Meng Tian (c. 250 BC – August or September 210 BC) was a Chinese inventor and military general of 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 ...

who distinguished himself in campaigns against the Xiongnu and in the construction of the

Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against vario ...

. He was the elder brother of

Meng Yi Meng Yi (died August or September 210 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician. As an official of the Qin dynasty, he served in the court of Qin Shi Huang. He was a younger brother of the general Meng Tian. After Qin Shi Huang's deat ...

. He descended from a great line of military generals and architects. His grandfather, , was a general from the era of King Zhao; and his father, Meng Wu, was also a general who served as a deputy to Wang Jian.

Life

In 224 BC, having recently conquered Wei, the Qin king Ying Zheng appointed Li Xin as commander-in-chief and Meng Tian as his vice-general to lead a 200,000 strong army in an assault against Chu. The invasion was successful at first, Meng Tian's army took Qigui but then, both Li Xin's and Meng Tiang's armies were effectively annihilated by Chu troops under Xiang Yan and

Lord Changping Lord Changping (; died 223 BC) was a Chinese monarch and politician who remained as an important military commander and lord of Qin, who later departed from the state of Qin and went to the state of Chu where he became the last king of Chu (223 ...

. Following this defeat, Ying Zheng appointed Qin generals Wang Jian and Meng Wu as commanders of a 600,000 Qin army in order to finally achieve the conquest of Chu. By the time the Qin state conquered the other six states and began its reign over a unified China in 221 BC, the nomadic Xiongnu had grown into a powerful invading force in the north and started expanding both east and west.

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; February 25912 July 210 BC), born Ying Zheng () or Zhao Zheng (), was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of China. He is widely regarded as the first ever supreme leader of a unitary state, unitary d ...

, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, sent a 300,000-strong army headed by Meng Tian to drive the Xiongnu northward for 1,000 '' li'' (about 416 km) and began work on what has become known as the Great Wall to guard against invasion. The defensive works he began were said to extend over 10,000 ''li'' (4,158 km) "from Lintao to

Liaodong The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...

and even extended across the Yellow River and through Yangshan and Beijia.", that is, from the southwest corner of the

Ordos Loop The Ordos Plateau, also known as the Ordos Basin or simply the Ordos, is a highland sedimentary basin in parts of most Northern China with an elevation of , and consisting mostly of land enclosed by the Ordos Loop, a large northerly rectangular ...

to the Yellow Sea. Yangshan and Beijia are hard to locate, but the wall ran along the Yellow River and included all of the Ordos Loop. Meng Tian's ingenuity can be seen in the efficient (though inhumane) building policy, the consideration of topography, and the utilisation of natural barriers. Meng Tian supervised the construction of a road system linking the former Yan, Qi, Wu and Chu areas, as well as a number of roads especially for imperial use. The system eventually formed played an extremely important role in ancient transportation and economic exchanges. He is also traditionally, if erroneously, credited with having invented the " Ink brush" (毛筆) and is specially remembered at the "

Huzhou Huzhou (, ; Huzhou dialect: Romanization of Wu Chinese, ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzho ...

Pen Festival", which developed from festivities at his ancestor temple. Meng Tian is also credited with inventing the '' guzheng'' ( 筝), a bridge

zither Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...

with twelve or thirteen strings. When

Fusu Fusu (died August or September 210BC) was the eldest son and heir apparent of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty. Life After being deceived by two alchemists while seeking prolonged life, Qin Shi Huang supposedly Burning of bo ...

, Qin Shi Huang's eldest son and the

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

, was exiled to work at the northern border for disputing his father's policies, Meng Tian was ordered to assist the prince — a task he had accomplished loyally. When Qin Shi Huang died, Meng Tian's death was caused by Zhao Gao who forged a letter from Qin Shi Huang.Tung, Douglas S. Tung, Kenneth. (2003). ''More Than 36 Stratagems: A Systematic Classification Based On Basic Behaviours''. Trafford Publishing. . He was forced to commit suicide in prison, and his family was killed. Three years after his death, the Qin dynasty collapsed.

In popular culture and legacy

Meng Tian sometimes appears as a

door god ''Menshen'', or door gods, are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu () and Yulü () under ...

in Chinese and Taoist temples, usually paired with

. He is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI'' by Koei. He also appears as a non-playable character in '' Prince of Qin''. In the manga series Kingdom, Meng Tian is known as "Mou Ten", a Qin General and the eldest son of Great General Mou Bu (Meng Wu). He looks different from his father and his younger brother Mou Ki. He has a feminine appearance, with shoulder length black orange hair and a pink robe over his armor. He usually leads his forces alongside Wang Ben/Ou Hon and Li Xin/Ri Shin, but his tactical expertise is higher and better known due to him being a graduate of the Strategist Academy and the top student under

's school. He acts as a referee or peacekeeper for

Wang Ben Wang Ben (王賁), was a Chinese general of the state of Qin during the Warring States period. He was a son of the better known general Wang Jian. He played a key role in the Qin's wars of unification. Life In 225 BCE, a 600,000 strong Qin arm ...

/Ou Hon and Li Xin/Shin, who are shown to despise each other and argue constantly in the series.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Watson, Burton. (1993). ''Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian''. Translated by Burton Watson. Revised Edition. Columbia University Press. .

External links