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

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 dynastic state of

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 ...

Chinese history The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

. He was one of the military leaders and heroes of the people's revolution at the end of the Yuan dynasty.

Biography

Chen was born to a fishing family in Mianyang () in present-day

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 ...

. Some say he was born with surname Chen (), while others say he was born with surname Xie (). Vietnamese records say that Chen Youliang was the son of Chen Yiji () or Trần Ích Tắc, a

Trần dynasty The Trần dynasty (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, chữ Nôm: 茹陳; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: triều Trần, chữ Hán: ikt:朝ikt:陳, 朝wikt:陳, 陳), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was a List ...

leader who settled in the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. In his childhood, he grew up poor, and he and his family were relatively unsuccessful fishermen. Chen once served as a district official before becoming a general under Ni Wenjun during the Red Turban Rebellion. Ni Wenjun planned to assassinate Xu Shouhui, the Red Turban rebels' leader, but Chen Youliang killed Ni Wenjun before Ni could kill Xu. At this time, Chen Youliang took over Fujian and Jiangxi. Upon hearing that Jiangxi had been captured, Xu Shouhui wished to move the capital there, but Chen Youliang feared that Xu Shouhui would threaten him there and sent an envoy to stop him. Still Xu and his troops arrived in Jiangxi, so he later turned on Xu Shouhui and assassinated him. In 1357, Chen proclaimed himself "King of Han" in Jiangzhou (; present-day

Jiujiang Jiujiang, formerly transliterated Kiukiang and Kew-Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level ...

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

), and emperor after Xu Shouhui died. His

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 ...

, as well as his empire's name, was '' Da Han'' (; literally "Great Han"). Chen Youliang appointed Zou Pusheng ( 邹普胜) as

Grand Preceptor Grand Preceptor, also referred to as Grand Master, Section Cp2:192 C was the seniormost of the Three Ducal Ministers or Excellencies, the top three civil positions of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The other two were Grand Tutor and Grand P ...

and Zhang Bixian () as prime minister ( 丞相). From 1359 to 1363 Chen's fleet was the strongest on the upper

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

. His power was at least as great as that of another rebel state, Wu, led by

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 ...

, founder of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

In 1360 the Han fleet and army began a long war against Wu forces. At that time, the Wu forces were based in Jiqing (present-day

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

). The Wu was later renamed " Ming" in 1368. An attack on the Wu capital was defeated thanks to excellent Wu intelligence (likely due to the defection of part of the Han fleet earlier in the year). The war continued until the climactic

Battle of Lake Poyang The Battle of Lake Poyang () was a naval battle which took place (30 August – 4 October 1363) between the rebel forces of Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang during the Red Turban Rebellion which led to the fall of the Yuan dynasty. Chen Youlia ...

where the Wu fleet narrowly defeated the larger fleet of Han after three days of fighting. A month after the battle at Lake Poyang, the Han fleet tried to break out from Lake Poyang. During the resulting ship battles Chen was killed (he was alleged to have died from an arrow wound in the head). He was 43 years old at the time of his death in 3 October 1363. As his crown prince Chen Shan () had been captured, Chen Youliang was succeeded by his second son, Chen Li, who was soon attacked by the fleet and army of Wu. The conquest of Han took an additional two years but by April 1365 the Han empire was gone and all its lands were now part of the Wu power base.

Family

*Grand-ancestors: Chen Qianyi () *Father: Chen Pucai ( 陳普才) became Marquis of Cheng'en () by

after the downfall of Han *Mother: from the Wu clan () *Brothers: **Chen Youfu () would be promoted to the title Marquis of Guiren () by Zhu Yuanzhang **Chen Youzhi () would be promoted to the title Marquis of Huaien () by Zhu Yuanzhang **Chen Youren (), KIA in the Battle of Poyang Lake **Chen Yougui (), KIA in the Battle of Poyang Lake *Spouses: Chen Youliang had several concubines respectively surnamed Yang (), Lou (), Tao () and Du (). Consort Du was captured along with Chen Shan. Concubines Yang and Lou predeceased Chen Youliang. *Children: **Chen Shan (), Crown Prince, joined Ming army ** Chen Li, his successor, started Yangsan Jin clan of Korea *Grandchildren ** Chen Mingshan ( 陈明善), a descendant in Korea

Controversial relationship with Trần Ích Tắc

Vietnamese historical annals such as ''

Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư The ''Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'' ( vi-hantu, 大越史記全書; ; ''Complete Annals of Đại Việt'') is the official national chronicle of the Đại Việt, that was originally compiled by the royal historian Ngô Sĩ Liên under ...

'' recorded that Chen Youliang sent a diplomatic delegate to

Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), was a Vietnamese monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day Hanoi. Its early name, Đại Cồ Việt,(ch ...

to ask for alliance, claiming that he had biological relationship with

(Trần is the Vietnamese pronunciation of Chen ). Chen claimed to be the biological son of Trần Ích Tắc (1254–1329; 66 years older than Chen Youliang), a Trần royal member who defected to the Yuan forces during the second invasion of Vietnam. However, Chinese history annals did not record any such relationship, instead claimed that Chen Youliang's ancestor originally have the family name as "Xiè", later was married into a certain Chen clan and changed his name to the maternal family. Chen Youliang also descended from a fishermen family in Hubei, meanwhile Trần Ích Tắc was appointed as a court magistrate in Huguang, hence it was unlikely that a high-rank magistrate like Ích Tắc had a fishermen son. It is suspected that Chen Youliang pretended to be a Vietnamese royal family to earn support from Đại Việt.Hậu duệ nhà Trần của Đại Việt trở thành Hoàng đế Trung Hoa?
Văn Hiến Plus, 8 April 2019 The Trần dynasty, however, did not to respond to Chen's request. Trần Ích Tắc was considered a traitor and was legally removed from the Trần royal family, it is unlikely for Đại Việt to ally with a traitor's descendant. Đại Việt also had no reason to intervene into the affairs of her northern neighbor.

Evaluations

Through his established empire Chen Han, Chen Youliang is remembered as a revolutionary, even hero, who helped resist Yuan rule and pave the way for the new Ming dynasty. * Liu Ji: "Youliang's territory included Rao Prefecture and Xin Prefecture; and spanned from the Jing to the Xiang, nearing half of the world. Shicheng is occupied with defending himself against the barbarians, hence he is not a worry to us. Youliang betrayed his lord and threatens his subordinates; he has no legitimacy. He occupies the upriver territory, and we are always on his mind; hence, we should take him first. After the Chen family is eliminated, the Zhang family is isolated, and can be eliminated with one fell swoop." * Zhu Yuanzhang: "After Youliang's death, the world was not difficult to pacify." "I find Youliang to be arrogant and Shicheng to be narrow-minded; the arrogant are prone to conflicts, while the narrow-minded lack far-sighted plans." * Yang Jing: "In the past Chen and Zhang occupied the Wu and Chu regions, built boats to plug rivers, accumulated grain to cross mountains, built their armies and called themselves invincible. However, after the battle in Poyang, Youliang was killed, and Chen turned his army toward the east, while Zhang surrendered. This is not man's choice; it is in fact destiny. " * Rao Hanxiang: "Vanguard of the Jiang-Han, awe-inspiring man of the Three Chu regions." (“”) * Cai Dongfan: "I said that Youliang caused his own defeat. Jiangzhou was lost, his base was gone, and he fled to Wuchang; at this point he should build his army and bid his time. But he was impatient, put all his eggs in one basket, lost his children, lost his favorite mistress, and even died himself, becoming a mockery for the world. It is obvious that the rise and fall of a state is really related to man's choices. One should not be like Xiang Yu who, at the moment of his suicide in Wujiang, claimed that he had never lost a battle." * Historian Wu Han: "Although Chen Youliang failed, he was, after all, a hero who opposed the rule of the Mongolian and Han landlord classes in the Yuan dynasty. He played a role in history. At that time, people sympathized with him and missed him. His grave is still preserved under the newly built Yangzi River Bridge for visitors to mourn."

Memorial

Also see Tomb of Chen Youliang ( 陈友谅墓), a cenotaph ().

Tomb

On 3 October 1363, after Chen Youliang died in the Battle of Poyang Lake, his real remains disappeared. His clothes were taken back by his subordinates in a boat and sent to the south slope of Sheshan, approaching the Wuchang Bridge Head () of Yangtze River Bridge in Wuhan City,

Hubei Province Hubei is a province in Central China. It has the seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland provinces. Its provincial capital at Wuhan serves as a major politi ...

(next to the Yellow Crane Tower, a famous scenic spot in Wuhan, Hubei Province) for burial. It faces south, has a rectangle with rounded corners and a height of 2.2 meters. The tomb base is 12 meters long. The tomb is built on the mountain. Here is There is a hexagonal unknown pavilion nearby, and the pillars of the pavilion are engraved with handwriting. In the Qing dynasty, this place became a part of the garden "Naiyuan" () of Hubei Provincial Bureau of Supervision, and few people visited it. In 1908, Wan Yaohuang and Geng Zhongzhao discovered this tomb in the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu in Qing dynasty. In 1912, Hubei Provincial Department of Internal Affairs requested renovation, and built a 16-step tomb road and a tall archway in front of the tomb (between the archway and the tomb). On the forehead of the memorial archway, "Jiang Han Xian Ying" (""), and on the back, "San Chu Xiongfeng" (“"), a monument was erected in front of the tomb, "Da Han Chen Youliang Tomb", and Rao Hanxiang of Guangji made an inscription. There is also a tablet pavilion on each side of the tomb. In 1913, the cemetery was renovated and surrounded by pines and cypresses. In 1923 (after the Revolution of 1911), the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

rebuilt it. In 1949, after the founding of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, it was slightly repaired. In 1956, the tomb was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Hubei Province. It was destroyed during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

. In 1981, the local government allocated funds to restore it. In June 1998, it was completely renovated, with brick cement tomb walls and the monument of "Rebuilding Dahan Chen Youliang Tomb".

Memorial Palace

At 9:00 on 18 December 2013, the local government opened the "Chen Youliang Memorial Hall" () at 90 Pier, Mian Street, Xiantao City, Hubei Province (formerly Mianyang, Hubei Province). This memorial hall has three floors of antique buildings, covering an area of 3,891 square meters, with a total construction area of 1,615 square meters. The first two floors have an exhibition hall of 920 square meters, and the last floor is an office rest area.

Legends

"Zi Bu Yu"() by Yuan Mei (), volume 10, contains an article "Destroying Chen Youliang Temple", which tells the story of the ruined Jingzhou Chen Youliang Temple when Zhao Xili ( 赵锡礼) was appointed as a county magistrate. Zhao only knew that it was an unknown Wangye Temple, and thought it was an obscene temple and destroyed the temple, but he didn't know that the temple was dedicated to Chen Youliang, and he didn't know it until he asked Zhang Tianshi ( 张天师).《子不語·卷十·毀陳友諒廟》，「赵公锡礼，浙之兰溪人，初选竹山令，调繁监利。下车之日，例应谒文庙及城隍神。吏启：“有某庙者，当拈香。”公往视：庙有神像三人，雁行坐，俱王者衣冠，状貌颇庄严。问：“何神？”竟无知者。公欲毁其庙，吏不可，曰：“神素号显赫，历任官参谒颇肃，毁之恐触神怒，祸且不测。”公归搜志、乘，祀典不载此神，乃择日朝吏民于庙，手铁锁系神颈曳之。神像瑰伟，非掊击不能去。公曳之，应手而倒，三像碎于庭中。新其屋宇，改奉关帝。久之，竟无他异。公心终不释，乃行文天师府查之。得报牒云：神係元末偽漢王陳友諒弟兄三人，兵敗，死鄱陽湖，部曲散去，為立廟荊州。建於元至正某年，毀於國朝雍正某年趙大夫之手，合享血食四百年。」

Cultural portrayals

Film and TV

* 1978 '' Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre'' by * 1984 '' Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre'' by Lü Yao-hua () * 1986 ''

New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre ''New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre'' is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber''. The series was first broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in 1986. Plot Cast * Tony Leung as Cheung ...

'' by * 1987 ' by

Sean Lau Sean Lau Ching-wan (born 16 February 1964) is a Hong Kong actor who has acted in both films and television series. He is best known for starring in the films '' C'est la vie, mon chéri'' (1993), '' My Name Is Fame'' (2006), '' Mad Detective'' ( ...

* 1993 ''Zhu Yuanzhang'' () by Lü Qi () * 1994 '' Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre'' by * 1998 乞丐皇帝傳奇 by * 2000 ''

The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'', also translated as ''The Sword and the Knife'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong, Jin Yong (Louis Cha) and the third part of the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and ''The Re ...

'' by * 2001 ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' by Chen Rongjun () * 2003 ''

'' by Sun Bin () * 2004 ''Wudang'' () by Liu Xu () * 2006 '' Chuanqi Huangdi Zhu Yuanzhang'' by * 2006 ''Zhu Yuanzhang'' () by * 2009 ''

'' by Zhou Xiaobin () * 2016 ''Zhenmian Tianzi'' ( 真命天子) by Ji Xiaobing * 2015 '' The Legend of Beggar King and Big Foot Queen'' by Ji Chen () * 2019 '' Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre'' by Hou Ruixiang ()

Novels

Chen Youliang features as a character in the ''

wuxia ( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...

'' novel ''

'' by Louis Cha.

Citations

References

*Dreyer, Edward. (1982). Early Ming China: A Political History. Stanford: Stanford University Press. . * The Cambridge History of China Volume 7, pp. 65–89 (this section was written by Dreyer) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Youliang Red Turban rebels Founders of Imperial Chinese dynasties Yuan dynasty people 1320 births 1363 deaths Burials in Wuhan Deified Chinese men Founders of Imperial Chinese dynasties