Han Cheng (died 206 BC), also referred to as Cheng, King of Han in some Chinese historical texts, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Hán () of the

Eighteen Kingdoms The historiographical term "Eighteen Kingdoms" ( zh, t=十八國), also translated as "Eighteen States", refers to the eighteen '' fengjian'' states in China created by military leader Xiang Yu in 206 BCE, after the collapse of the Qin dynasty.� ...

during the

Chu–Han Contention The Chu–Han Contention (), also known as the Chu–Han War (), was an interregnum in Imperial China between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the establishment of the Han dynasty. After the Qin dynasty was overthrown in 206 BCE, the empir ...

, an

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

between the Qin and Han dynasties of China.

Life

Han Cheng was a descendant of the royal family of the Hán state during the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

. He lived as a commoner during the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

after his native state was

conquered Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or legal prohibitions against conquest ...

by the Qin state in 230 BC. In 209 BC, when uprisings against the Qin dynasty broke out throughout China, Han Cheng joined

Xiang Liang Xiang Liang (; died 208 BC) was a Chinese military leader who led a rebellion against the Qin dynasty between 209 and 208 BC. He is best known as an uncle of Xiang Yu, the rival of the Han dynasty's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Ban ...

's rebel group, hoping to leverage on their military power to revive the Hán state. Along the way, he met Zhang Liang, a descendant of a bureaucratic family of the former Hán state. Zhang Liang succeeded in persuading Xiang Liang to restore the former Hán state, and Han Cheng was appointed as its ruler with Zhang Liang serving as his chancellor. Xiang Liang also provided some troops to Han Cheng and allowed him to attack the Qin garrison at Yingchuan. After the fall of the Qin dynasty in 206 BC,

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (), born Xiang Ji, was a Chinese warlord who founded and led the short-lived ancient Chinese states, kingdom-state of Western Chu during the interregnum period between the Qin dynasty, Qin and Han dynasty, Han dynasties of China, d ...

divided the former Qin territories into the

. Han Cheng was appointed as the King of Han. Months later, Xiang Yu killed Han Cheng and replaced him with Zheng Chang.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Cheng Chu–Han contention people Chinese kings 206 BC deaths Year of birth unknown