Dou Jiande

Dou Jiande (Chinese: 竇建德; 573 – August 3, 621) was a leader of the agrarian rebels who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui near the end of the Chinese Sui dynasty. Generally considered the kindest and most able of the agrarian rebel leaders of the time, he was eventually able to capture the modern Hebei region and declare himself initially the Prince of Changle, and then the Prince of Xia. In 621, when the Tang dynasty general Li Shimin (later Emperor Taizong) attacked Wang Shichong the Emperor of Zheng, who ruled the modern Henan region, Dou believed that if Tang were able to destroy Zheng, his own Xia state would suffer the same fate, and therefore went to Wang's aid, against the advice of his strategist Ling Jing (凌敬) and his wife Empress Cao. Li defeated him at the Battle of Hulao, capturing him. Li's father Emperor Gaozu of Tang subsequently put Dou to death. Xia territory was briefly seized by Tang, but soon Dou's general Liu Heita rose against Tang rule, recapturing Dou's territory, and held out against Tang until 623.

Jiande

 Jiande  is a county-level city in Zhejiang Province, China. It is under the administration of Hangzhou.

History

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Jiande was the capital of Yanzhou Prefecture (fu). On account of this, Jiande was often referred to as Yanzhou Fu (严州府). A transcription commonly seen in both French and English writing of the time was Yen-tcheou-fou, derived from French missionary writing.

Transportation

Direct trains for freight link Jiande with Yiwu and Jinhua

Notes

Coordinates: 29°29′23″N 119°20′13″E / 29.4896°N 119.337°E / 29.4896; 119.337