Tang of Shang
| Tang Canh | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Depiction of King Tang byMa Lin | |||||||||
| Leader of thePredynastic Shang | |||||||||
| Predecessor | Zhu Gui | ||||||||
| Successor | Himself as King of the Shang dynasty | ||||||||
| King of the Shang dynasty | |||||||||
| Predecessor | Jie(Xia dynasty) | ||||||||
| Successor | Bu Bing Da Ding(disputed) | ||||||||
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| Tang of Shang | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | Canh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Canh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cheng Tang[a](bornZi Lü[b][1]), recorded onoracle bonesas, in English,Tai Yi[1]( Thái Ất ) orDa Yi( đại Ất ), was the firstkingof theShang dynasty.Tang is traditionally considered a virtuous ruler, as signified with the common nickname of "Tang the Perfect"given to him.[2]According to legend,[3]as the last leader of thePredynastic Shanghe overthrewJie,the last king of theXia dynasty.
Rise of Shang[edit]
Tang ruled Shang (known asPredynastic Shangin historiography), one of the many kingdoms under thesuzeraintyof the Xia dynasty, for 17 years. During Jie's reign, Shang grew in power, initially at the expense of Xia's other vassals. He was able to win many supporters from as many as 40 smaller kingdoms.[4]Tang recognized that Jie mistreatedhis peopleand used this to convince others. According to legend, in one speech, Tang said that creatingchaoswas not something he wanted, but given the terror of Jie, he had to follow theMandate of Heavenand use this opportunity to overthrow Xia.[4]As an advantage he pointed out that even Jie's own military generals would not obey his orders.[4]
In the 15th year of Jie's reign, Tang began moving Lü to the capital Bo. About two years later Shang sent his ministerYi Yinas an envoy to Jie. Yi remained in the Xia capital for about three years, before returning to Shang.
The Shang's power continued to grow. In the 26th year of Jie's reign, Shang conquered Wen. Two years later, Shang was attacked byKunwu,and several years of war between Shang and Kunwu followed.[5]Despite this setback, Shang continued to expand on a number of fronts, gathering vassal troops inJingpo.The Shang army and allied forces conquered Mitxu (today'sXinmiin Henan),Wei,and attackedGu,which too was conquered the following year.[5]About this time Zhong Gu, chief historian of Jie, would flee from the Xia to the Shang.[5]
Battle of Mingtiao[edit]
The Shang armyfoughtagainst Jie's Xia forces atMingtiao( minh điều ) in a heavy thunderstorm and defeated them.
Jie himself escaped and fled to Sanzong. The Shang forces under their general Wuzi pursued Jie toCheng,captured him at Jiaomen, and deposed him, bringing the Xia dynasty to an end. Eventually, Jie was exiled inNanchao.[5]Jie would eventually die of illness[4]and Tang succeeded him as paramount King, inaugurating theShang dynasty.
King of the Shang[edit]
Tang's reign was regarded as a good time by the Chinese.[1]He lowered taxes and the conscription rate of soldiers. His influence spread to theYellow River,and many outlying tribes, such as Di and Qiang, became vassal states. He also establishedAnyangas the new capital of China.
According to theBamboo Annals,Tang built apalacecalled Xia She ( hạ xã ) to memorialize the Xia dynasty. In the first five years of his reign, there were severaldroughts.Tang ordered goldencoinsto be made and distributed to poor families who had been forced to sell their children because of the drought. It was intended for them to use thismoneyto buy their children back.
According to theBamboo Annals,in the 9th year of his reign, he moved theNine Tripod Cauldrons,made byYu the Great,to the Shang Palace.
Myths[edit]
Tang has been portrayed in different ways inChinese mythologyand these portrayals have influenced popular depiction and paintings of him.[1]
He is often drawn as being "a nine-foot-tall, white-faced, whiskered man with a pointed head, six-jointed arms, and a body markedly larger on one side than on the other."[1]
A tradition about theI Chingwas that most of it was written by Tang of Shang.[6]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abcde"Tang".Encyclopedia Britannica.2008-04-07.Retrieved2023-04-30.
- ^Theobald, Ulrich (2010-11-13)."Hetu luoshu Hà Đồ Lạc Thư".Chinaknowledge.Retrieved2023-05-02.
- ^Lai, Selena; Brown, Waka Takahashi (November 2006)."The Shang Dynasty, 1600 to 1050 BCE".SPICE.Stanford University.Retrieved2023-05-03.
- ^abcdVương hằng vĩ. (2005) (2006) Trung Quốc lịch sử giảng đường #1 viễn cổ đến xuân thu. Trung Hoa thư cục.ISBN962-8885-24-3.p 30.
- ^abcdCao minh sĩ, quốc thật lương. [2007] (2007). Trung Quốc lịch sử tổng quát. Năm nam sách báo xuất bản cổ phần công ty hữu hạn.ISBN957-11-4312-X,9789571143125. p. 46.
- ^Bauer, Susan Wise(2007).The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome(1st ed.). New York:W. W. Norton.p. 300.ISBN978-0-393-05974-8.
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