View source for Jing Ke

{{Short description|Ancient Chinese assassin}}
{{Chinese
|pic=Jin Ke assassination attempt Wu Family Shrine.jpg|picsize=300px
|piccap=The [[Wu Family Shrines]] mural shows Jing Ke's assassination attempt. The [[Qin Shi Huang|King of Qin]] is on the left, [[Qin Wuyang]] is kneeling in the middle, and Jing Ke, on the right, has been seized.  In the middle is the dagger, sticking out of the column, and the opened box with the head inside.<ref>劉煒/著. [2002] (2002) ''Chinese civilization in a new light'' 中華文明傳真#3 春秋戰國. Publishing Company. {{ISBN|962-07-5311-9}} pp. 28–29.</ref>
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|s=荆轲
|p=Jīng Kē
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|w=Ching K'o
|mi={{IPA|cmn|tɕíŋ kʰɤ́|}}
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'''Jing Ke''' (died 227 BC) was a ''[[youxia]]'' during the late [[Warring States period]] of [[Ancient China]]. As a [[retainers in early China (social group)|retainer]] of [[Crown Prince Dan]] of the [[Yan (state)|Yan state]], Jing Ke was infamous for his failed [[assassination]] attempt on [[Ying Zheng|King Zheng]] of the [[Qin (state)|Qin state]], who later became [[Qin Shi Huang]], the first [[emperor of China|emperor]] of the [[Qin dynasty]] and the first unified [[Chinese sovereign|sovereign]] in [[Chinese history]]. Jing Ke's story is told in the chapter titled ''Biographies of Assassins'' (刺客列傳) in [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]''.

==Background==
In 230 BC, the Qin state began [[Qin's wars of unification|conquering other states]] as part of King Zheng's ambition to unify the country.  The Qin army, having already achieved absolute military supremacy over the other states since 260 BC, first successfully annihilated the [[Han (Warring States)|state of Han]], the weakest of the [[Seven Warring States]]. Two years later, the once-formidable [[Zhao (state)|Zhao state]] was also conquered in 228 BC.<ref name="gongtong70">王恆偉. (2005) (2006) 中國歷史講堂 #2 戰國 秦 漢. 中華書局. {{ISBN|962-8885-25-1}}. pp. 70–71.</ref>

Zhao's northeastern neighbor, the [[Yan (state)|Yan state]] was next in line to be threatened by Qin expansion. In exchange for peace, [[King Xi of Yan]] had earlier forced his son [[Crown Prince Dan]] to be held a [[hostage diplomacy|diplomatic hostage]] in the Qin, but Prince Dan returned knowing that Qin was far stronger than Yan and would attack it sooner or later.<ref name="gongtong70" />

Jing Ke originally came from the minor [[Wey (state)|Wey state]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Sima |first=Qian |title=Kinas förste kejsare |url=http://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/kinas-forste-kejsare-9789127143029 | publisher=[[Natur & Kultur]] |date=2016 |pages=131 |chapter=Jing Ke och mordförsöket på kungen av Qin |language=Swedish |isbn=9789127143029 }}</ref> He was of the clan name Qing ([[:zh:庆氏|庆氏]]) of the [[Jiang (ancestral name)|ancestral name Jiang]] (姜姓) and a distant descendant of [[Wukui]] of [[Qi (state)|Qi]], had good education and was proficient in the [[swordsmanship|art of the sword]].  His homeland of Wey was annexed by Qin in 239 BC, and Jing Ke fled to Yan.<ref name="gongtong70" /> A ''[[youxia]]'' named [[Tian Guang]] (田光) first introduced him to Prince Dan.<ref>曹正文. [1998] (1998). 俠客行: 縱談中國武俠. 知書房出版集團 publishing. {{ISBN|957-9663-32-7}}, {{ISBN|978-957-9663-32-8}}. p. 27.</ref> There Jing Ke accepted the hospitality of Prince Dan, who, as a last resort, decided to send an assassin against the King of Qin.<ref name="gongtong70" /> The plan involved either kidnapping the king and forcing him to release the territories from his control; or failing this, killing him.<ref name="gongtong70" /> The expectation in either case was that Qin would be left disorganized, enabling the other remaining major states to unite against its conquest.<ref name="gongtong70" />

== Assassination plot ==
=== Planning ===
[[File:易水送別 河北省博物館.jpg|thumb|[[Gao Jianli]] (left) and [[Crown Prince Dan of Yan]] (right) sent Jing Ke (center) off at [[Yi River Song|Yi River]] (now [[Yi County, Hebei|Yi County]], [[Baoding]])]]
In 228 BC, the Qin army was already at the [[Zhao (state)|Zhao]] capital of [[Handan]], and was waiting to approach the [[state of Yan]]. At the time, Dukang (督亢, in present-day [[county (China)|counties]] of [[Zhuozhou]], [[Gaobeidian]] and [[Gu'an County|Gu'an]] of [[Hebei province]]) was the first region of the Yan state that the Qin wanted to [[annexation|annex]] due to the region's fertile farmlands.<ref name="gongtong70" />

The assassination plan plotted by Prince Dan was to have Jing Ke disguised as a nobleman [[ambassador]] visiting Qin to beg for mercy<ref name="gongtong70" /> and surrender the map of Dukang (and thus also the administrative rights of the region) as gift for peace.<ref name="gongtong70" /> At the time, a Qin general [[Fan Yuqi]] (identified as [[Huan Yi]] by [[Yang Kuan]]<ref name="gongtong70" /><ref name=YangKuan>{{cite book|title=History of the Warring States ''战国史''|last=Yang|first=Kuan|year=2003|location=Shanghai|publisher=Shanghai People Publishing House|language=Chinese|edition=reprint|isbn=7208045372}}</ref>) had lost favor with the Qin court and fled to Yan in [[exile]],<ref name="gongtong72">王恆偉. (2005) (2006) 中國歷史講堂 #2 戰國 秦 漢. 中華書局. {{ISBN|962-8885-25-1}}. pp. 72–73.</ref> and the Qin state wanted him for [[treason]] and had put a [[bounty (reward)|bounty]] of 1,000 gold pieces for his head.<ref name="tonsi62">戴逸, 龔書鐸. [2002] (2003) 中國通史. 春秋 戰國 秦. Intelligence press. {{ISBN|962-8792-81-4}}. p. 62.</ref> Jing Ke went to Fan Yuqi to personally discuss the assassination plan. Fan Yuqi, who wanted revenge against Qin, believed that the plan would work, and agreed to [[commit suicide]] so that his [[decapitation|severed head]] could be collected as a more sincere gift to Qin, which would give Jing Ke the opportunity to get closer to [[King Zheng of Qin]]. <ref name="gongtong72" /><ref name="tonsi62" />

Prince Dan then obtained the sharpest possible dagger, refined it with [[poison]], and gave it to Jing Ke.<ref name="gongtong72" /> To accompany him, Prince Dan assigned [[Qin Wuyang]], a [[hitman]] who was known to have successfully committed [[murder]] at the age of 13, as Jing Ke's assistant.<ref name="gongtong72" /> 

In 227 BC, Prince Dan and other guests wore white clothing and white hats at the [[Yishui River|Yi River]] (易水) to send off the pair of assassins.<ref name="gongtong72" /> Jing Ke reportedly sang a song "The wind howls, and the waters of the River Yi are cold. When a hero sets out, he never returns!" (風蕭蕭兮易水寒，壯士一去兮不復還) when his friend [[Gao Jianli]] came to farewell him.<ref name="gongtong72" />

=== The attempt ===
[[File:Assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang.jpg|thumb|295px|Jing Ke's assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang; Jing Ke (left) is held by one of Qin Shi Huang's physicians (left, background). The dagger used in the assassination attempt is seen stuck in the pillar. Qin Shi Huang (right) is seen holding an imperial jade disc. One of his soldiers (far right) rushes to save his emperor. Stone rubbing; 3rd century, [[Eastern Han]]]]
King Zheng of Qin received the message of Yan emissaries presenting gifts, and was willing to receive them at the royal palace in the Qin capital [[Xianyang]].<ref name="gongtong72" /> Concealing the dagger inside the map [[scroll]], Jing Ke and [[Qin Wuyang]] greeted King Zheng as Yan ambassadors.<ref name="gongtong72" /> Qin Wuyang reportedly became so nervous that he [[panic attack|acted almost paralyzed]] when entering the palace. Jing Ke, who remained calm, managed the excuse that his partner had never set eyes on the grace of [[Emperor of China|Son of Heaven]].<ref name="sima">Sima Qian. Dawson, Raymond Stanley. Brashier, K. E. (2007). The First Emperor: Selections from the Historical Records. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-922634-2}}, {{ISBN|978-0-19-922634-4}}. pp. 15–20, 82, 99.</ref>  Other sources suggest Jing Ke described Qin Wuyang as a rural boy who had never seen the world and was suffering a [[cultural shock]].<ref name="gongtong72" />  The panicked Qin Wuyang was then barred from moving up the palace, and Jing Ke was ordered to approach King Zheng alone to present the map.

Jing Ke walked up to King Zheng's throne and politely presented the map scroll on the table.  When the King Zheng unrolled the map, Jing Ke immediately seized the revealed dagger, grabbed the king's [[sleeve]] and attacked him, who somehow managed to back away from the initial thrust by tearing off the sleeve in the process. While King Zheng leapt to his feet and fled from the attacker, he desperately attempted to draw his own sword hanging on the belt, but was unable to do so while running as it was a very long ceremonial sword. None of the other Qin officials within the vicinity were armed and able to stop Jing Ke, and the guards were all stationed outside the palace gate and were unable to immediately reach the scene.<ref name="gongtong72" />  In the confusion Jing Ke began to close in on the king, who struggled to get away from the assassin by circling behind a [[pillar]].

Seeing the king in grave danger, a royal physician named Xia Wuju (夏無且) grabbed his own medicine bag and hurled it at Jing Ke,<ref name="gongtong72" /> which slowed down the assassin just enough to allow King Zheng to recover some distance.  Reminded by cries from other officials, the king managed to shift his longsword behind his back and successfully unsheathe it from behind.  Now armed, he immediately turned back and struck Jing Ke [[hamstringing|in the thigh]], effectively immobilizing him.<ref name="gongtong74">王恆偉. (2005) (2006) 中國歷史講堂 #2 戰國 秦 漢. 中華書局. {{ISBN|962-8885-25-1}}. pp. 74–75.</ref>  The injured Jing Ke [[knife throwing|threw his dagger]] at King Zheng in desperation, but missed. The king then proceeded to stab Jing Ke eight more times, mortally wounding him. Knowing it was hopelessly over, the dying Jing Ke sat with his legs [[manspreading|stretched forward and apart]] (a posture then considered very rude), and used the last of his strength to taunt King Zheng with abuses.  At this point, the guards had arrived at the scene to finish off both Jing Ke and the fleeing Qin Wuyang.<ref name="gongtong74" />

It was recorded that right after the incident, King Zheng sat on the throne holding his sword [[catatonic]]ally for a short while before recovering from the [[mental shock]], and thanked and rewarded the physician Xia Wuju for attempting to stop the assassin.

==Yan annihilation==
After Jing Ke's attempt, the Qin army general [[Wang Jian (Qin)|Wang Jian]] was sent against the Yan state. In 226 BC, Prince Dan sent his army to fight at [[Yanjing|Ji]] (薊),<ref name="gongtong74" /> but were soon defeated. In an effort to try to appease the King of Qin, [[King Xi of Yan]] put his son to death; however, the Yan were annexed and destroyed nonetheless.<ref name="gongtong74" />

== In popular culture ==
*The 1996 Chinese historical film ''[[The Emperor's Shadow]]'', starring [[Jiang Wen]], [[Ge You]] and [[Xu Qing]], is based on aftermath of Jing Ke's assassination attempt.<ref name="hill"/>
*The Chinese film ''[[The Emperor and the Assassin]]'' (1999), starring [[Zhang Fengyu]], [[Li Xuejian]] and [[Gong Li]], is based on the assassination.<ref>{{cite web|last=von Tunzelmann|first=Alex|title=The Emperor and the Assassin: slashing and burning its way through Chinese history|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/25/the-emperor-and-the-assassin-film-chinese-history-war-romance|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=September 25, 2014|access-date=February 10, 2024}}</ref>
* The 2002 Chinese epic ''[[Hero (2002 film)|Hero]]'' is a highly fictionalized take on Jing Ke's attempted assassination.<ref name="hill">{{cite web|last=Hill|first=Emily M.|title=The Contingency of China's Imperial Unity: Assassins Attack the First King of Qin|url=https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/the-contingency-of-chinas-imperial-unity-assassins-attack-the-first-king-of-qin-2/|work=[[Association for Asian Studies]]|date=Fall 2004|access-date=February 10, 2024}}</ref>
* Nobel laureate [[Mo Yan]] wrote a play in 2003, entitled "Our Jing Ke"  (我们的荆轲), which retells the story of Jing Ke's failed assassination attempt. The play premiered in August 2011 in Beijing by Beijing People's Art Theatre (BPAT). The play won the highest drama award in China in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://en.people.cn/90782/8136487.html|title = Mo Yan's Our Jing Ke: Downfall by design - People's Daily Online}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Gao Jianli]], Jing Ke's close friend, who later attempted to assassinate Qin Shi Huang
*[[Zhang Liang (Western Han)|Zhang Liang]], a [[Western Han dynasty|Han]] aristocrat who also attempted to assassinate Qin Shi Huang in 218&nbsp;BC.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q1361789|title=The Emperor and the Assassin}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jing, Ke}}
[[Category:227 BC deaths]]
[[Category:Failed regicides]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Chinese assassins]]
[[Category:People of Wey (state)]]
[[Category:Qin (state)]]
[[Category:People of Yan (state)]]
[[Category:Qin Shi Huang]]
[[Category:Violent deaths in China]]
[[Category:Chinese courtiers]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC Chinese people]]