle at Fangtou. Once Du became relaxed, Fu marched west, dividing his army into two groups, one commanded by his brother Fu Xiong (苻雄) and himself, and one commanded by his nephew Fu Qing (苻菁) and Yu Zun (魚遵). Both armies advanced west quickly, and in winter 350, Chang'an fell to Fú Jiàn's forces.

In spring 351, Fú Jiàn's advisor Jia Xuanshuo (賈玄碩) suggested that Fú Jiàn claim the title the Prince of Qin and request Jin to create him that title. Fú Jiàn was displeased, because he was ready to declare independence from Jin. He soon declared himself the "Heavenly Prince" (Tian Wang

Tian Wang

Tian Wang , translatable as either "heavenly prince" or "heavenly king," was a Chinese regal title that was most frequently used during the Sixteen Kingdoms era, among the kingdoms founded by members of the Wu Hu tribes, often used as an intermediate stage from claiming a prince/king title to an...

), formally breaking from Jin (and Later Zhao) and establishing Former Qin.

Reign

As the ruler of Former Qin, Fú Jiàn appeared to be a diligent and thrifty ruler, and he abolished many of the harsh Later Zhao laws and invited able people to join his administration, but he was also violent and easily offended. For example, later in 351, he became increasingly angry that Jia had initially only suggested that he claim a princely title and not an imperial title, and he falsely accused Jia of conspiring with Jin's general Sima Xun (司馬勳) and put Jia and his sons to death.

In 352, Fú Jiàn claimed the title emperor. He continued to engage both former Later Zhao generals who controlled small fiefdoms and Former Yan

Former Yan

The Former Yan was a state of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin Dynasty -created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, after seizing most of the former Later Zhao territory, Murong Juan would...

 and Jin

Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...

 forces, as the three states settle their borders by force in the aftermaths of Later Zhao's final destruction in 351 and the subsequent of Ran Min (formerly known as Shi Min)'s fall to Former Yan in 352. In 353, Fu Xiong and Fu Qing also repelled an attack by the nominal Jin vassal Former Liang

Former Liang

The Former Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin dynasty in China. It was founded by the Zhang family of the Han Chinese...

.

In 354, the Jin general Huan Wen

Huan Wen

Huan Wen , courtesy name Yuanzi , formally Duke Xuanwu of Nan Commandery , was a general of the Jin Dynasty...

 launched a major attack on Former Qin, in coordination with Former Liang forces. Fú Jiàn gathered all of his available forces and put them in the hands of his sons Fu Chang (苻萇) the Crown Prince

Crown Prince

A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....

, Fu Sheng

Fu Sheng

Fu Sheng , originally named Pu Sheng , courtesy name Changsheng , formally Prince Li of Yue , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...

 the Prince of Huainan, Fu Shuo the Prince of Beiping, along with Fu Xiong and Fu Qing, ready to resist Huan. Huan, however, was able to advance all the way to Chang'an's vicinity, defeating all Former Qin resistance on the way. However, Huan hesitated at making a final siege against Chang'an, and as Fú Jiàn, anticipating the Jin attack, had already harvested all of the wheat, Jin forces began to run out of food supplies and was forced to withdraw in late summer 354.

The success against Huan came at a price, however, as Fú Jiàn's crown prince Fu Chang suffered an arrow wound in the campaign against Huan, and died in winter 354. Fu Jiàn's wife Empress Qiang

Empress Qiang

Empress Qiang , formally Empress Mingde , was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...

 wanted to create their youngest son Fu Liu (苻柳) the Prince of Jin crown prince, but Fu Jiàn, believing in a prophecy that appeared to indicate that he should create Fu Sheng crown prince, did so in 355 -- notwithstanding Fu Sheng's violent and capricious nature.

In summer 355, Fú Jiàn grew ill. During his illness, his nephew Fu Qing the Prince of Pingchang, believing that Fú Jiàn had already died, made a surprise attack on Fu Sheng's palace, intending to kill Fu Sheng and take over as emperor. Fú Jiàn, in his illness, quickly emerged and showed himself to the guards; as soon as Fu Qing's army saw Fú Jiàn as well, the soldiers panicked and abandoned Fu Qing. Fú Jiàn executed Fu Qing but no one else. He died five days later, leaving his new empire in the hands of his unstable son.

Personal information

• Father
  • Fu Hong
    Fu Hong
    Fu Hong originally named Pu Hong , courtesy name Guangshi, was the Di He was the father of first emperor of Former Qin, Fu Jiàn. In 350, Fu Hong self-proclaimed to be the Prince of Three Qins receiving a prophecy willed him to become King . On the same year, he was poisoned by his subordinate Ma...
    
     (苻洪), originally Pu Hong (蒲洪, name changed 350), self-proclaimed Prince of Sanqin, posthumously honored as Emperor Wuhui (poisoned by Ma Qiu (麻秋) 350)
• Mother
  • Lady Jiang
• Wife
  • Empress Qiang
    Empress Qiang
    Empress Qiang , formally Empress Mingde , was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...
    
     (created 351, d. 356)
• Children (note: all of Fú Jiàn's sons, except where as noted, who were created dukes in 351, were promoted to princes in 352 and subsequently redemoted to dukes in 357 because Fu Jiān
  Fu Jian
  Fu Jian may refer to:* Fú Jiàn , founding emperor of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Jingming* Fú Jiān , ruler of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Xuanzhao-See also:...
  
  , who took the throne that year, claimed the title of "Heavenly Prince" (Tian Wang
  Tian Wang
  Tian Wang , translatable as either "heavenly prince" or "heavenly king," was a Chinese regal title that was most frequently used during the Sixteen Kingdoms era, among the kingdoms founded by members of the Wu Hu tribes, often used as an intermediate stage from claiming a prince/king title to an...
  
  ) rather than emperor; they will only be referred to here as dukes rather than princes to avoid repetition)
  • Fu Chang (苻萇), Crown Prince Xian'ai (created 351, d. 354)
  • Fu Jing (苻靚), the Duke of Pingyuan (created 351)
  • Fu Sheng
    Fu Sheng
    Fu Sheng , originally named Pu Sheng , courtesy name Changsheng , formally Prince Li of Yue , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...
    
     (苻生), initially the Duke of Huainan (created 351), later the Crown Prince (created 355), later emperor
  • Fu Di (苻覿), the Duke of Changle (created 351)
  • Fu Fang (苻方), the Duke of Gaoyang (created 351). Killed in Battle of Lishan against Western Yan 385
  • Fu Shuo (苻碩), the Duke of Beiping (created 351)
  • Fu Teng (苻騰), the Duke of Huaiyang (created 351, executed 364)
  • Fu Liu (苻柳), the Duke of Jin (created 351, executed 368)
  • Fu Tong (苻桐), the Duke of Ru'nan (created 351)
  • Fu Sou (苻廋), the Duke of Wei (created 351, forced to commit suicide 368)
  • Fu Wu (苻武), the Duke of Yan (created 351, executed 368)
  • Fu You (苻幼), the Duke of Zhao (created 351, killed in battle 365)