Royals › Monarch / Emperor
King Zhao of Yan
King of Yan who rebuilt his state after civil war by courting talent through Guo Wei, then sent Yue Yi with allied armies to take the Qi capital in 284 BC
In a side chamber of a palace, a yellow ceremonial robe embroidered with a dragon hangs on a wooden stand, its hem worked with waves and rocks, before a carved folding screen, while a black lacquer chest sits on a low table by a lattice window and no person is in view.
Also known as Ji Zhi
- Roles
- Monarch / Emperor
King Zhao of Yan, personal name Zhi, was a son of King Kuai of Yan. After King Kuai handed his throne to his minister Zizhi, Yan fell into civil war, Qi invaded in 314 BC, and both Kuai and Zizhi died before he was made king. The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) calls him the heir Ping in one chapter, but elsewhere says Zhao brought Prince Zhi back from Han, and Yan weapons inscribed with King Zhi's name support this. He courted able men, honouring Guo Wei as his teacher, and Yue Yi came from Wei, Zou Yan from Qi and Ju Xin from Zhao; the Golden Terrace of later poetry grew out of this story. In 284 BC he made Yue Yi supreme commander and, allied with Qin, Han, Zhao and Wei, took the Qi capital Linzi, leaving only Ju and Jimo unconquered. He died in 279 BC; his son King Hui replaced Yue Yi with Qi Jie, and the Yan army was soon routed by Tian Dan.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–279 BCE