Xiang Bo (; died 192 BC), formally the Marquis of Yeyang (), was a Chinese noble of the early

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

Early life

Xiang Bo's given name was Chan () but he went by his

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Bo (), hence he was known as Xiang Bo. He was from Xiaxiang (), which is around present-day Suqian,

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, and descended from a noble family who had served for generations in the army of the Chu state of 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 ...

. His father, Xiang Yan (), was a general who was killed in action while leading the defence of Chu against an invasion by the Qin state in 223 BC. After the fall of Chu, the Qin state unified China under its rule by 221 BC and established 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 ...

. Xiang Bo and his family lived as commoners under Qin rule for years. On one occasion, after killing somebody in his hometown, he fled to Xiapi (; present-day Suining County, Jiangsu), where he met and befriended Zhang Liang, who helped him evade the authorities. In 209 BC, when uprisings broke out throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty, Xiang Bo joined his brother

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 ...

and his nephew

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 ...

in starting a rebellion in Wu (; around present-day

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

, Jiangsu) with the aim of restoring the Chu state, and they managed to rally about 8,000 men to join their cause. They also found Xiong Xin, a grandson of King Huai of Chu, and made him their king. Xiong Xin, who became historically known as King Huai II, was merely a figurehead under the Xiangs' control. After Xiang Liang was killed in battle against Qin forces at Dingtao in 208 BC, Xiang Yu remained in control of the Chu rebel group's military power.

Feast at Swan Goose Gate

In 206 BC, the Qin dynasty ended when its last emperor Ziying surrendered to a rebel group led by

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

, who was formerly part of the Chu rebel group led by the Xiangs. According to an earlier promise by King Huai II, whoever first occupied the

Guanzhong Guanzhong (, formerly romanization of Chinese, romanised as Kwanchung) region, also known as the Guanzhong Basin, Wei River Basin, or uncommonly as the Shaanzhong region, is a historical region of China corresponding to the crescentic graben str ...

region, where the Qin capital

Xianyang Xianyang ( zh, s=咸阳 , p=Xiányáng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now int ...

(in present-day

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

) was, would be made king of Guanzhong. Xiang Yu was unhappy that Liu Bang had beat him in the race to Guanzhong so he prepared to attack Liu Bang. Xiang Bo, upon hearing that Zhang Liang was one of Liu Bang's advisers at the time, feared for his friend's life so he secretly met Zhang Liang to warn him about Xiang Yu's impending attack. Zhang Liang brought Xiang Bo with him to meet Liu Bang, who treated Xiang Bo respectfully and offered his daughter's hand-in-marriage to Xiang Bo's son. Touched by Liu Bang's generosity, Xiang Bo promised to help Liu Bang mediate the conflict with Xiang Yu. After returning to his camp, Xiang Bo met Xiang Yu and managed to persuade his nephew to give Liu Bang a chance to explain himself. The next day, Xiang Yu hosted a feast at Swan Goose Gate (; in present-day Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi) and invited Liu Bang to attend. During the feast, Xiang Yu's adviser Fan Zeng hinted to his lord to give the order to kill Liu Bang, but was ignored so he secretly instructed Xiang Yu's cousin Xiang Zhuang to pretend to perform a sword dance to entertain everyone and find an opportunity to assassinate Liu Bang. Sensing that Liu Bang was in danger, Xiang Bo stood up, drew his sword and offered to join the sword dance. Whenever Xiang Zhuang thrust his sword at Liu Bang, Xiang Bo parried the blow or used his body to block Xiang Zhuang, saving Liu Bang's life. Xiang Yu eventually ordered them to stop the sword dance and return to their seats.

Later life

Starting in late 206 BC, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang engaged in a power struggle, historically known as the Chu–Han Contention, for supremacy over China. During this time, Xiang Bo often attempted to get both sides to make peace but to no avail. The war ended in 202 BC with Xiang Yu's defeat and suicide at the Battle of Gaixia; Liu Bang became emperor and established the

. As an expression of gratitude to Xiang Bo for saving his life during the Feast at Swan Goose Gate, Liu Bang pardoned Xiang Bo and his family, granted him the imperial family name " Liu", and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Yeyang (), with the lands southwest of present-day

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as his marquisate. After Xiang Bo died in 192 BC, his son Liu Sui () was not allowed to inherit the marquisate because he had committed an offence.

References

Sima Qian Sima Qian () was a Chinese historian during the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for the ''Shiji'' (sometimes translated into English as ''Records of the Grand Historian''), a general history of China cov ...

. ''

Shiji The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st cen ...

'', Volume 7. {{DEFAULTSORT:Xiang, Bo Chu–Han contention people Year of birth unknown 192 BC deaths