Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin,

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 ...

Yuanlang, was the founding

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

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 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguished military general of the

Later Zhou dynasty Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei ...

, Emperor Taizu came to power after staging a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

and forcing Emperor Gong, the last Later Zhou ruler, to abdicate the throne in his favor. During his reign, Emperor Taizu conquered the states of

Southern Tang Southern Tang ( zh, c=南唐, p=Nán Táng) was a Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic state of China that existed during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Located in southern China, the Southern Tang proclaimed itself to be the successor ...

Later Shu Shu, referred to as Later Shu ( zh, t=後蜀, s=后蜀, first=t, p=Hòu Shǔ) and Meng Shu ( zh, c=孟蜀) in historiography, was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was ...

Southern Han Southern Han ( zh , t = 南漢 , p = Nán Hàn , j=Naam4 Hon3; 917–971), officially Han ( zh , t = 漢 , links=no), originally Yue ( zh , c = 越 , links=no), was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms that existed during the ...

, and

Jingnan Jingnan (), also known as Nanping (南平; alternatively written as Southern Ping) and Northern Chu () in historiography, was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Lasting from ...

, thus reunifying most of

China proper China proper, also called Inner China, are terms used primarily in the West in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China centered in the southeast. The term was first used by Westerners during the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dyn ...

. To strengthen his control, he lessened the power of military generals and relied on civilian officials in administration. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Zhao Kuangyi (Emperor Taizong).

Early life

Born in

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

to military commander

Zhao Hongyin Zhao Hongyin (899 – 3 September 956) was a Chinese general during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. After his death, his son Zhao Kuangyin founded the Song dynasty in 960. His other son Zhao Kuangyi would also become a Song emper ...

, Zhao Kuangyin grew up excelling in

mounted archery Mounted archery is a form of archery that involves shooting arrows while on horseback. A horse archer is a person who does mounted archery. Archery has occasionally been used from the backs of other riding animals. In large open areas, mounted ...

. Once, riding an untamed horse without a

bridle A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the "bridle" includes both the that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. It prov ...

, he knocked his forehead on the wall above the

city gate A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. It is a type of fortified gateway. Uses City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods ...

and fell off, but got right back up and chased the horse, eventually subduing it while going unharmed. In the mid-940s, he married Lady He on his father's

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

. After wandering around for a few years, in 949 he joined the army of

Guo Wei Guo Wei () (10 September 904 – 22 February 954According to Guo Wei's biography in "Old Histories of the Five Dynasties", he died between 9am and 11 am on the ''renchen'' day of the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xiande'' era of his reig ...

, a ''

jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (, Old Turkic: Tarduş) or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissi ...

'' (military governor) of the Later Han dynasty, and helped Guo quell

Li Shouzhen Li Shouzhen (; died 17 August 949''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 288.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter) was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period states Later J ...

's rebellion.

Career under Later Zhou

In 951, Guo Wei rebelled and created the

. Because of his brilliant combat skills, Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to a palace guard commander. Chai Rong (Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou) frequently met Guo Wei and noticed Zhao Kuangyin's potential. Under his command, Zhao Kuangyin was made into a commander of the cavalry units. Under Chai Rong, Zhao Kuangyin's rise to power had begun. Zhao Kuangyin's career started at the Battle of Gaoping, against the alliance of the

Northern Han The Northern Han ( zh, t=北漢, s=北汉, p=Běi Hàn) was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was founded by Liu Min (Emperor Shizu) as a continuation of the Later Ha ...

and Liao dynasties. This rivalry started when Chai Rong ascended the throne and

Liu Chong Liu Min () ( 895 – 954), named Liu Chong () before 951,, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Northern Han, was the founding emperor of the Northern Han dynasty of China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He ...

decided to work with the Liao dynasty. In the initial confrontation, the army's right flank, led by Fan Aineng () and He Hui (), was defeated. Looking at the situation, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde () led 4000 elite Palace troops to counter the Liao army. Zhao Kuangyin's exhortation for the loyalty to the emperor quickly strengthened morale. The small force held off the larger Liao army until reinforcements arrived. In the end, the successful counter repelled the Northern Han back to

Taiyuan Taiyuan; Mandarin pronunciation: (Jin Chinese, Taiyuan Jin: /tʰai˦˥ ye˩˩/) is the capital of Shanxi, China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. It is an industrial base foc ...

. The victory raised Zhao Kuangyin up to the post of the grand commander of the palace guards, as well as reorganising and training them. More importantly, he developed the relations with other generals and officials related to the Chief of Palace, including

Shi Shouxin Shi Shouxin (; 928–984) was a military general in imperial China, first serving the Later Zhou during the last years of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and later the Song dynasty. Career under Later Zhou Shi Shouxin first followe ...

, Wang Shenqi (), Yang Guangyi (), Wang Zhengzhong (), Liu Qingyi (), Liu Shouzhong (), Liu Yanrang (), Mi Xin (), Tian Chongjin (), Pan Mei, his brother Zhao Kuangyi, Shen Yilun (), Lu Xuqing, Zhao Pu (), Chu Zhaofu (). Within a few years, Zhao Kuangyin completely controlled the palace guards and even developed a set of officials under him with the people mentioned above. Soon, he was promoted to a ''

'' (military governor), controlling most of the military power under Chai Rong. Nevertheless, he still had two rivals – Zhang Yongde (

's son-in-law) and Li Chongjin (

's nephew). In 959, after a trap set by Zhao Kuangyin, Zhang Yongde was demoted. After the death of Chai Rong, the Later Zhou throne was left to his seven-year-old son

Guo Zongxun Guo Zongxun () (14 September 953 – 973) or Chai Zongxun (), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Gong of Later Zhou (), was the third and last emperor of the Chinese Later Zhou dynasty, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms pe ...

, and the second rival, Li Chongjin, soon found himself lacking the political backing. As a result, Zhao Kuangyin was able to use his influence to transfer Li Chongjin to Yang Prefecture as a ''jiedushi''.

Chenqiao Mutiny

In 960, word reached the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Fan Zhi Fàn Zhi () ( 911 – 5 November 964), formally the Duke of Lu (), was a Chinese essayist, historian, jurist, and politician who served under 12 emperors of 6 dynasties during imperial China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and the subs ...

that

and Liao dynasties were once again allied to invade them again. Without verifying the reliability of the hearsay, Fan Zhi sent Zhao Kuangyin to combat the alliance. After traveling 40 '' li'', there was a clamour that a "prophet" saw two suns fighting, and that this meant the transfer of the

Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven ( zh, t=天命, p=Tiānmìng, w=, l=Heaven's command) is a Chinese ideology#Political ideologies, political ideology that was used in History of China#Ancient China, Ancient China and Chinese Empire, Imperial China to legit ...

to Zhao Kuangyin. The story effectively spread around the army: there came discontent of the "command" of the young emperor and a shift of loyalty to Zhao Kuangyin. A few days later, when Zhao Kuangyin was drunk in his tent, all the troops had not slept the whole night; they got their weapons and started yelling. Zhao Pu and Zhang Kuangyi, who were guarding the tent, saw the situation and went into the tent to wake up Zhao Kuangyin. When Zhao Kuangyin came out, all the troops yelled, "The army is without a master, we are willing to make the general the new emperor." Allegedly, Zhao Kuangyin took the power reluctantly, only under the urging of his soldiers. The midnight mutiny of officers forcibly urged Zhao Kuangyin to the throne; but, when the officers presented him to the troops as their new commander-in-chief he refused the imperial nomination until they swore unconditional obedience to him as leader. News of the rebellion soon reached the court and chaos erupted. The only person who thought about a resistance was Han Tong, but he was killed by one of Zhao Kuangyin's generals when he reached home. Upon entering the capital to take his seat on the throne, Zhao Kuangyin made an executive order prohibiting the troops from looting the city or otherwise violating the rights of the population.Paludan, 122–123 This coup would allow Zhao Kuangyin to become emperor in 960. With the gates opened for him, he became emperor with no resistance. Before the chancellor Fan Zhi could say anything, one of Zhao Kuangyin's generals pointed a sword at him and said, "We are without masters. Today, we must have an emperor." After the officials looked at each other and knew it was hopeless to resist; they all bowed down. With the court under control, Zhao Kuangyin was officially proclaimed emperor. The new dynasty's name,

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

, was inspired by the army Zhao Kuangyin commanded in Song Prefecture. After the declaration, Zhao Kuangyin sent the dethroned young emperor

with his mother to the Western Capital (). He personally ordered the Zhao family to receive the Chai family into their family's care for generations.

As emperor

In 960, Zhao Kuangyin helped reunite most of

after the fragmentation and rebellion between the fall of 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 ...

in 907 and the establishment of the

. The plan set during

Chai Rong Chai Rong () (27 October 921 – 27 July 959), later known as Guo Rong (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, was the second emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

's reign was to first conquer the north, then the south. During Emperor Taizu's reign, there was a change in strategy. He would conquer all the smaller states such as

and

. The exception was the strong

in the north at

supported by the

Khitans The Khitan people (Khitan small script: ; ) were a historical nomadic people from Northeast Asia who, from the 4th century, inhabited an area corresponding to parts of modern Mongolia, Northeast China and the Russian Far East. As a people desce ...

of the Liao dynasty. Emperor Taizu's strategy was to win over the independent southern states as the south was weaker than the north as the Liao dynasty supported Northern Han. In 968, Emperor Taizu personally led the army against the Northern Han. At first, his forces tore through the defences and placed Taiyuan under siege, but was ultimately forced to retreat after he struck against the defences of the Northern Han with the Liao cavalry coming in to support. SongTaizu

Emperor Taizu established the core Song Ancestor Rules and Policy for the later Song emperors. He was remembered for his expansion of the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

system such that most of the civil service were recruited through the exams (in contrast to the Tang where less than 10% of the civil servants came through exams). He also created academies that allowed a great deal of freedom of discussion and thought, which facilitated the growth of scientific advance, economic reforms as well as achievements in arts and literature. Emperor Taizu is well known for bringing the power of the military under control, ending the era of the warlords, centralizing the state over regional commanders and so preventing anyone else rising to power as he did. Upon becoming emperor, he invited the general officers to a lavish banquet, where he convinced them all to retire as military leaders or accept minor posts, in favour of enjoying extensive estates and generous retirement funds and benefits which he then offered them. At a certain point during the feast, the new emperor made a speech to the military officers assembled there, which he began by expressing his deep gratitude to each and all of them for placing him on the throne, and that now that he had the power to do so, he wished to reward them to the utmost of his ability; then he went on to say that he thought the present company would all understand that he could not feel at ease on his new throne, with them continuing in command of their various armies of troops: and, he said, that if they duly considered the ramifications of the matter, neither would they. He then sincerely promised that they and their families would live in happiness and harmony, if they accepted his offer to retire with the stated benefits: eventually, none of the generals refused his terms, and thus began a period of relative internal peace within the realm for the duration of the Song dynasty which he thus founded, also better securing the military forces for involvement with the rival surrounding empires. Many Song and later sources record the story of the "Taizu's Oath", which forbade his successors from killing scholar-officials. However, this story might be a later construct. Emperor Taizu established a Reserve Treasury as a deposit treasury for the purpose of either attempting to purchase the

Sixteen Prefectures The Sixteen Prefectures, more precisely known as the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan- Yun () or the Sixteen Prefectures of You- Ji (), comprise a historical region in North China along the Great Wall in present-day Beijing, Tianjin, and part of no ...

or to recover them through funding military action. He launched a military expedition to recover them before his death, and his successor attempted twice more, leading to twenty-five years of sporadic fighting between the Song and the Khitan Liao.

Death and succession dispute

Emperor Taizu reigned for seventeen years and died in 976 at the age of 49. Curiously, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Zhao Kuangyi (Emperor Taizong), even though he had two grown sons –

Zhao Dezhao Zhao Dezhao (趙德昭) (951 – 26 August 979) was an imperial prince of the Chinese Song dynasty. Officially the Prince Yi of Yan (燕懿王), he was the second son of Emperor Taizu and the crown prince since his elder brother died young. ...

, the Prince of Yan (951–979), and

Zhao Defang Zhao Defang (; c. 959–981) was an imperial prince of imperial China's Song dynasty. He was the fourth son of Emperor Taizu and the younger brother of Zhao Dezhao. He was the 3rd great-grandfather of Emperor Xiaozong of Song. Biography In 97 ...

, the Prince of Qin (959–981). The traditional historical accounts place emphasis on the role Zhao Kuangyin's mother played in the decision which was made shortly after the Song dynasty was proclaimed (around 961). So for nearly his entire reign, it was known and accepted that Zhao Kuangyi would succeed him. In folklore, the story known as " shadows by the candle and sounds from an axe" is very popular and suggests that Emperor Taizu was murdered by his brother, who was after the throne. After his death, Taizu was interred at the Yongchang Mausoleum, near

Gongyi Gongyi (), formerly Gong County (), is a county-level city of Henan, Henan Province, South Central China, South Central China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou. It has a population of 790,000 people and an a ...

. After Emperor Taizong, the line of succession passed on to his son and descendants rather than those of Emperor Taizu. However, when Emperor Gaozong (1127–1161) failed to produce an heir, he selected a descendant of Emperor Taizu to be his adopted heir to succeed him in 1161. After 1161, all the subsequent Song emperors were descended from Emperor Taizu through his two sons,

and

Family

Zhao Kuangyin's family was of fairly modest origins and cannot be traced back with any certainty further than the

Later Tang Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four ...

. His great great grandfather Zhao Tiao was an official who served in

Zhuozhou Zhuozhou (), is a county-level city with 628,000 inhabitants in central Hebei province, southwest of Beijing. It is administered by Baoding prefecture-level city. Zhuozhou has 3 subdistricts, 6 towns, 5 townships, and 1 development zone. Histo ...

Hebei Province Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

near where the family lived. His descendants Zhao Ting and Zhao Jing also served as local officials in Hebei Province. Zhao Jing's son Zhao Hongyin decided against a civil career and became a military officer instead under

Zhuangzong of Later Tang Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (), personal name Li Cunxu (), nickname Yazi (), stage name Li Tianxia (), was the second ruling prince of the Former Jin dynasty (r. 908–923) who later became the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty ...

: he knew that in times of disunity it would be a military career that would lead to success.

Consorts and issue

* Empress Xiaohui, of the He clan (; 929–958) ** ''Zhao Dexiu, Prince of Teng'' (), first son **

, Prince Yi of Yan (; 951–979), second son ** ''Zhao Delin, Prince of Shu'' (), third son ** Princess Xiansu (; d. 1008), first daughter *** Married Wang Chengyan () in 970 ** Princess Xianjing (; d. 1009), second daughter *** Married Shi Baoji () in 972 * Empress Xiaoming, of the Wang clan (; 942–964) **

, Prince Kanghui of Qin (; 959–981), fourth son ** ''Unnamed daughter'' ** ''Unnamed daughter'' * Empress Xiaozhang, of the Song clan (; 952–995) * Unknown ** Princess Xianhui (; d. 999) *** Married Wei Xianxin () in 972 ** ''Princess Anhui'' () ** ''Princess Xianhui'' () ** ''Princess Xuanhui'' ()

In popular culture

Religion

The Great Ancestor of the Song 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 ...

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

and

Taoist temple A Daoist temple (), also called a () or (), is a place where the Dao is observed and cultivated. It is a place of worship in Taoism. Taoism is a religion that originated in China, with the belief in immortality, which urges people to become i ...

s in partnership with

Yang Gun Yang may refer to: * Yang, in yin and yang, one half of the two symbolic polarities in Chinese philosophy * Korean yang, former unit of currency of Korea from 1892 to 1902 * YANG, a data modeling language for the NETCONF network configuration pr ...

Literature

The late 16th century novel by Xiong Damu () called ''Records of the Two Songs, South and North'' () is a historical novel about imperial China from roughly 926 to 1022. The first 50 chapters detail the fall of

and the rise and fall of Later Jin,

Later Han Later Han (後漢) may refer to two dynastic states in imperial China: *Eastern Han (25–220), the second period of the Han dynasty, also called Later Han * Later Han (947–951), a dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period See al ...

and

Later Zhou Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei ...

, with a focus on the legends of Zhao Kuangyin. The last 50 chapters focus on the ''

Generals of the Yang Family ''The Generals of the Yang Family'' is a collection of Chinese folklore, plays and novels on a military family from the earlier years of imperial China's Song dynasty (960–1279). The stories recount the unflinching loyalty and the remarkable ...

'' legends. As a result, the book is in later publications usually split in two separate parts under various different names. A 1797 novel written by Wu Xuan () called ''Legends of the Flying Dragon'' () proved to be very popular in his time. He expanded the stories on Zhao Kuangyin in Xiong Damu's book and added a ''

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 ...

'' twist to it. Another novel ''Emperor Taizu of Song Thrice Sets off for Southern Tang, Trapped in Shouzhou City'' () was written by an "

Antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

Master" () in 1858. While these stories mostly use historical figures as supporting characters, a number of fictional characters became famously associated with Zhao Kuangyin: * Zhao Jingniang (), a beautiful teenage girl whom Zhao Kuangyin saved from kidnappers and protected during her journey home. She developed strong romantic feelings about Zhao Kuangyin, but he only regarded her as a younger sister. She eventually committed suicide when a misunderstanding occurred. * Zheng En (),

Ziming (), the third sworn brother of Zhao Kuangyin and

in the stories. He is portrayed as dark-skinned, strong and loyal, with a simple temperament. He was accidentally killed by a drunk Zhao Kuangyin.

Martial arts

According to martial arts traditional lore, Emperor Taizu created a Shaolin-based fighting style known as ''Taizu Changquan'' (太祖長拳; literally "Taizu Long Fist"). It is the core style of the present-day Long Fist style. Whether he really did invent this style or if it even dates from this time is not actually known.

Films

A Chinese

4D film 4D film is a presentation system combining motion pictures with synchronized physical effects that occur in the theater. Effects simulated in 4D films include motion, vibration, Sense of smell, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fog, smoke, wind, temperat ...

tentatively titled ''Unifying the Country'' () is planned to be directed by

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

–winning Danish director

Bille August Bille August (; born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. August's 1987 film ''Pelle the Conqueror'' won the , Academy Awards, Academy Award and Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Awar ...

. The film is said to center on Zhao Kuangyin as well as Li Yu (last ruler of

) and

Qian Chu Qian Chu (29 September 929 – 7 October 988), courtesy name Wende, known as Qian Hongchu before 960, also known by his posthumous name as the King Zhongyi of Wuyue, was the last king of Wuyue during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period o ...

(last ruler of

Wuyue Wuyue (; ) was a Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic state of China and one of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period#Ten Kingdoms, Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of History of China, Chinese history. It wa ...

Television series

* ''Military Control'' (), a 1988 Hong Kong series starring

Gordon Liu Gordon Liu Chia-hui (born Sin Kam-hei, 22 August 1955) is a retired Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and filmmaker, best known for his roles in martial arts films. He was one of the biggest male stars of Shaw Brothers Studio's martial arts cinema ...

as Zhao Kuangyin. * ''Zhao Kuangyin'' (), a 1995 Chinese series starring Zhao Xiguang as Zhao Kuangyin. * ''The Preordained Emperor'' (), a 1998 Taiwanese series starring Lin You-hsing as Zhao Kuangyin. * ''Zhao Kuangyin'' (), a 2013 Chinese series starring

Chen Jianbin Chen Jianbin (born June 27, 1970) is a Chinese actor and director. He is best known for his roles in television series, including Cao Cao in ''Three Kingdoms'' (2010) and the Emperor Yongzheng in '' Empresses in the Palace'' (2011)''.'' In 2014, ...

as Zhao Kuangyin. *

A Change of Destiny ''A Change of Destiny'' (Traditional Chinese: 天機算) is a TVB costume drama series broadcast in April 2007. The series is about two young men having the same birthday but have both of them have a different life. Benny Chan is from a rich fa ...

is a 2007 TVB series in which Zhao Kuangyiin appears as a supporting character portrayed by

Kwok Fung Kwok Fung (born 27 October 1951 in Hong Kong) is a veteran actor from Hong Kong. He graduated the first training of TVB in 1971. Filmography Film * '' S Storm'' (2016) * ''Raging Fire Raging Fire may refer to: * ''Raging Fire'' (film), a 2021 ...

. Three independent television series focused on the complex relationships between Zhao Kuangyin,

Li Houzhu Li Yu (; 937 – 15 August 978), before 961 known as Li Congjia (), also known as Li Houzhu (; literally "Last Ruler Li" or "Last Lord Li") or Last Lord of Southern Tang (), was the third rulerUnlike his father and grandfather, Li Yu never rule ...

(Li Congjia) and the many women in their lives. They are: * ''

The Sword and the Song ''The Sword and the Song'' is a 1986 Singaporean historical series produced by Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. The drama focuses on a pair of great monarchs during the 10th century: Song dynasty's fearless and heroic warrior Zhao Kuangyin and ...

'' (), a 1986 Singaporean series starring Lin Mingzhe as Zhao Kuangyin and Li Wenhai as Li Congjia * ''Love, Sword, Mountain & River'' (), a 1996 Taiwanese series starring

Wu Hsing-kuo Wu Hsing-kuo () is a Taiwanese actor of the silver screen and theater, known for both his performance of complex movie roles as much as for his innovative adaptations of Western classics into traditional Peking Opera. Life and career Wu was trai ...

as Zhao Kuangyin and Chin Feng as Li Congjia * ''Li Houzhu and Zhao Kuangyin'' (), a 2006 Chinese series starring Huang Wen-hao as Zhao Kuangyin and

Nicky Wu Nicky Wu (born 31 October 1970) is a Taiwanese singer, actor and producer. He found fame in 1988 as a member of boyband Little Tigers. He later embarked on a solo career, known for his roles in TV series '' At the Threshold of an Era'' (1999)'','' ...

as Li Congjia

References

Citations

General sources

* Paludan, Ann (1998). ''Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial China''. New York: Thames and Hudson. . * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taizu of Song 10th-century Chinese monarchs 927 births 976 deaths Chinese gods Deified Chinese men Emperors from Luoyang Founders of Imperial Chinese dynasties Generals from Henan Later Zhou generals Northern Song emperors Unsolved deaths in China Usurpers