Qi Jiguang
Encyclopedia
| Names 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"... |
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| Simplified Chinese: | 戚继光 |
| Traditional Chinese: | 戚繼光 |
| Pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into... : |
Qī Jìguāng |
| Wade-Giles Wade-Giles Wade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most... : |
Ch'i Chi-kuang |
| Zi Chinese style name A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect... : |
Yuanjing (元敬) |
| Hao Hao Hao or HAO may refer to:* Hào, a form of Chinese pseudonym* Hao , a Chinese surname* Hao * Hao , Hao or HAO may refer to:* Hào, a form of Chinese pseudonym* Hao (Chinese surname) (郝), a Chinese surname* Hao (French Polynesia)* Hao (city), Hao or HAO may refer to:* Hào, a form of Chinese pseudonym*... : |
Nantang (南塘) |
| Mengzhu (孟諸) | |
| Birth Date: | 12 November 1527 |
| Death Date: | |
Qi Jiguang (November 12, 1528 – January 5, 1588) was a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
military general and national hero during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
. He was best remembered for his courage and leadership in the fight against Japanese pirate
Wokou
Wokou , which literally translates as "Japanese pirates" in English, were pirates of varying origins who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century onwards...
s along the east coast of China, as well as his reinforcement work on the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
.
Early life
Qi Jiguang was born in the town of LuqiaoLuqiao
Luqiao may refer to the following places in China:*Luqiao District , Taizhou, Zhejiang*Luqiao, Dingyuan County , town in Dingyuan County, Anhui*Luqiao, Weishan County, Shandong , town in Weishan County, Shandong...
(鲁橋) in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
province to a family with a long military tradition. His forefather served as a military leader under Zhu Yuanzhang and died in battle. When Zhu Yuanzhang later became the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, he bestowed upon the Qi family the hereditary post of commander-in-chief of Dengzhou
Dengzhou
Dengzhou , formerly Deng County , is a city in Nanyang, Henan, China. it has an area of 2,294 km² and a population of 1,500,000. The urban area is 35 km², and the urban population is 300,000. The city is located in the southwest of Henan province, adjacent to the borders between Henan,...
Garrison (登州衛), a district of the present day Penglai
Penglai City
Penglai City , is a port, a town and an administrative subdivision of the prefecture-level city Yantai in Shandong Province, northeastern China. The port was formerly called Dengzhou . Penglai Water City or Water Fortress , a fortified harbor hidden from the sea, is one of China's oldest military...
.
Qi Jiguang's father, Qi Jingtong (戚景通), was an honest and upright man. He cultivated in his son a yearning for knowledge as well as a firm set of morals. When his father died, Qi Jiguang took over the commandership of Dengzhou Garrison at the age of seventeen. As his siblings were still young, he married Wang and left domestic affairs to her. Besides building up naval defense at the garrison, he also had to lead his troops to help in the defense of Jizhou
Jizhou
Jìzhōu is a city in Hengshui, Hebei province, China. It shares its name with a province of old, Jizhou , which covered parts of Hebei, Henan, and Shandong Provinces.-Administrative Divisions:Towns:...
(薊州), southwest of present day Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
) against East Mongolian raiders during spring time from 1548 to 1552.
At twenty-two, Qi Jiguang headed for Beijing to take part in the martial arts section of the imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
. During this time, East Mongolian troops led by Altan Khan
Altan Khan
Altan Khan , whose given name was Anda , was the ruler of the Tümet Mongols and de facto ruler of the Right Wing, or western tribes, of the Mongols...
broke through the northern defense and laid siege on Beijing. Candidates participating in the martial arts exam were also mobilized to defend the capital. Qi Jiguang displayed extraordinary valor and military ingenuity during the battle, which eventually saw the defeat of the invaders.
Battles against Japanese pirates
In 1553, Qi Jiguang was promoted to Assistant Regional Military Commissioner (都指揮僉事) of Shandong's defense force against JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese pirates. He disciplined his troops and reinforced the defense works well so that the pirates, seeing strong resistance in Shandong, had to move southwards to seek more vulnerable targets.
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, where the Japanese pirates colluded with their Chinese counterparts and expanded their forces. Together with two other renowned generals of his time, Yu Dayou
Yu Dayou
Yú Dàyóu was a Chinese general during the Ming Dynasty, best known for the suppression of wokou piracy along China's southeastern coast....
and Tan Lun
Tan Lun
Tan Lun was an eminent Han Chinese official, military general, of the Jiajing Emperor middle Ming Dynasty in China.Tan Lun raised the Qi Jiguang and combined another generals to fight effectively against the Wokou and restored the stability of Ming Dynasty along with other prominent figures,...
(譚綸), Qi Jiguang led the Ming soldiers to a decisive victory at Cengang (岑港) in 1558. Henceafter, his troops continued to deal fatal blows to the pirates at Taozhu (桃渚), Haimen
Haimen
Haimen is a county-level city in the southeast of Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It is located at the opposite side of the Yangtze River to Shanghai. Chonghai Bridge links the city to Chongming County.The county has a seat named Haimen Township...
Garrison (海門衛) and Taizhou
Taizhou, Zhejiang
Taizhou is a prefecture-level city in middle eastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China...
.
With the situation in Zhejiang under control, Qi Jiguang began to concentrate on training a disciplined and effective army. He drafted mainly miners and farmers from the county of Yiwu
Yiwu
Yiwu is a city of about 1.2 million people in central Zhejiang Province near the central eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. The city is famous for its small commodity trade and vibrant free markets and is a regional tourist destination...
because he believed these people to be honest and hardworking. He also oversaw the construction of 44 naval vessels of various sizes to be used against pirates at sea.
The first trial for Qi Jiguang's new army came in 1559. After a month-long battle with Japanese pirates in the Taizhou Prefecture, with the pirates suffering over 5,000 casualties, Qi Jiguang's army established a name for itself among both the people of Zhejiang and its enemies.
Partly as a result of Qi Jiguang's military success in Zhejiang, pirate activities surged in the province of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
. More than 10,000 pirates had established strongholds along the coast from Fu'an
Fu'an
Fu'an or Fu An is a county-level city in the Ningde prefecture level city, in northeast Fujian province, PRC, some 150 km away from the provincial capital Fuzhou.-Economy:Fu'an is known for its tea production...
(福安) in the north to Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. Located on the banks of the Jiulong River , Zhangzhou borders the cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou to the northeast, Longyan City to the northwest and the province of Guangdong to the southwest.Zhangzhou...
in the south. In July 1562, Qi Jiguang led 6,000 elite troops south into Fujian. Within two months, his army eradicated three major lairs of Japanese pirates at Hengyu (橫嶼), Niutian (牛田) and Lindun (林墩).
However, his own army also suffered significant losses to fighting and diseases. Seeing the pirate infestation in Fujian subdued, Qi Jiguang then returned to Zhejiang to regroup his force. The Japanese pirates took the opportunity to invade Fujian again, this time succeeding in conquering Xinghua
Xinghua
This article is about the city. For other uses, see Xinghua.Xinghua City is a county-level city in Taizhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China...
(興化) (present day Putian
Putian
Putian is a prefecture-level city in eastern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders Fuzhou City to the north, Quanzhou City to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east.-Administration:...
). In April 1563, Qi Jiguang led 10,000 troops into Fujian and regained Xinghua. Over the next year, a series of victories by Qi Jiguang's army finally saw the pirate problem in Fujian fully resolved.
A final major battle against Japanese pirates was fought on the island of Nan'ao (南澳), which lies near the boundary between the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, in September 1565. There Qi Jiguang joined arms with his old comrade Yu Dayou again to defeat the remnant of the combined Japanese and Chinese pirate force.
Years on the northern frontier
Shanhai Pass
Shanhai Pass , or Shanhaiguan, along with Jiayu Pass and Juyong Pass, is one of the major passes of the Great Wall of China It is located in Shanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao, Hebei. In 1961, Shanhaiguan became a site of China First Class National Cultural Site.It is a popular tourist destination,...
and Juyong Pass (居庸關). Meanwhile, he also directed the construction of watchtowers along the wall. After two years of hard work, more than 1,000 watchtowers were completed, giving the defensive capability in the north a great boost.
Qi Jiguang also conducted a month-long military exercise involving more than 100,000 troops in winter 1572. From the experience of the maneuver he wrote Records of Military Training (練兵實紀), which became an invaluable reference for military leaders after him. Over the sixteen years when Qi Jiguang was in Jizhou, not a single Mongolian raider crossed to the south of the Great Wall.
In early 1583, Qi Jiguang was relieved of his duty on the northern frontier and assigned an idle post in Guangdong. His already ill health worsened in the next two years, forcing him to retire to his hometown. He finally died in 1588, days before the Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
. His life was probably best summarized by his own poem:
- For three hundred sixty days a year, I hold my weapon ready atop my steed.
Domestic situation
Qi Jiguang was born during the reign of Jiajing EmperorJiajing Emperor
The Jiajing Emperor was the 11th Ming Dynasty Emperor of China who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin...
, who was a devout follower of Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
. The emperor devoted much of his time to seeking the way of immortality and, ironically, material indulgence. Most of the administrative matters, including military power, were left in the hands of the prime minister, Yan Song. Yan Song was an extremely corrupt official who abused his power. Every year, six tenths of the wages meant for troops guarding the frontlines would end up in his pocket. As a result, damaged defense works were not promptly repaired and acts of desertion were rampant.
When Qi Jiguang took over the commandership of Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
's coastal defense, he had less than 10,000 troops at hand, though the recorded strength was 30,000. Furthermore, most of the deserters were young and strong men who could find a living elsewhere, leaving behind the old and the weak. The troops also lacked training and discipline, while the defense works were dilapidated due to years of negligence.
In addition, Yan Song also established a clan of court and district officials, which ostracized those who opposed its members. Besides covering up one another's acts of corruption, Yan Song's followers also blamed their inability on others, especially those whose capabilities threatened their positions. After the victory at Cengang (岑港), not only was Qi Jiguang not credited for his valor, he was almost demoted over slander that he liaised with Japanese pirates.
Pirate raiders from Japan
Meanwhile, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
was in a state of great unrest. The Sengoku Period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
saw the entire Japan plunged in small-scale regional civil wars. Many defeated samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
s as well as impoverished workers and farmers turned to piracy. They often occupied offshore islands near the coast of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and raided Chinese coastal cities. The raids seriously impeded China's economy and trade, not to mention the mass killings and lootings. The pirate problem intensified during the mid-16th century. Efforts by Chinese generals such as Qi Jiguang effectively curbed the pirate insurgency, but the problem was only eradicated with the coming of the Azuchi-Momoyama period
Azuchi-Momoyama period
The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...
when the situation in Japan stabilized and few new pirates were produced.
Conflicts with the Mongols
With the revolt against the Yuan DynastyYuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
in mid-14th century, Zhu Yuanzhang drove the Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
north beyond the Great Wall and founded the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
. However, he did not manage to emasculate the Mongolian power, which continued to pester the northern front of China for the next two hundred years. When Qi Jiguang was in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1550, Altan Khan
Altan Khan
Altan Khan , whose given name was Anda , was the ruler of the Tümet Mongols and de facto ruler of the Right Wing, or western tribes, of the Mongols...
, ruler of the right wing of the East Mongols, whom the Chinese called "Dada" (韃靼) after Tatar
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
, broke through the northern defense and nearly felled Beijing. In 1571, the Ming Dynasty bestowed the title Lord Shunyi (順義王) upon Atlan Khan and established trade with the Tatar. Atlan Khan then forbade his subordinates from raiding Chinese settlements. However, the left wing of the Tatar led by Jasaghtu Khan
Jasaghtu Khan
Tümen Jasagtu Khan was a 16th century Mongol khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in Mongolia who reigned from 1558 to 1592. He was the successor of Darayisung Gödeng Khan and had direct rule over the Chahar. It was during his rule that the Mongols conquered Daur and Evenks...
continued to test Qi Jiguang's defense, though without much success.
Achievements
Wokou
Wokou , which literally translates as "Japanese pirates" in English, were pirates of varying origins who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century onwards...
raiders. Although he wasn't the only general involved in the effort, many historians regarded as the one who contributed the most. It is also during his lifetime that historians consider the Wokou era ended.
Books by Qi Jiguang
Not only was Qi Jiguang a brilliant general, he also left behind his invaluable practical experience in the form of two books on military strategyMilitary strategy
Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops...
- Ji Xiao Xin Shu
Ji Xiao Xin Shu
The book Ji Xiao Xin Shu was written by the Chinese general Qi Jiguang of the Ming Dynasty. The title can be translated as New Book Recording Effective Techniques....
(紀效新書) and Record of Military Training (練兵實紀). He also wrote a great number of poems
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language, which includes various versions of Chinese language, including Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Yue Chinese, as well as many other historical and vernacular varieties of the Chinese language...
and prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
s, which he compiled into the Collection of Zhizhi Hall (止止堂集), named after his study hall during his office in Jizhou.
Guang bing
Kompyang
Kompyang , also known as kompia, is a biscuit popular in the Malaysian townships of Sitiawan, Sibu, Ayer Tawar, Sarikei and other places where the dominant Chinese community is of Foochow ancestry. Kompyang originates from Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province of the People's Republic of China...
in Malaysia, literally cake of guang) which is still widely consumed in Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province today was named after Qi Jiguang. When Qi Jiguang led his troops into Fujian in 1562, the Japanese pirates, fearing his name, engaged mainly in guerrilla-style battles
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
. To enable Qi Jiguang's troops to march for days in pursuit of the enemy, the people of Fujian baked for them many disc-shaped cakes roughly the size of a palm. In the center of these cakes holes were made so that they could be strung together to be conveniently carried along. Later, to commemorate Qi Jiguang's victory against the pirate raiders, the cakes were named guang bing.
Chi Kuang frigate
A Republic of China NavyRepublic of China Navy
The Republic of China Navy is the maritime branch of the Armed forces of the Republic of China . The ROC Navy's primary mission is to defend ROC territories and the sea lanes that surround Taiwan against a blockade, attack, or possible invasion by forces of the People's Republic of China...
Cheng Kung class frigate
Cheng Kung class frigate
The Cheng Kung class frigates are based upon the U.S. Oliver Hazard Perry class and are currently serving in the Republic of China Navy...
based in Tsoying was named Chi Kuang (FFG 1105)
ROCS Chi Kuang (FFG-1105)
Chi Kuang was the third of eight Taiwanese-built frigates based on the Oliver Hazard Perry-class. Laid down on 4 October 1992 and launched on 27 September 1993, Chi Kuang was commissioned in service on 7 March 1995...
after Qi Jiguang.
In popular culture
The 2008 Chinese television series The Shaolin WarriorsThe Shaolin Warriors
The Shaolin Warriors is a Chinese television series directed by Raymond Lee and starring Sammo Hung, Cui Lin, Christopher Lee, Li Man, Sammy Hung, Cui Peng, Liu Ying and Jeanette Aw. The series was first broadcast in November 2008 on CCTV-8 in mainland China.-Plot:The story is set in the Ming...
provided a fictional account of Qi Jiguang enlisting the help of Shaolin Monastery's warrior monks in defending China from the wokou and other invaders. Singaporean actor Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee (Singaporean actor)
Christopher Lee , born Lee Meng Soon, is a Singapore-based Malaysian Chinese film and television actor, host and singer.-Early life:Lee studied up to form 5 in Sekolah Menangah Seri Kota, Air Leleh, Malacca, Malaysia...
played Qi Jiguang.