Chen Youliang

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Template:Use dmy dates Template:Short description Template:Infobox royalty Template:Family name hatnote Template:Chinese Chen Youliang (Template:Lang; 1320 – 3 October 1363<ref name=":0">For those cross-referencing the Mingshi, in the old Chinese calendar Template:Lang refers to the year 1363 CE, Template:Lang refers to 8月29日 or 29 August, and Template:Lang refers to 10月3日 or 3 October.</ref>) was the founder and first emperor of the dynastic state of Chen Han in Chinese history. He was one of the military leaders and heroes of the peasant rebellions at the end of the Yuan dynasty.

Biography

Chen was born to a fishing family in the village of Huangpengshan (黄蓬山),Template:Efn present-day Honghu, in Yusha County (玉沙縣),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> part of Mianyang Prefecture (Template:Lang), which included present-day Honghu and Xiantao areas. The seat of Yusha County at the time of his birth was Miancheng (沔城)—presently under the jurisdiction of Xiantao, on the border with Honghu's—having been moved there from Xindi Town (新堤街道), Honghu, during the Yuan Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty Yusha was renowned as the "land of fish and rice", and was visited by poets Lu You and Fan Chengda, who both praised its bounty of fish and its cattle. Some say he was born with the surname Chen (Template:Lang), while others say he was born with surname Xie (Template:Lang).<ref>Template:Lang</ref>

In his childhood he grew up poor in his family of relatively unsuccessful fishermen. Chen once served as a district official before becoming a general under Ni Wenjun during the Red Turban Rebellion.<ref name="Rowe">Template:Cite book</ref> Ni Wenjun planned to assassinate Xu Shouhui, the Red Turban rebels' leader, but Chen Youliang killed Ni Wenjun before Ni could kill Xu.<ref name="Rowe"/> Thereupon Chen Youliang went on to capture Anqing and then proceeded to conquer vast parts of Fujian and Jiangxi.<ref name="Lin">Template:Cite book</ref> After discord was sowed between Chen and his general Zhao Pusheng (趙普勝) by a former retainer of Zhao, bribed and sent to Chen by Zhu Yuanzhang, and with rumors that Zhao wanted to deflect to Western Wu circulating, Chen decided to do away with his general.<ref>Taizu Shilu (太祖實錄), Volume 7</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> By the end of the same year proclaimed himself "King of Han".<ref name="Lin"/> In the Spring of 1360 Chen declared himself emperor.<ref name="Lin"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> His era name, as well as his empire's name, was Da Han (literally "Great Han"). Chen Youliang appointed Zou Pusheng (邹普胜) as Grand Preceptor and Zhang Bixian (Template:Lang) as prime minister (丞相).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

From 1359 to 1363 Chen's fleet was the strongest on the upper Yangtze River. His power was at least as great as that of another rebel state, Wu, led by Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming dynasty.

Rebels and warlords at the end of Yuan dynasty, including the territory controlled by Chen Youliang in early 1363

Since 1360 the Han were involved in a long war against Western Wu, which would be renamed "Ming" in 1368. The war culminated in the decisive Battle of Lake Poyang where the Wu fleet narrowly defeated the larger fleet of Han after three days of fighting.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Western Wu fleet then settled into a blockade. A month later, Chen attempted to break out of the blockade. During the resulting ship battle Chen was killed by an arrow that struck his head.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

As his crown prince Chen Shan (Template:Lang) had been captured, Chen Youliang was succeeded by his second son, Chen Li, who had managed to escape to Wuchang with Zhang Dingbian (张定边).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Goodrich">Template:Cite book</ref> His son resisted a siege of Wuchang for two months in late 1363. He surrendered when Western Wu's army once again approached Wuchang in March 1364.<ref name="Dreyer">Template:Cite book</ref> Many prefectural commanders surrendered to Western Wu without a fight, but in Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi fighting continued until April 1365.<ref name="Dreyer"/> Chen Youliang's son, father and brothers were however granted high titles and incomes by the Ming after Chen Han's fall. After a conflict with members of Zhu Yuanzhang's entourage in 1372, however, the Ming sent Chen Li to Goryeo.<ref name="Goodrich"/>

Controversial relationship with Trần Ích Tắc

The Vietnamese historical annals Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, compiled more than a century after Chen's death (1469–1479) claims that Chen sent a diplomatic delegate to Đại Việt to mobilise support from Đại Việt, claiming to be the son of Trần Ích Tắc (known in China as Chen Yiji, 陳益稷), a Trần dynasty prince and son of emperor Trần Thái Tông, 66 years older than Chen, who did settle in the Yuan dynasty.<ref>Template:Lang</ref><ref name="Ngo251">Template:Harvnb</ref> Chinese history annals did not record any such relationship, including the Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu, revised for the first time in 1399 by Dong Lun (董倫) and published under the supervision of Yao Guangxiao, both contemporaries of Chen. The Taizu Shilu also specifies that his family had been fishermen for generations, and even reports an exchange between Chen and his father, in which the latter reminds his son that he is "just a fisherman" and advises him to "go back to his former occupation".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn Chen's fellow Mianyiang native, scholar Tong Chengxu (童承敍), adds in his Ping Han Lu (平漢錄) that Chen Youliang's ancestors originally had the family name as "Xiè", with his grandfather, Qianyi, later marrying into a certain Chen family and adopting their family name. This passage was also repeated by Qian Qianyi in his Guochu Qunxiong Shilue (國初群雄事略). The reason why Chen Youliang pretended to be a Vietnamese royal family was probably to earn support from Đại Việt.<ref name="vanhienplus.vn">Hậu duệ nhà Trần của Đại Việt trở thành Hoàng đế Trung Hoa? Văn Hiến Plus, 8 April 2019</ref>

The Trần dynasty, however, did not to respond to Chen's request. Trần Ích Tắc was considered a traitor and was legally removed from the Trần royal family. It would in fact have been difficult for Đại Việt to ally with a traitor's descendant. Đại Việt also had no reason to intervene into the affairs of her northern neighbor.<ref name="vanhienplus.vn"/>

Family

Legacy

Because of his rebellion against the Yuan Dynasty and establishment of the Chen Han Dynasty, Chen Youliang is remembered as a revolutionary, even hero, who helped resist Yuan rule and pave the way for the succeeding Ming dynasty. Historian Wu Han, for instance, described him as a "a hero who opposed the rule of the Mongolian and Han landlord classes".Template:Efn

Tomb Memorial

Tomb of Chen Youliang in Wuchang, Wuhan

After Chen's death at the Battle of Poyang Lake, he was buried in the southern slope of Sheshan, near the Wuchang Bridge Head (Template:Lang) of Yangtze River Bridge in present-day Wuhan City, Hubei Province (next to the Yellow Crane Tower, a famous scenic spot in Wuhan, Hubei Province).<ref name="赵社民">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="赵社民">Template:Cite book</ref> Zhu Yuanzhang is said to have visited the tomb the following year to pay his respects, and inscribed the words "Human Retribution, Heaven's Will" on a stone tablet erected near the tomb.<ref name="赵社民"/>

The tomb is circular and surrounded by a brick wall, with a path leading to the tomb of 16 steps. It was built against the mountain and it fratures an hexagonal pavilion. There is a tombstone inscribed with Chen's name in front of the tomb, and in front of the sixteen-step path leading to the tomb there is a tall granite archway with four pillars and three gates, inscribed with the words: "Heroic Figure of Jianghan" (Jiang Han Xian Ying, 江漢先英) on the front and "Heroic Spirit of the Three Chu Regions" (San Chu Xiongfeng, 三楚雄風) on the back. The tomb complex is surrounded by pines and cypresses.<ref name="皮明庥">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="赵社民"/> There is also a memorial hall dedicated to Chen in Xiantao, Hubei.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>2013年12月18日9时，当地政府在湖北省仙桃市（原湖北沔阳）沔街九十墩开设“陈友谅纪念馆”。这个纪念馆内有三层仿古式建筑，占地3891平方米，总建筑面积达到1615平方米。前两层设有920平方米的展厅，最后一层为办公休息区。</ref> In Miancheng there is a building which is said to have been Chen's temporary palace.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is also said to have established a temporary palace in his native Huangpengshan,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> where he built a grand stone paved road,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Jiang"/> "Hua Street" (华街).<ref name="Jiang">Template:Cite book</ref>

Legends

Yuan Mei's What the Master Would Not Discuss includes an article titled Destroying the Temple of Chen Youliang, which recounts the anecdote of Zhao Xili (赵锡礼), a county magistrate during the Qing Dynasty, who destroyed the Chen Youliang Temple in Jingzhou and converted it to worship Guan Yu. Zhao only knew it was an unknown prince's temple and considered it an illicit shrine, thus destroying it. He was unaware that the temple was dedicated to Chen Youliang until he inquired with Zhang Tianshi (张天师).<ref>袁枚《子不語》卷十收錄一篇《毀陳友諒廟》，講清朝趙錫禮任縣令時，毁了荊州陳友諒廟改奉關帝君的佚事。趙只知道是不明的王爺廟，認為是淫祠而毀廟，但並不知該廟是奉祀陳友諒，直到向張天師詢問之後，方才得知。</ref><ref>《子不語·卷十·毀陳友諒廟》，「赵公锡礼，浙之兰溪人，初选竹山令，调繁监利。下车之日，例应谒文庙及城隍神。吏启：“有某庙者，当拈香。”公往视：庙有神像三人，雁行坐，俱王者衣冠，状貌颇庄严。问：“何神？”竟无知者。公欲毁其庙，吏不可，曰：“神素号显赫，历任官参谒颇肃，毁之恐触神怒，祸且不测。”公归搜志、乘，祀典不载此神，乃择日朝吏民于庙，手铁锁系神颈曳之。神像瑰伟，非掊击不能去。公曳之，应手而倒，三像碎于庭中。新其屋宇，改奉关帝。久之，竟无他异。公心终不释，乃行文天师府查之。得报牒云：神係元末偽漢王陳友諒弟兄三人，兵敗，死鄱陽湖，部曲散去，為立廟荊州。建於元至正某年，毀於國朝雍正某年趙大夫之手，合享血食四百年。」</ref>

Cultural portrayals

Film and TV

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Novels

Chen Youliang features as a character in the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Louis Cha.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

Notes

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References

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Sources

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