Goujian
Goujian () (reigned 496–465 BC) was the king of the Kingdom of Yue (越國, present-day northern Zhejiang) near the end of the Spring and Autumn period (春秋). He was the son of Marquis Yunchang. Goujian's reign coincided with arguably the last major conflict of the Spring and Autumn period, the struggle between Wu and Yue, wherein he eventually led his state to victory, annexing the rival. As such, King Goujian is sometimes considered the last of the Five Hegemons. War between Wu and Yue The war between Wu and Yue comprised several separate phases. It began when a Yue princess, who was married to one of the princes of the neighboring state of Wu, left her husband and fled back to the State of Yue. This became the spark for the war to come. Also, as Yunchang developed Yue's strength, he came into conflict with King Helü of Wu, causing a feud between the two states. Upon the death of Yunchang and the accession of Goujian, Helü seized the opportunity and launched an at ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fuchai
Fuchai (reigned 495–473BC), sometimes also written Fucha, was the last king of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His armies constructed important canals linking the Yellow, Ji, and Huai River systems of the North China Plain with central China's Yangtze River, but he is most remembered in Chinese culture for the role he played in the legends concerning Goujian, the revenge-seeking king of Yue. Life Fuchai was the son of King Helü. He became king in 495 BC, following the death of his father from injuries sustained during an invasion of Yue. In 494BC, Goujian, the king of Yue, heard rumours that Fuchai was planning to attack him in order to avenge the death of his father. Goujian's minister Fan Li advised caution, but Goujian decided on a pre-emptive strike. Fuchai in turn heard rumours of Goujian's plans and sent his army against Yue. The forces met at Fujiao where Wu won a complete victory, with only 5,000 Yue men surviving. These ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yue (state)
Yue (, Old Chinese: ''*''), also known as Yuyue (), was a state in ancient China which existed during the first millennium BC the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of China's Zhou dynasty in the modern provinces of Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu. Its original capital was Kuaiji (modern Shaoxing); after its conquest of Wu, Yue relocated its court north to the city of Wu (modern-day Suzhou). Yue was conquered by Chu in 306 BC. History A specific kingdom, which had been known as the "Yue Guo" () in modern Zhejiang, was not mentioned until it began a series of wars against its northern neighbor Wu during the late 6th century BC. According to the ''Records of the Grand Historian'' and '' Discourses of the States'', the Yue are descended from Wuyu, the son of Shao Kang which as known as the sixth king of the Xia dynasty. With help from Wu's enemy Chu, Yue was able to be victorious after several decades of conflict. The famous Yue King Goujian destroyed and ann ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bo Pi
Bo Pi (; died 473 BC) was an official in the state of Wu in the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His grandfather, Bo Zhouli, who was an official in the state of Chu, was executed, and Bo Pi fled to Wu, where he served as an adviser to the king of Wu. During a war with the state of Yue, in which Wu had the upper hand, Bo Pi was bribed with lavish gifts from King Goujian of Yue. Bo Pi then influenced King Fuchai of Wu to make peace with the state of Yue despite objections from another advisor of King Fuchai, Wu Zixu, who warned of a possible future attack by Yue. During Goujian's captivity in the state of Wu as a slave, he continued to bribe Bo Pi. This contributed to Goujian's return to Yue after three years. Meanwhile, the two advisers competed for the king's trust, until Bo Pi convinced Fuchai to execute Wu Zixu for treason. With Wu Zixu's death, Wu weakened as Fuchai refused to listen to good counsel. In contrast, Yue was growing stronger, with Wen Zhong and Fan Li ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Spring And Autumn Period
The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives from the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'', a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 and 479 BCE, which tradition associates with Confucius (551–479 BCE). During this period, the Zhou royal authority over the various feudal states eroded as more and more dukes and marquesses obtained ''de facto'' regional autonomy, defying the king's court in Luoyi and waging wars amongst themselves. The gradual Partition of Jin, one of the most powerful states, marked the end of the Spring and Autumn period and the beginning of the Warring States period. Background In 771 BCE, a Quanrong invasion in coalition with the states of Zeng and Shen — the latter polity being the fief of the grandfather of the disinherited crown prince Yijiu — destroyed the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Five Hegemons
The Five Hegemons () refers to several especially powerful rulers of Chinese states of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (770 to 476 BCE), sometimes alternatively referred to as the "Age of Hegemons". There are various lists of five rulers of those certain states which rose to power over the other states of this time period, states which were also formed during the period of dissolution of a once real and strong central state, namely the empire of the Zhou dynasty. The Hegemons mobilized the remnants of the Zhou empire, according to shared mutual political and martial interests. An especially prominent Hegemon was Duke Huan of Qi. Pronunciation and meaning In ancient Chinese, (Old Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) '' has a similar meaning and pronunciation to (Old Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), which means 'the eldest son in a family', or 'senator'. Both and can be translated as the 'Five Hegemons'. () literally means 'five', but in the context of ancient Chinese also has a more ge ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Rebirth Of A King
''The Rebirth of a King'', also known as ''Yue Wang Gou Jian'', is a Chinese television series based on the life of King Goujian of the state of Yue in the Spring and Autumn period. Directed by Huang Jianzhong, Yuen Bun and Yanyi, the series starred Chen Baoguo, Bao Guo'an, You Yong, Li Guangjie and Zhou Yang. The series was first aired on TVB in November 2006 in Hong Kong and a year later on CCTV in mainland China. Cast * Chen Baoguo as King Goujian of Yue * Bao Guo'an as Wu Zixu * You Yong as King Fuchai of Wu * Li Guangjie as Fan Li * Zhou Yang as Xishi * Yao Anlian as Bo Pi * Zhang Tong as Wen Zhong * Tan Xiaoyan as Goujian's wife * Yu Jiaruo as Zheng Dan * Wan Yaoyao as Consort Wei * Liu Xiyuan as Lingyu * Liu Jingjing as Yuexiu * Geng Xiaolin as Lu Jia * Bi Haifeng as Duan Ke * Hu Kaizhi as younger Qiying ** Liu Xiaohai as older Qiying * Liu Yanbin as Gongsun Ju * Zhang Di as Ju Zhu * Li Xianqi as Ji Ni * Liu Lian as Ye Yong * Guo Chao as Du Yuan, Du Ye * Wang Xiao as Zha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wen Zhong
Wen Zhong () (died 472 BC) was an advisor in the state of Yue in the Spring and Autumn period. He was a native of Ying in the State of Chu. After Yue was defeated by the state of Wu in 494 BC, Wen Zhong bribed Bo Pi, the advisor to the leader of Wu, King Fuchai, in order to make peace. During King Goujian of Yue's captivity in Wu as a hostage, Wen Zhong governed Yue. After his release, Goujian slowly rebuilt Yue with advice from Wen and Fan Li. In the meantime, Wu began to weaken after Wu Zixu's death, as Fuchai refused to listen to good counsel. A decade after returning to Yue, Goujian started a new war with Wu, and defeated Fuchai, who committed suicide. Wu was annexed by Yue. After the defeat of Wu, Fan Li left Goujian's services and sent Wen Zhong a letter from Qi, advising Wen Zhong to leave Goujian as well. Upon receiving the letter, Wen Zhong declined to go to court, citing an illness. The next day, Wen Zhong left the state of Yue, escaping to Qi. References *''Records ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wu (state)
Wu (; Old Chinese: ''*'') was one of the states during the Western Zhou dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period. It was also known as Gouwu ( /''*''/) or Gongwu ( /''*''/) from the pronunciation of the local language. Wu was located at the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu. Its first capital was at Meili (probably in modern Wuxi) and was later moved to Gusu (姑蘇, modern Suzhou) and then Helu City (the old town of present-day Suzhou). History A founding myth of Wu, first recorded by Sima Qian in the Han dynasty, traced its royal lineage to Taibo, a relative of King Wen of Zhou. According to the ''Records of the Grand Historian'', Taibo was the oldest son of Gugong Danfu and the elder uncle of King Wen who started the Zhou Dynasty. Gugong Danfu had three sons named Taibo, Zhongyong, and Jili. Taibo was the oldest of three brothers, Jili being the youngest. Realizing that his youngest brother, Jili, was favored by his father to inherit the throne of Pre ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fan Li
Fan Li () from the Spring and Autumn period, was an ancient Chinese military strategist, politician, and businessman. Fàn Li was an important political and military advisor to Goujian, the king of Yue. He later was known as Tao Zhu Gong (陶朱公) a name he took after achieving a decisive victory for Yue over the state of Wu and retiring to live a secluded life with his wife Xi Shi, one of the most famous beauties in Chinese history. Biography Along with King Goujian of Yue, Fàn Li was once a hostage of the state of Wu. After three years of captivity the two of them returned to Yue where Fàn Li helped Goujian carry out a host of reforms to streamline the administration of the Yue state. In 473 BCE, Yue was finally able to destroy the state of Wu. After the victory, Fàn resigned and renamed himself Tao Zhu Gong (). After his departure, he was said to have written a letter to Wen Zhong from Qi, advising Wen Zhong to leave Goujian's service. Wen took notice of the advice i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiangsu and Shanghai to the north, Anhui to the northwest, Jiangxi to the west and Fujian to the south. To the east is the East China Sea, beyond which lies the Ryukyu Islands. The population of Zhejiang stands at 64.6 million, the 8th highest among China. It has been called 'the backbone of China' due to being a major driving force in the Chinese economy and being the birthplace of several notable persons, including the Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and entrepreneur Jack Ma. Zhejiang consists of 90 counties (incl. county-level cities and districts). The area of Zhejiang was controlled by the Kingdom of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period. The Qin Empire later annexed it in 222 BC. Under the late Ming dynasty and the Qing ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Great Revival
''The Great Revival'', also known as ''Wo Xin Chang Dan'', is a Chinese television series based on the conflict between the Yue and Wu states in the Spring and Autumn period. The Chinese title of the series is a Chinese idiom derived from King Goujian of Yue's perseverance in overcoming the odds to revive his fallen state of Yue and conquer the rival state of Wu. The series was first broadcast on CCTV-8 in mainland China in January 2007. Cast * Chen Daoming as King Goujian of Yue * Hu Jun as King Fuchai of Wu * Zuo Xiaoqing as Ya Yu * Jia Yiping as Fan Li * Wang Bing as Wu Zixu * Ding Yongdai as Bo Pi * Zheng Tianyong as Wen Zhong * Ady An as Xishi * Ge Zhijun as Shi Mai * Chen Zhihui as Ling Gufu * Zhao Shengsheng as Wang Sunluo * Zhang Chenghao as Gongsun Xiong * Sun Bin as Ku Cheng * Gao Tianhao as Zhu Qiying * Lu Yong as Yan Ying * Su Ying as Hao Jin * Yu Yang as Hei Yi * Xi Yuli as Ji Wan * Lu Guanting as Yuan Luo * Liu Jialiang as Mo Buxie * Wu Kegang as Jie Zibao * Zhao Z ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chen Daoming
Chen Daoming (born 26 April 1955) is a Chinese actor who has starred in various genres of film and television series. Career Chen graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. His first notable role was "Puyi" (the last emperor of China) in the 1984 television series ''The Last Dynasty''. In 1990, he starred in CCTV's ''Fortress Besieged'', a series that garnered the attention of the whole country in 1990 and established his status as one of China's most popular stars. In 2000, he was awarded the Best Actor Huabiao Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards for his role in Huang Jianzhong's historical drama ''My 1919'', which was about the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Chen is best known internationally for playing the King of Qin (who became Qin Shi Huang later) in the 2002 film ''Hero'', directed by Zhang Yimou; as well as the tough undercover police detective in ''Infernal Affairs III''. In 2014, Chen starred in Zhang Yimou's film '' Coming Home'' alongside Gong Li. Persona ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |