Xia (Sixteen Kingdoms)
Encyclopedia
Tiefu was a pre-state
Xiongnu
tribe
during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms
in China
. Its chieftain Liu Bobo established the state of Xia in 407 and changed his family name into Helian.
Although the Xia only lasted up to 431, its capital Tongwan (in Ordos
) was certainly a heavily fortified and state-of-the-art city that would serve as a frontier garrison until the Song Dynasty
. Its ruins were discovered during the Qing Dynasty
and can still be seen in present-day Inner Mongolia
.
The Wei Shu also records that Liu Kuren's tribe, the Dugu, were descended from the Xiongnu. Yao Weiyuan 姚薇元 suggested in the past that 'Dugu' was an alternate form of 'Tuge' 屠各, the Xiongnu aristocratic clan that had adopted the surname of Liu 刘, members of which also ruled the Former Zhao state. This writer further suggests that 'Tuge' is an alternate form of 'Tuhe' 徒河, which is the branch of the Xianbei
from which the Murong
慕容 were descended. The Liu (Dugu) were also known as Tiefu 铁弗, a term which meant that they had Xiongnu fathers and Xianbei mothers. Thus it is reasonable to say that the Dugu were at least half Xianbei.
All rulers of the Xia declared themselves "emperors
".
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
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...
tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms
Sixteen Kingdoms
The Sixteen Kingdoms, or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 AD after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties...
in 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...
. Its chieftain Liu Bobo established the state of Xia in 407 and changed his family name into Helian.
Although the Xia only lasted up to 431, its capital Tongwan (in Ordos
Ordos Desert
The Ordos Desert is a desert and steppe region lying on a plateau in the south of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China . The soil of the Ordos is a mixture of clay and sand and, as a result, is poorly suited for agriculture. It extends over an area of...
) was certainly a heavily fortified and state-of-the-art city that would serve as a frontier garrison until the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
. Its ruins were discovered during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
and can still be seen in present-day Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
.
The Wei Shu also records that Liu Kuren's tribe, the Dugu, were descended from the Xiongnu. Yao Weiyuan 姚薇元 suggested in the past that 'Dugu' was an alternate form of 'Tuge' 屠各, the Xiongnu aristocratic clan that had adopted the surname of Liu 刘, members of which also ruled the Former Zhao state. This writer further suggests that 'Tuge' is an alternate form of 'Tuhe' 徒河, which is the branch of the Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
from which the Murong
Murong
Murong refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are a Mongolic people attested from the time of Tanshihuai . Different strands of evidence exist linking the Murong to the language family of Mongols. Murong is also a Chinese surname...
慕容 were descended. The Liu (Dugu) were also known as Tiefu 铁弗, a term which meant that they had Xiongnu fathers and Xianbei mothers. Thus it is reasonable to say that the Dugu were at least half Xianbei.
All rulers of the Xia declared themselves "emperors
Chinese nobility
Chinese sovereignty and peerage, the nobility of China, were an important feature of traditional social and political organization of Imperial China. While the concepts of hereditary sovereign and peerage titles and noble families were featured as early as the semi-mythical, early historical...
".
Chieftains of the Tiefu and rulers of the Xia
| 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... s | 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... s | Family names and 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"... | Durations of reigns | Era names and their according durations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
||||
| Chieftains of the Tiefu | ||||
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 劉去卑 Liú Qùbēi Liu Qubei Liu Qubei , was a Tiefu Hun chieftain from 260 to 272. Right Prince of the Southern Xiongnu. . 南匈奴之右賢王（魏書作左賢王）... |
260-272 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 劉誥升爰 Liú Gàoshēngyuán | 272-309 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 劉虎 Liú Hǔ | 309-341 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 劉務恒 Liú Wùhéng | 341-356 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 劉閼陋頭 Liú èlòutóu | 356-358 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 劉悉勿祈 Liú Xīwùqí | 358-359 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 劉衛辰 Liú Wèichén | 359-391 | Did not exist |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 劉勃勃 Liú Bóbó | 391-407 | Did not exist |
| Rulers of the Xia | ||||
| Shizu (世祖 Shìzǔ) | Wulie (武烈 Wǔliè) | 赫連勃勃 Hèlián Bóbó Helian Bobo Helian Bobo , né Liu Bobo , courtesy name Qujie , formally Emperor Wulie of Xia , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Xia... |
407-425 | Longsheng (龍升 Lóngshēng) 407-413 Fengxiang (鳳翔 Fèngxiáng) 413-418 Changwu (昌武 Chāngwǔ) 418-419 Zhenxing (真興 Zhēnxīng) 419-425 |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 赫連昌 Hèlián Chāng Helian Chang Helian Chang , courtesy name Huan'guo , nickname Zhe , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Xia. He was the successor and a son of the founding emperor Helian Bobo . After his father's death in 425, he tried to expand Xia further, but soon his state began to collapse in light of pressure... |
425-428 | Chengguang (承光 Chéngguāng) 425-428 |
| Did not exist | Did not exist | 赫連定 Hèlián Dìng Helian Ding Helian Ding , nickname Zhifen , was the last emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Xia. He was a son of the founding emperor Helian Bobo and a younger brother of his predecessor Helian Chang... |
428-431 | Shengguang (勝光 Shèngguāng) 428-431 |
See also
- XiongnuXiongnuThe 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...
- Wu HuWu HuWu Hu was a Chinese term for the northern non-Chinese nomadic tribes which caused the Wu Hu uprising, and established the Sixteen Kingdoms from 304 to 439 AD.-Definition:...
- List of past Chinese ethnic groups
- Tongwan
- Xia DynastyXia DynastyThe Xia Dynasty is the first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical chronicles such as Bamboo Annals, Classic of History and Records of the Grand Historian. The Xia Dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors gave his throne to him...
- Western XiaWestern XiaThe Western Xia Dynasty or the Tangut Empire, was known to the Tanguts and the Tibetans as Minyak.The state existed from 1038 to 1227 AD in what are now the northwestern Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, southwest Inner Mongolia, and...