Chen Li (; 1351–1408) was the second and the last

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

of the Chinese Chen Han dynasty. He reigned from 1363 to 1364.

Biography

Chen Li was born in Mianyang ( now

Xiantao Xiantao ( zh, s= , p=Xiāntáo) is a sub-prefecture-level city in the east of Hubei province, China. Located at the Jianghan Plain in the middle of Hubei province and spanning 112°55' – 113°49' east longitude and 30°04' – 30°32' north la ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

) as the second son of

Chen Youliang Chen Youliang (; 1320 – 3 October 1363For those cross-referencing the Mingshi, in the old Chinese calendar refers to the year 1363 CE, refers to 8月29日 or 29 August, and refers to 10月3日 or 3 October.) was the founder and first ...

, the first emperor of the

Chen Han Chen Han, officially the Great Han, was a short-lived rebel state that existed in China during the Red Turban Rebellion, in the final phase of the Yuan dynasty. It was founded in Jiangxi in 1360 by General Chen Youliang, who had been ruling ...

during the Yuan-Ming transition. His brother, Chen Shan (), was a crown prince who joined the Ming army. In 1363, his father, Chen Youliang, was shot by an arrow in the Battle of Poyang Lake. His brother, Chen Shan, fled to the Ming. Later, Zhang Dingbian () and other top generals protected Chen Li and his descendants, escorting Chen to

Wuchang Wuchang is one of 13 urban District (China), districts of the prefecture-level city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province, China. It is the oldest of the three cities that merged into modern-day Wuhan, and stood on the right (southea ...

, where Chen succeeded the throne and changed

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

to Deshou (). In the winter of the same year,

Zhu Yuanzhang The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1368 to 1398. In ...

personally visited Wuchang. Chen Youliang's father, Chen Pucai, was named Marquess of Cheng'en (), his eldest brother, Chen Youfu (), was named Earl of Guiren (), and his second brother, Chen Youzhi, was named Earl of Huai'en (). He posthumously presented his fourth brother, Chen Youren (), as King of Kangshan (), and ordered the relevant officials to set up a temple to offer sacrifices, and his fifth brother, Chen Yougui (), was in charge of sacrifices. In 1364, he surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang of the rising Ming dynasty. Zhu then appointed him Marquis of Gui'de (). Chen was later sent to Korea, where he became known as King Chen. In Korea, Chen settled down and had children, starting the Yangsan Jin Clan (see below).

Descendants

Some of Chen Li's descendants after the

and Ming have the surname Cheng ().

Yangsan Jin clan

According to Korean and Chinese historical sources, in 1372, he migrated to

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

and had offspring, starting the Yangsan Jin clan. One of his known sons was Chen Mingshan (). On 19 May 1372, Chen Li and Ming Sheng () arrived in Korea with a group of 27 people, who were received by the King of Korea. At that time, Chen Li was 22 years old. After Chen Li arrived in Korea, he was called Chen Wang () or King Chen. On 6 June,

King Gongmin Gongmin (; 23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür, was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomous vassal s ...

() gave Chen Li nine bamboo cloths (). Chen was also given some land, a wife, housemaid, and food. During this time he had children, including Chen Mingshan. Chen Li passed away due to illness but is survived by his descendants in Korea and the Yangsan Jin Clan.Records of Choseon Korea

Biography

Descendants

Yangsan Jin clan

See also

Notes

Citations

Further reading