Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was changed to Zhao Yuanxiu in 983, Zhao Yuankan in 986, and finally Zhao Heng in 995. He was the third son of his predecessor, Emperor Taizong, and was succeeded by his sixth son, Emperor Renzong at the end of his reign. From 1020 he was seriously ill, but retained power despite this. Because of his illness, day-to-day rule of China was often placed in the hands of his third wife, Empress Liu.

Reign

Emperor Zhenzong's reign was noted for the consolidation of power and the strengthening of the Song Empire. The empire prospered, and its military might was further reinforced. However, it would also mark the beginning of a foreign policy towards the Khitan-led Liao dynasty in the north that would ultimately result in humiliation. In 1004, the Khitans waged war against the Song Empire. Emperor Zhenzong, leading his army, struck back at the Khitans. Despite initial successes, in 1005, Emperor Zhenzong concluded the

Chanyuan Treaty The Chanyuan Treaty ( zh, s=澶渊之盟, t=澶淵之盟, p=Chányuān Zhī Méng) was signed between the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty and the Liao dynasty in 1005, and marked a pivotal point in Chinese history and in the rel ...

. The treaty resulted in over a century of peace, but at the price of the Song Empire agreeing to an inferior position to the Liao Empire, and also agreeing to pay an annual tribute of 100,000 ounces of silver and over 200,000 bolts of silk. The admission of inferiority would come to plague the foreign affairs of the Song Empire, while the payments slowly depleted the empire's coffers. He was responsible for ordering the shipment of 30,000 bushels of quick-maturing rice seed from the

Fujian Province Fujian is a province in southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefecture city by population is Qua ...

to the lower

Yangtze 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 ...

basin in 1011–1012, improving agriculture. By the sixth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu period of Emperor Zhenzong (1013), officials were evaluated based on their tax targets. These targets varied and were adjusted according to changes in tax revenue. Typically, they were set as averages of the highest and lowest collections from three years. Emperor Zhenzong stressed the importance of

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

at his imperial court. It was during his reign that the so-called Heavenly Texts, which glorified the Zhao family, were allegedly discovered. This was followed up by imperial sacrificial ceremonies carried out at

Mount Tai Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the ''Jade Emperor Peak'' (), which is commonly reported as being t ...

. From 1013 to 1015, the emperor issued official decrees deifying the

Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

as the highest ruler of Heaven. Champa rice was introduced to China from

Champa Champa (Cham language, Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, چمڤا; ; 占城 or 占婆) was a collection of independent Chams, Cham Polity, polities that extended across the coast of what is present-day Central Vietnam, central and southern Vietnam from ...

during Emperor Zhenzong's reign.

Illness and death

In 1020, Emperor Zhenzong became affected by an illness which was to cause his death two years later and unable to handle the affairs of state. By this time, Zhenzong’s wife Empress Liu was already established as power behind the throne and handled the affairs of state. She continued to act unofficially as regent of China for the two remaining years of Zhenzong’s life. Zhenzong died in 1022 of his illness. He was succeeded by his 6th son, Zhao Zhen who took the throne as Emperor Renzong, but with actual power remaining in the hands of Empress Liu, who became

empress dowager Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother; ) is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a monarch, especially in regards to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarchs in the Chines ...

Archaeology

A number of Chinese artefacts dating from the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

and

, some of which had been owned by Emperor Zhenzong, were excavated and came into the hands of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

general

Ma Hongkui Ma Hongkui ( zh, s=马鸿逵 , t=馬鴻逵 , p=Mǎ Hóngkuí , w=Ma Hung-k'uei , first=t, Xiao'erjing: ; March 14, 1892 – January 14, 1970) was a prominent Hui people, Chinese Muslim warlord during the Republic of China (1912–1949), R ...

, who refused to publicise the findings. Among the artefacts were a white marble tablet from the Tang dynasty, gold nails, and bands made out of metal. It was not until after Ma died that his wife went to Taiwan in 1971 from the United States to bring the artefacts to Chiang Kai-shek, who turned them over to the

National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum, also known as Taipei Palace Museum, is a national museum headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in Beijing in 1925, the museum was re-established in Shilin District, Shilin, Taipei, in 1965, later expanded with a S ...

Family

Consorts and issue

* Empress Zhanghuai of the Pan clan (; 968–989) * Empress Zhangmu of the Guo clan (; 975–1007) ** ''Zhao You, Crown Prince Daoxian'' (; 995–1003), second son ** ''Unnamed son'' ** ''Unnamed son'' * Empress Zhangxian of the Liu clan (; 968–1033), personal name E () * Empress Zhangyi of the Li clan (; 987–1032) ** Zhao Zhen, Renzong (; 1010–1063), sixth son ** ''Princess Jingyi'' (), first daughter * Empress Zhanghui of the Yang clan (; 984–1036) * Noble Consort Zhaojing of the Shen clan (; 994–1076) *Able Consort of the Cao clan (贤妃曹氏) *Able Consort of the Chen clan (贤妃陈氏) * Noble Consort of the Du clan (; d. 1046), personal name Qiongzhen () ** Princess Zhaohuai (; d. 1047), personal name Zhichong (), second daughter *Lady of Conducive Appearance of the Dai clan (順容戴氏) *Beauty of the Xu clan (美人徐氏) *Talented Lady of the Chen clan (才人陳氏) * Unknown ** ''Zhao Ti, Prince of Wen'' (), first son ** ''Zhao Zhi, Prince of Chang'' (), third son ** ''Zhao Zhi, Prince of Xin'' (), fourth son ** ''Zhao Qi, Prince of Qin'' (), fifth son

References

(With the Empress Consort Liu) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhenzong, Emperor 968 births 1022 deaths Northern Song emperors 11th-century Chinese monarchs 10th-century Chinese monarchs People from Kaifeng The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants characters