Zhong Chuan or Zhong Zhuan (鍾傳) (died 906), formally the Prince of Nanping (南平王), was a warlord of the late

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 ...

, who controlled a large portion of Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern

Nanchang Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi, China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake. Because of its strate ...

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

, formerly known as Jiangxi (江西)) as its military governor (''

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 ...

'') for over 20 years.

Background and seizure of Jiangxi

It is not known when Zhong Chuan was born, but it is known that he was from Gao'an (高安, in modern Yichun,

) and that he was a merchant when he was young and liked hunting. On one occasion, when he was drunk, he encountered a tiger. Instead of fleeing, he decided to fight the tiger even though he was unarmed. The tiger pawed his shoulder, but he was able to hold on to the tiger and make it impossible for the tiger to attack him further. Other people came to his aid and killed the tiger. (Zhong would eventually regret this incident deeply and use it to encourage his sons to use their intellects rather than brute force.)''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'', vol. 190. In the 870s, the major agrarian rebel Wang Xianzhi roamed the

Yangtze River 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 ...

region, including Jiangxi Circuit, which Zhong's home territory belonged to. Zhong gathered a group of non- Han residents of the region and went up into the mountains, using the mountains as their defense, eventually with the group increasing to 10,000 people. At one point, after Wang captured but abandoned Fu Prefecture (撫州, in modern

Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...

), Zhong took over the prefecture, and then-reigning Emperor Xizong thereafter made Zhong the prefect of Fu. In 882, after Wang's erstwhile ally

Huang Chao Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a wealthy Chinese salt trader and soldier who is primarily known for instigating the Huang Chao Rebellion. In 878, he proclaimed himself emperor and the establishment of a new Qi dynasty. Huang Chao's re ...

captured the imperial capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

and forced Emperor Xizong to flee to

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

, Zhong attacked Jiangxi's capital Hong Prefecture () and expelled the imperially-commissioned governor (觀察使, ''Guanchashi'') Gao Maoqing (). The imperial government, which was also dealing with Min Xu's takeover of Hunan Circuit (湖南, headquartered in modern

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

), decided to convert Jiangxi into a military circuit (Zhennan) and commission Min as the military governor of Zhennan, hoping that Min would attack Zhong, but Min, not wanting to do so, declined. Later that year, at the request of

Gao Pian Gao Pian (; 821? – 24 September 887Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 257.), courtesy name Qianli (), formally the Prince of Bohai (), was a Chinese military general, poet, and politician of the Tang ...

the military governor of nearby Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern

Yangzhou Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou, Jiangsu, ...

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 ...

), the imperial government capitulated and made Zhong the governor of Jiangxi. (Thereafter, the Fu Prefecture local militia leader Wei Quanfeng seized Fu and had his brother Wei Zaichang () take over Xin Prefecture (信州, in modern

Shangrao Shangrao ( zh, s= , t= , p=Shàngráo) is a medium-sized prefecture-level city located in the northeast of Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. The city borders the province of Anhui to the north, the province of Zhejiang to the east, and ...

).)''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 255. Soon thereafter, Emperor Xizong made Zhong the military governor of Zhennan, bestowed the honorary titles of acting ''Taibao'' () and ''Zhongshu Ling'' (中書令, an honorary chancellor designation) on him, and created him the Prince of Yingchuan; that latter title was later changed to Prince of Nanping.

Governance of Zhennan Circuit

Only sporadic records of Zhong Chuan's acts as military governor were recorded in traditional historical sources. It was said that, as Tang imperial authority fell apart after Huang Chao's rebellion, few regional governors sent imperial examinees to Chang'an for the imperial examinations, but Zhong did so — and he would hold solemn ceremonies to send the examinees off and reward them greatly; therefore, many people who wished to receive Zhong's largess came a long distance to see Zhong. It was also said that whenever Zhong was planning a campaign, he would first offer sacrifices at

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

s, and stack the offered pastries into the forms of rhinoceroses and elephants. Late in his governance, he levied heavy taxes; in response, the merchants abandoned trade routes that went through Zhennan Circuit. In 896, Zhong, as well as

Qian Liu Qian Liu (10 March 852Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter

the military governor of Zhenhai Circuit (鎮海, headquartered in modern

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

) and

Du Hong Du Hong (杜洪) (died 905) was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang dynasty, who controlled Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan, Hubei) from 886 to 905. In 905, he was defeated and captured by Yang Xingmi, who executed ...

the military governor of Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern

Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

), in fear of expansions by

Yang Xingmi Yang Xingmi (; 852'' Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms''vol. 1 – December 24, 905Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 265.), né Yang Xingmin (楊行愍, name changed 886), courtesy name Huayu ...

the military governor of Huainan, sought aid from the powerful warlord

Zhu Quanzhong Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (), personal name Zhu Quanzhong () (December 5, 852 – July 18, 912), né Zhu Wen (), name later changed to Zhu Huang (), nickname Zhu San (朱三, literally, "the third Zhu"), was a Chinese military general, mona ...

the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern

Kaifeng Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan, central Henan province, China. It is one of the Historical capitals of China, Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

) to the north, to stem Yang's expansion. Zhu sent his adoptive son Zhu Yougong () with an army to attack Huainan,''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 260. but while Zhu Yougong later helped Du to defend against Yang's attacks, there was no record of any further interaction between Zhong and Zhu Quanzhong.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 261. In 897, Zhong planned to attack Zhou Bei () the prefect of Ji Prefecture (吉州, in modern

Ji'an Ji'an ( zh, c=吉安 , p=Jí'ān) is a prefecture-level city situated in the central region of Jiangxi province of the People's Republic of China and bordering Hunan province to the west. It has an area of and as of the 2020 census, had a popu ...

). In response, Zhou abandoned Ji Prefecture and fled to Huainan. In 898, Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong bestowed on Zhong the honorary chancellor title of ''Shizhong'' (). In 901, Zhong attacked Wei Quanfeng at Fu Prefecture. During the siege, there was a sudden fire that occurred within the city. His officers suggested that he use this opportunity to attack. Zhong responded, "It is not gracious to attack while the enemy is in danger." He further prayed, "When Wei Quanfeng is being punished, may it be that the people are not." After the fire was put out, Wei heard of what Zhong did, and sent messengers to apologize to Zhong and offer to give a daughter in marriage to Zhong's son Zhong Kuangshi.

Death and succession

Meanwhile, Zhong Chuan had made both Zhong Kuangshi and an adoptive son, Zhong Yangui (), prefects (Zhong Kuangshi was made the prefect of Yuan Prefecture (袁州, in modern Yichun) and Zhong Yangui the prefect of Jiang Prefecture (江州, in modern

Jiujiang Jiujiang, formerly transliterated Kiukiang and Kew-Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level ...

). When Zhong Chuan died in 906, the soldiers supported Zhong Kuangshi to take over the circuit as acting military governor. Zhong Yangui, resentful that he was unable to succeed Zhong Chuan, submitted to

Yang Wo Yang Wo () (886 – June 9, 908), courtesy name Chengtian, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Liezu of Yang Wu (), was the first independent ruler of the Chinese Yang Wu dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, reign ...

(Yang Xingmi's son and successor) the military governor of Huainan. Due to this internal division within Zhennan, Yang Wo was able to conquer Zhennan later in the year, ending the Zhong family's hold on the circuit.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 265.

Notes and references

* ''

'', vol. 190. * '' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 17. * ''

New History of the Five Dynasties The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 t ...

'', vol. 41. * ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'', vols.

255 __NOTOC__ Year 255 ( CCLV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 1008 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomi ...

260 __NOTOC__ Year 260 ( CCLX) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Saecularis and Donatus (or, less frequently, year 1013 ''Ab urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita' ...

261 __NOTOC__ Year 261 (Roman numerals, CCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallienus and Taurus (or, less frequently, year 1014 ''Ab urbe condita''). The ...

262 __NOTOC__ Year 262 ( CCLXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallienus and Faustianus (or, less frequently, year 1015 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomina ...

265 __NOTOC__ Year 265 (Roman numerals, CCLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Lucillus (or, less frequently, year 1018 ''Ab urbe condita''). Th ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhong, Chuan 9th-century births 906 deaths Tang dynasty nonimperial princes Tang dynasty jiedushi of Zhennan Circuit Politicians from Yichun, Jiangxi Tang dynasty generals from Jiangxi