Zhang Chonghua
Encyclopedia
| Xiping Jingliegong (西平敬烈公) or Xiping Huangong (西平桓公) |
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| 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"... : |
Zhang Zhang (surname) Zhang is among the most common Chinese surnames. In the 1990 edition of Guinness Book of Records, it was listed as the world's most common surname, with over 100 million people worldwide with this surname. It was also ranked third in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Academy of... (張; zhāng) |
| 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"... : |
Chonghua (重華, chóng huá) |
| 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... : |
Jinglie (敬烈, jìng liè) literary meaning: "respectful and achieving" |
| 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... : |
Huan (桓, huán) "diligent" |
Zhang Chonghua (張重華) (327–353), courtesy name Tailin (泰臨), formally Duke Jinglie of Xiping (西平敬烈公, 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...
given by Jin Dynasty (265-420)
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...
) or Duke Huan of Xiping (西平桓公, posthumous name used internally in Former Liang) was a ruler 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...
state 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...
. During his reign, he often not only used the Jin-created title Duke of Xiping, but also used the title "Acting Prince of Liang" (假涼王). During the brief reign of his brother Zhang Zuo
Zhang Zuo
Zhang Zuo , courtesy name Taibo , formally Prince Wei of Liang was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
, he was honored as Prince Ming of Liang (涼明王).
During his father's reign
Zhang Chonghua was born in 327, three years after his father Zhang JunZhang Jun (Former Liang)
Zhang Jun , courtesy name Gongting , formally Duke Zhongcheng of Xiping or Duke Wen of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
had become the ruler of Former Liang, as his second son. His mother was Lady Ma
Princess Dowager Ma
Princess Dowager Ma was the mother of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Chonghua. She was a concubine of Zhang Chonghua's father Zhang Jun....
, a concubine of Zhang Jun. In 333, at age six, he was made 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....
. (It is not clear why he was made heir apparent; he had an older brother, Zhang Zuo
Zhang Zuo
Zhang Zuo , courtesy name Taibo , formally Prince Wei of Liang was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
, and neither was born of Zhang Jun's wife Princess Yan
Princess Yan
Princess Yan was the wife of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Jun. It is not known when Zhang Jun married her, but it is known that she carried the title of princess even though Zhang, for most of his reign, used the Jin Dynasty -created title of Duke of Xiping, and only late in his...
.) In 339, when Zhang Chonghua 12, Zhang Jun transferred some of his authority to Zhang Zhonghua and gave him the title of acting governor of Liang Province (涼州, modern central and western Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
). In early 346, when Zhang Jun divided his domain into three provinces, he made Zhang Zhonghua the governor of Liang Province.
Later in 346, Zhang Jun died. Zhang Chonghua succeeded him, and took the same titles he had—including the Duke of Xiping and the self-declared title Acting Prince of Liang. He honored his father's wife Princess Yan as Grand Princess Dowager and his mother Lady Ma as Princess Dowager.
Reign
Zhang Chonghua appeared to be a mediocre ruler, as he was criticized for spending too much time in games and pleasure. He also tended to trust flattering attendants, even though he was not criticized for being cruel or extravagant. In 349, Suo Zhen (索振) tried to persuade him to spend less time on games and not to reward his attendants with too much money, but while Zhang Chonghua thanked him and rewarded him, he did not appear to change his ways significantly.Soon after Zhang Chonghua succeeded his father, Later Zhao forces, under the generals Wang Zhuo (王擢) and Ma Qiu (麻秋), made a surprise attack against Former Liang, seizing Former Liang's territory south of the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
, including the important city of Jincheng (金城, in modern Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
). Zhang Chonghua commissioned Xie Ai
Xie Ai
Xie Ai was a general for the Chinese state Former Liang who served under Zhang Chonghua.Xie Ai was initially regarded as only capable in civilian matters, and apparently served as a civilian official during the rule of Zhang Chonghua's father Zhang Jun...
to lead his army, and Xie was able to defeat Ma and Wang's forces in 346 and again in 347, forcing them to retreat from their original plans to destroy Former Liang, but the land south of the Yellow River could not be recovered.
Also in 347, the Jin emissary Yu Gui (俞歸) arrived in Former Liang to confer Zhang Chonghua a number of offices—but not the one that Zhang Chonghua was looking for, Prince of Liang. He tried to persuade Yu to grant him that title, but Yu would not, and so he detained Yu (who would not be released until 363, long after Zhang Chonghua's death).
Zhang Chonghua appeared to have largely stood by as 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...
collapsed during 349 to 351. Most of the western territory of Later Zhao fell into the hands of the 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,...
general Fu Jiàn
Fu Jiàn
Fú Jiàn , originally named Pú Jiàn , courtesy name Jianye , formally Emperor Jingming of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin....
, who established 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...
in 351. In late 352 or early 353, the ex-Later Zhao general Wang Zhuo, who had been holding parts of modern eastern Gansu and who had declared loyalty to 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...
, could not resist Former Qin forces and surrendered to Zhang Chonghua, who treated him well, intending to use him as a general against Former Qin. In spring 353, he commissioned Wang, Zhang Hong (張弘), and Song Xiu (宋修) to lead 15,000 men against Former Qin, but suffered a great loss—reportedly 12,000, or 80% of the army. Zhang and Song were captured, while Wang fled back to the capital Guzang (姑臧, in modern Wuwei, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
). In summer, however, Wang led 20,000 men and attacked Shanggui (上邽, in modern Tianshui
Tianshui
Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road at the Wei River, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), capturing most of Qin Province (秦州, modern eastern Gansu). Zhang Chonghua then submitted a petition to Emperor Mu of Jin
Emperor Mu of Jin
Emperor Mu of Jin , personal name Sima Dan , courtesy name Pengzi , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
, requesting a campaign against Former Qin. Emperor Mu sent messengers to praise and bestow more honors on Zhang Chonghua, but the Jin government did not appear to be interested in attacking Former Qin at the time, so the plan was not carried out.
Later that year, Zhang Chonghua grew ill, and he designated his nine-year-old son Zhang Yaoling
Zhang Yaoling
Zhang Yaoling , courtesy name Yuanshu , formally Duke Ai of Xiping, was briefly the ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang in 353 and early 354....
to be his 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....
. His older brother Zhang Zuo the Marquess of Changning plotted with Zhang Chonghua's attendants Zhao Zhang (趙長) and Wei Qi (尉緝) to take over power, and Zhao and Wei falsely accused Deng Ai of crimes and had him exiled from the capital to be the governor of Jiuquan Commandery (酒泉, roughly modern Jiuquan
Jiuquan
- Suzhou town :The administrative center of the "prefecture-level city" of Jiuquan is the "District" of Suzhou , which occupies 3,386 square km in the eastern part of Jiuquan "prefecture-level city", and had a population of 340,000 as of 2002....
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
). Deng submitted a petition accusing Zhang Zuo and Zhao of plotting, and in winter of that year, when Zhang Chonghua grew gravely ill, he tried to summon Deng back to the capital to serve as Zhang Yaoling's regent, but the order was seized by Zhang Zuo and Zhao and never announced. He soon died, and Zhang Yaoling succeeded him, under the title Duke of Xiping. Zhang Zuo became regent, and in early 354 usurped the title from Zhang Yaoling.
Era name?
Most historical sources indicate that Zhang Chonghua, like his grandfather Zhang Shi (張寔), his granduncle Zhang MaoZhang Mao
Zhang Mao , courtesy name Chengxun , formally Prince Chenglie of Liang or Duke Cheng of Xiping was a ruler and the commonly accepted first ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
, and his father Zhang Jun, continued to use Emperor Min of Jin
Emperor Min of Jin
Emperor Min of Jin, Simplified Chinese character 晋愍帝, Traditional Chinese character 晉愍帝, Pinyin. Jìn Mǐndì, Wade-Giles Chin Min-ti , personal name Sima Ye , courtesy name Yanqi , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the last of the Western Jin Dynasty.Emperor Min surrendered in 316 to Liu Yao, a...
's era name Jianxing (both to show continued allegiance to Jin and to distance himself from Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin , personal name Sima Rui , courtesy name Jingwen , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the first of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
and his line) but some sources indicate that he changed era name to Yongle (永樂 yǒng lè 346-353). A current theory is that his era name was used internally while the Jianxing era name was used when communicating with other states.
Personal information
- Father
- Zhang JunZhang Jun (Former Liang)Zhang Jun , courtesy name Gongting , formally Duke Zhongcheng of Xiping or Duke Wen of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
(Duke Zhongcheng)
- Zhang Jun
- Mother
- Lady MaPrincess Dowager MaPrincess Dowager Ma was the mother of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Chonghua. She was a concubine of Zhang Chonghua's father Zhang Jun....
- Lady Ma
- Wife
- Princess PeiPrincess PeiPrincess Pei was the wife of the Chinese state Former Liang's ruler Zhang Chonghua. Very little is known about her, including when Zhang Chonghua made her his princess...
(executed by Zhang ZuoZhang ZuoZhang Zuo , courtesy name Taibo , formally Prince Wei of Liang was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
353)
- Princess Pei
- Major Concubines
- Lady GuoPrincess Dowager GuoPrincess Dowager Guo was a princess dowager of the Chinese state Former Liang. She was Zhang Chonghua 's concubine and likely the mother of Zhang Xuanjing ....
, likely mother of Zhang Xuanjing
- Lady Guo
- Children
- Zhang YaolingZhang YaolingZhang Yaoling , courtesy name Yuanshu , formally Duke Ai of Xiping, was briefly the ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang in 353 and early 354....
(張曜靈), later Duke Ai - Zhang XuanjingZhang XuanjingZhang Xuanjing , courtesy name Yuan'an , formally Duke Jingdao of Xiping or Duke Chong of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
(張玄靚), later Duke Jingdao
- Zhang Yaoling