Liu Bang
ch. 漢高祖, py. hàn gāo zŭ, wg. Han Kao-tsu, (256 BC - 195 BC) was the first emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty and one of the only two dynasty founders who emerged from the peasant class. The other one was Hongwu of Ming Dynasty. Before becoming an emperor, he was also called Lord Pei after his birthplace.
Biography
Emperor Gaozu, also known under the name Liu Bang, was the first emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD). He was born into a peasant family in Pei (present Pei County in Jiangsu Province), and was once one of the leaders of the peasant insurrections in the late Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).
In the years following the death of Qin Shihuang, Liu Bang found himself in revolt for a curious reason. He was in charge of transporting a number of prisoners and was delayed by the weather. Despite the fact that the delay was due to circumstances beyond his control, he realized that the penalty for the delay was death. Having nothing to lose, he decided to rebel against the Qin dynasty with his prisoners as the nucleus of his army.
However, Liu Bang's actions and fame were the source of Xiangyu's envy. Xiangyu had the intention of becoming an emperor with control over the entire country. When Xiangyu proclaimed himself the King of Chu, Liu Bang realized that he was inferior to Xiangyu and adopted the suggestions of Xiaohe to move to Hanzhong (present Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province) with the title "King of Han" which was conferred by Xiangyu.
In Hanzhong, Liu Bang focused his efforts on developing the agriculture and training an army, through which he reinforced his material accumulation and military power. Before long, Liu Bang left Hanzhong and stationed in the Central Shaanxi Plain, where he launched a war now known as the Chu-Han War, against Xiangyu.
The war lasted four years (206 - 202 BC) and ended with Liu Bang's victory. Having defeated Xiangyu, Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty in 202 BC and made Chang'an (present city of Xi'an) his capital city. Liu Bang became historically known as Emperor Gaozu.
During the time Liu Bang was in power, he continued to use the centralism created by Qin, replaced original vassals and granted lands to his relatives. In economy, he reduced taxes and corvée and developed agriculture, but he restricted the commerce. Emperor Gaozu's efforts laid a solid foundation for the over four-hundred-year reign of the Han Dynasty.
Liu Bang's affection to Concubine Qi inflamed Empress Dowager Lu's torture of Qi and her son Liu Yuyi (Prince Ruyi of Zhao) after his death.
See also
