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Huang Chao

Salt trader from Caozhou who joined Wang Xianzhi's revolt in 875, took Chang'an and proclaimed the state of Great Qi before Tang and Shatuo forces drove him out

Also known as Chong Tian Da Jiang Jun · Daqi Huangdi

Huang Chao came from Yuanju in Caozhou (southwest of modern Heze, Shandong), from a family of salt traders; he had some education but failed the jinshi examination repeatedly. In 875 he joined the revolt begun by Wang Xianzhi, and after Wang was killed in 878 the rebels made him their leader with the title Heaven-Storming General. He then marched south through Jiangxi, eastern Zhejiang and Fujian, sacked Guangzhou, and turned north across the Yangzi and Huai, entering Chang'an at the end of the first Guangming year and declaring himself emperor of Great Qi with the reign title Jintong. In 883 the Shatuo leader Li Keyong and other commanders retook the capital, his general Zhu Wen having gone over to the Tang the year before. Trapped at Langhu Valley near Mount Tai in 884, he cut his own throat and, according to the New Book of Tang, was finished off by his nephew Lin Yan. A chrysanthemum poem attributed to him ends with a city filled with golden armour.

Life and times

  1. UnknownBornTang
  2. 875Huang Chao RebellionTook partThe Huang Chao rebellion lasted nearly a decade and spread across much of Tang territory, devastating the capital region and accelerating the dynasty's late decline.
    1. Huang Chao Rebellion Historical MilestoneThe violent storm that finally shattered the noble aristocratic foundation of medieval China.
    2. Huang Chao UprisingHuang Chao Capturing Chang'an & Proclaiming Qi Empire
    3. Huang Chao Opens the Xianxia Route878In 878, Huang Chao's rebel army advanced toward Fujian, leaving the Xianxia Ridge route associated with this historical march.
  3. 884 CEDied
  4. 907Founding of Later LiangPrecursorZhu Wen forced the Tang emperor to abdicate and founded Later Liang, ending nearly three centuries of Tang rule and opening the Five Dynasties era.
  5. 907Five Dynasties UnificationPrecursorLater Zhou and early Song campaigns successively conquered southern regimes, bringing most of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms division to an end.

Works

  1. Literature · Poetry2
    1. On the Chrysanthemum, Written after Failing the ExaminationTangChrysanthemum poem ascribed to Huang Chao after failing the exams, later read as a prophecy
    2. On the ChrysanthemumTangChrysanthemum quatrain ascribed to the young Huang Chao, dreaming of ruling the seasons
  2. Literature · Sayings1
    1. The Whole City Clad in Golden Armour: Huang Chao's ChrysanthemumsTangLine from Huang Chao's chrysanthemum poem: blossoms like an army sweeping all before it

Connections

  1. Shared events4
    1. Zhao Kuangyin927 CE–976 CE
    2. Zhao Guangyi939 CE–997 CE
    3. Li Chu892 CE–908 CE
    4. Li Xuan862 CE–888 CE
  2. Rulers and officials1
    1. Zhu WenGeneral · 852 CE–912 CE