Emperor Gaozu of Tang

Emperor Gaozu of Tang (566 – 25 June 635), born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude, was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.

In 615, Li Yuan was assigned to garrison Longxi. He gained much experience by dealing with the Göktürks of the north and was able to pacify them. Li Yuan was also able to gather support from these successes and, with the disintegration of the Sui dynasty in July 617, Li Yuan – urged on by his second son Li Shimin (the eventual Emperor Taizong) – rose in rebellion. Using the title of "Great Chancellor" (大丞相), Li Yuan installed a puppet child emperor, Emperor Gong, but eventually removed him altogether and established the Tang Dynasty in 618 as Emperor. His son and successor Li Shimin honoured him as Gaozu ("high founder") after his death.

Emperor Gaozu's reign was concentrated on uniting the empire under the Tang. Aided by Li Shimin (李世民), whom he created the Prince of Qin, he defeated all the other contenders, including Li Gui, Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong, Xue Rengao and Liu Wuzhou. By 628, the Tang Dynasty had succeeded in uniting all of China. On the home front, he recognized the early successes forged by Emperor Wen of Sui and strove to emulate most of Emperor Wen's policies, including the equal distribution of land amongst his people, and he also lowered taxes. He abandoned the harsh system of law established by Emperor Yang of Sui as well as reforming the judicial system. These acts of reform paved the way for the reign of Emperor Taizong, which ultimately pushed Tang to the height of its power.

Liyuan (garden)

Liyuan garden is a garden on the shore of Li Lake. It was named after Fan Li, a senior official of the state of Yue who retired to his hometown after defeating the state of Wu. One day he went boating on what was then called Wuli Lake with one of the most beautiful women in ancient China named Xi Shi. Afterwards he decided to name the lake after himself, calling it Li Lake. The garden built on the shore of Li Lake was called Liyuan Garden.

See also

References

Coordinates: 31°31′10″N 120°15′17″E / 31.519540°N 120.254588°E / 31.519540; 120.254588

Li Yuan (politician)

Li Yuan (Chinese: 黎原) (1917 - December 18, 2008) was a People's Republic of China politician and People's Liberation Army major general. He was born in Xi County, Henan Province. He fought in the Battle of Shanghai in 1937. In the Chinese Civil War, he participated in the Liaoshen Campaign and Pingjin Campaign. During the Korean War, he was commander of the 140th Division of the People's Volunteer Army. In 1967, he became Chairman of the Hunan Revolutionary Committee after the removal of the governor, former Kuomintang general Cheng Qian.

Yuan Hao

Yuan Hao (元顥) (died 529), courtesy name Ziming (子明), was an imperial prince and pretender to the throne of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei, who briefly received allegiance from most of the provinces south of the Yellow River after he captured the capital Luoyang with support of neighboring Liang Dynasty. He become complacent after capturing Luoyang, however, and when the general Erzhu Rong, who supported Emperor Xiaozhuang, counterattacked later that year, Yuan Hao fled Luoyang and was killed in flight.

Background

Yuan Hao's father Yuan Xiang (元詳) was a son of Emperor Xianwen and a younger brother of Emperor Xiaowen, and was created the Prince of Beihai early in Emperor Xiaowen's reign. Yuan Xiang became powerful, as the prime minister, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen's son Emperor Xuanwu, but was later accused of corruption and stripped of his titles. He died in imprisonment 504, and after his death, although his titles were stripped, Yuan Hao was allowed to inherit the title of Prince of Beihai. His mother's family name was Fan (范), and she was not Yuan Xiang's wife.

Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia

Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia (1003–1048), born Li Yuanhao (Chinese: 李元昊), or Tuoba Yuanhao (Chinese: 拓跋元昊), was the first emperor of the Western Xia Empire located in northwestern China, reigning from 1038 to 1048. He was the eldest son of the Tangut ruler Li Deming.

Early background

As a youth Jingzong was physically imposing yet also possessed a love of learning; he knew both the Tibetan and Chinese languages. Being a voracious reader, he was knowledgeable regarding matters of law and military strategy and also knew how to paint. After his father died in 1032, he became the leader of the Tangut.

Military campaigns

Early on in his leadership, Jingzong discarded the surnames Li and Zhao which had been given by the Tang and Song dynasties, replacing them with the surname Weiming (Chinese: 嵬名). He took an aggressive stance with the Song dynasty, and they described him as "a vigorous and persevering leader versed in military strategy." At its height he claimed an army of 500,000 men.