House of Zhao
House of Zhao, also known as House of Chao (Pinyin: Zhao; Wade–Giles: Chao; Traditional Chinese: 趙; Simplified Chinese: 赵), was the imperial family of Song Empire.
Family History
The Origin
The House of Zhao originated from Zhuo Jun Zhao Shi [1](Wade–Giles: Chuo Jun Chao Shi; Traditional Chinese: 涿郡趙氏; Simplified Chinese: 涿郡赵氏;)，which is a very old and well-known family in China with a long history since Spring and Autumn Period (simplified Chinese: 春秋时代; traditional Chinese: 春秋時代; pinyin: Chūn qiū shí dài)。The founder of the Song Empire ── Zhao Kuangyin (Wade–Giles: Chao Kuangyin; Traditional Chinese: 趙匡胤, Simplified Chinese: 赵匡胤; pinyin: Zhào Kuāngyìn), also known as Song Taizu was born in a family with military tradition. His father Zhao Hongyin (趙弘殷) moved from Zhuo Jun to Luoyang (Traditional Chinese: 洛陽, Simplified Chinese: 洛阳)。Zhao Kuangyin also had an elder brother Zhao Guangji, two younger brothers: Zhao Guangyi (His successor, the second emperor of Song Empire) and Zhao Guangmei, and two younger sisters.
During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong the Song Emperors claimed Huangdi as an ancestor.[2]
Rise of Family
Zhao Kuangyin's military career started in Hou Han. However, he quickly changed his stance, and went for his new leader Zhou Shizong, which was the enemy of Hou Han. He also persuaded his father Zhao Hongyin (趙弘殷), who was a military general of Hou Han, to serve for Zhou Shizong ─ Chai Rong. This caused the decline and collapse of Hou Han. With Zhou Shizong's trust, Zhao Kuangyin was assigned to the guardian of the new little seven-year-old Emperor Zhou Gong Di before Zhou Shizong's death.
However, with great accomplishment, ambition, and followers' loyalties and supports, Zhao Kuangyin eventually replaced Zhou Gong Di during a peaceful military coup, and became new ruler of the new kingdom Song. With years' efforts, Zhao Kuangyin conquered rest of the kingdoms in the north and south, and finally reunited China, and found great Song Empire. In order to prevent same military coup to happen again, Zhao Kuangyin fired all of his generals, and sent them home safely. This caused the overall military weakness of Song later.
Zhao Guangyi reigned for seventeen years and died suddenly and suspiciously in 976 at the age of forty-nine. His brother Zhao Guangyi ─ also known as Song Taizong became new emperor of Song Empire. There was a saying that Zhao Kuangyin was murdered by his brother Zhao Guangyi; and Zhao Kuangyin's two princes also died in same way.
Decline: Jingkang Incident
Nevertheless, Song still thrived under Zhao Guangyi's reign. But the threats of Northern Nomadic tribes, such as Khitans (Chinese: 契丹), Jurchens (Jin) (Chinese: 女真), and Tangut (Chinese: 黨項). On March 20, 1127, the capital of Song ─ Dongjing (literally Eastern Capital, now Kaifeng) fell into Jurchen's hands in the Jin–Song wars. After several days' looting and raping, the grand emperor Song Huizong, the emperor Song Qinzong, the empress of Song Qinzong, the grand empress Song Huizong, the consorts, most princes and princess, and other nobles were all captured, enslaved, and forced to walk to Jurchens' land. This miserable historical event was called Jingkang Incident (simplified Chinese: 靖康之难; traditional Chinese: 靖康之難). Many of these nobles died from illness, hunger, tortures, and rapes during the journey or after arriving in Jurchens' land. Some of them commits suicide to prevent from torturing and raping.[3]
Song Huizong's ninth son, and Song Qinzong's ninth brother ─ Zhao Gou, also known as Song Gaozong, escaped from this disaster, and crowned to be the new emperor of Song in the south, and the capital was Hangzhou (renamed as Lin'an at the time). Song Gaozong's only son died very young, then Song Gaozong was forced to give his crown to his great ancestor Zhao Guangyi's elder brother Zhao Kuangyin's descendants. The royal lineage now went back to Zhao Kuangyin's line.
In 1234, Song allied with Mongol, fought against Jurchens to revenge for Jingkang Incident (simplified Chinese: 靖康之难; traditional Chinese: 靖康之難). Jurchens were finally defeated by both Song and Mongol. After the successful conquest of Jurchen, Song and Mongol's alliance quickly broke up, and turned into enemies of each other.
The Fall of the Empire
On March 19, 1279, the prime minister Lu Xiufu committed suicide with eight-year-old Emperor Huaizong of Song at sea after the Battle of Yamen against the Mongols with Song remnants. The Song empire ended, and the House of Zhao completely lost control over China and unable to regain power since. The classic China was considered to be ended at the same time. China was under the Mongolian Borjigin clan-established Yuan Dynasty's rule under the for nearly one hundred years, until the rise of the Ming Dynasty founded by the House of Zhu.[4]
Later Descendants
Later Song royal descendants included Zhao Yiguang 趙宧光 (1559-1625) who lived during the Ming Dynasty, his wife was Lu Qingzi, they were intellectuals and members of the gentry.[5][6] Zhao patronized his wife's books with his money.[7] Zhao Yiguang and Lu had a son, Zhao Jun, who married Wen Congjian's daughter, who was also from a gentry family and literati who wrote poems. The earlier painter Zhao Mengfu was part of their branch of the Song Royal family.[8]
Two of his works are housed in the Wang qishu, they were the Jiuhuan shitu 九圜史圖 and the Liuhe mantu 六匌曼圖. They were part of the Siku Quanshucunmu congshu 四庫全書存目叢書.[9]
Currently, there are numbers of known House of Zhao members living in Zhangpu County's Zhao Family Fort (趙家堡) in Fujian, where they taken up a residence since Yuan Dynasty's establishment, and others in Hua'an County. There are some members reside in Guangdong.
Family tree of emperors
| Zhao Hongyin (趙弘殷) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emperor Taizu 1st emperor | Emperor Taizong 2nd emperor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Dezhao (趙德昭) | Zhao Defang (趙德芳) | Emperor Zhenzong 3rd emperor | Zhao Yuanfen (趙元份) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Weiji (趙惟吉) | Zhao Weixian (趙惟憲) | Emperor Renzong 4th emperor | Zhao Yunrang (趙允讓) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Shoudu (趙守度) | Zhao Congyu (趙從郁) | Emperor Yingzong 5th emperor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Shikuo (趙世括) | Zhao Shijiang (趙世將) | Emperor Shenzong 6th emperor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Lingjia (趙令稼) | Zhao Linghua (趙令譮) | Emperor Zhezong 7th emperor | Emperor Huizong 8th emperor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Zishi (趙子奭) | Zhao Zicheng (趙子偁) | Emperor Qinzong 9th emperor | Emperor Gaozong 10th emperor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Bowu (趙伯旿) | Emperor Xiaozong 11th emperor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Shiyi (趙師意) | Emperor Guangzong 12th emperor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhao Xilu (趙希瓐) | Emperor Ningzong 13th emperor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emperor Lizong 14th emperor | Zhao Yurui (趙與芮) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emperor Duzong 15th emperor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emperor Duanzong 17th emperor | Emperor Gong 16th emperor | Emperor Bing 18th emperor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable People
Northern Song
Song Taizu 太祖
Song Taizong 太宗
Song Zhenzong 真宗
Song Renzong 仁宗
Song Yingzong 英宗
Song Zhezong 哲宗
Song Huizong 徽宗, also a great artist.
Song Qinzong 欽宗
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Emperor Huizong of Song, Ting Qin Tu (Chinese: 聽琴圖, literally "Listening to the Qin"
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Emperor Huizong of Song (Poem and Calligraphy)
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Emperor Huizong of Song, Plum and Birds
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Emperor Huizong of Song, Golden Pheasant and Cotton Rose Flowers
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Emperor Huizong of Song, Dragon Stone
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Emperor Huizong of Song, Cranes 1112
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Emperor Huizong of Song, Classic Thousand-character Grass script
Southern Song
Song Gaozong 高宗
Song Xiaozong 孝宗
Song Ningzong 寧宗
Song Lizong 理宗
Song Duzong 度宗
Song Gongzong 恭宗
Song Duanzong 端宗
Other Descendants
Artists
- Zhao Mengfu, a great artist.
- Zhao Yong, an artist, son of Zhao Mengfu.
- Wang Meng, an artist, maternal grandson of Zhao Mengfu.
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Handscroll%2C_ink_and_colors_on_paper%2C_28.4_x_93.2_cm_National_Palace_Museum%2C_Taipei.jpg)
Autumn colors on the Qiao and Hua mountains, by Zhao Mengfu
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A Man and His Horse in the Wind, by Zhao Mengfu
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Elegant Rocks and Sparse Trees, by Zhao Mengfu
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A Sheep and Goat, by Zhao Mengfu
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Old Tree and Horses, by Zhao Mengfu
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Zhao Mengfu writes the Tale of the Goddess of Luo River.
Writers
- Zhao Yiguang, a literary figure during the Ming dynasty, related to Zhao Mengfu
- Zhao Jun, son of Zhao Yiguang
See also
- Song Dynasty
- Song Taizu
- Song Taizong
- Song Huizong
- Zhao Mengfu
- Royal House
- Royal Family
References
- ↑ 陳邦瞻【宋史紀事本末】卷一
- ↑ Patricia Buckley Ebrey (2003). Women and the family in Chinese history. Volume 2 of Critical Asian scholarship (illustrated ed.). Psychology Press. p. 190. ISBN 0-415-28823-1. Retrieved 4-1-2012.
- ↑ "Moaning Words" 宋人無名氏【呻吟語】
- ↑ Rossabi 1988, p. 76
- ↑ Ellen Widmer, Kang-i Sun Chang, ed. (1997). Writing women in late imperial China (illustrated ed.). Stanford University Press. p. 93. ISBN 0-8047-2872-0. Retrieved 14 December 2011. "Lu Qingzi married a man who led an equally idyllic life, Zhao Yiguang (1559-1625 ), a descendant of the Song imperial family. Zhao fancied himself a recluse but often busied himself entertaining powerful and learned friends."
|coauthors=requires|author=(help) - ↑ Ellen Widmer, Kang-i Sun Chang, ed. (1997). Writing women in late imperial China (illustrated ed.). Stanford University Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-8047-2872-0. Retrieved 14 December 2011. "At age 15 sui, she married a literatus, Zhao Yiguang (zi Fanfu, 1559-1625) with whom she lived in seclusion in Hanshan."
|coauthors=requires|author=(help) - ↑ Dorothy Ko (1994). Teachers of the inner chambers: women and culture in seventeenth-century China (illustrated, annotated ed.). Stanford University Press. p. 270. ISBN 0-8047-2359-1. Retrieved 14 December 2011. "Like Xu Yuan, Lu Qingzi was a gentry wife who delighted in composing verse for singing girls. . . Her father, Lu Shidao (1517-80), served briefly as secretary of the Ministry of Rites . . .Lu Qingzi married a man who led an equally idyllic life, Zhao Yiguang ( 1 559-1625), a descendant of the Song imperial family. Zhao fancied himself a recluse but often busied himself with entertaining powerful and learned friends. He was also involved in a number of publishing projects, including his own works and those of his wife. The publication of both of Qingzi's collected works, Building a Hermitage (Kaopan ji) and Magical Herbs (Xuanzhi ji), was financed by her husband, as in Xu Yuan's case.51"
- ↑ Marsha Smith Weidner (1988). Marsha Smith Weidner, Indianapolis Museum of Art, ed. 's+father+was+the+recluse-scholar+Zhao+Yiguang+(1559-+1625),&dq=which+traced+its+ancestry+back+to+the+imperial+family+of+the+Song+dynasty+and+which+counted+among+its+sons+the+famous+official+and+artist+Zhao+Mengfu+(1254-1322).+Zhao+Jun's+father+was+the+recluse-scholar+Zhao+Yiguang+(1559-+1625),&hl=en&sa=X&ei=eQAWT7b3OMro0QG06_yWAw&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA Views from Jade Terrace: Chinese women artists, 1300-1912 (illustrated ed.). Indianapolis Museum of Art. p. 31. ISBN 0-8478-1003-8. Retrieved 14 December 2011. "She married ZhaoJun, scion of an old Suzhou family, which traced its ancestry back to the imperial family of the Song dynasty and which counted among its sons the famous official and artist Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322). Zhao Jun's father was the recluse-scholar Zhao Yiguang (1559- 1625), and his mother was a daughter of Lu Shidao (1511-74), another Suzhou literatus. Zhao Jun studied the classics with Wen Congjian; thus a more permanent liaison between the two families was perhaps inevitable."
- ↑ Florence Bretelle-Establet (2010). Florence Bretelle-Establet, ed. Looking at it from Asia: the processes that shaped the sources of history of science. Volume 265 of Boston studies in the philosophy of science (illustrated ed.). Springer. ISBN 90-481-3675-X. Retrieved 14 December 2011. "Jiangsu Governor Wang qishu Li Shouqian na Zhejiang Governor 董說 Ming 明 Zhu Zhongfu 朱仲福 Ming 明 Wei Rui 魏濬 Ming 明 Ke Zhongjung 柯仲炯 Ming 明 Zhao Yiguang 趙宧光 Ming 明 Xu Xuchen 許胥臣 Ming 明 Dong Yue"