Gao Changgong (541–573) (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

: 高長恭;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: Gāo Chánggōng), formal name was Gao Su (

: 高肅;

: Gāo Sù) or Gao Xiaoguan (高孝瓘), was a high-ranking general of the

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It ruled the eastern part of northern China ...

dynasty given a fiefdom in

Lanling County Lanling County () formerly Cangshan County () is a county of southern Shandong province, bordering Jiangsu province to the south. It is under the administration of Linyi Linyi () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, ...

, southern

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

, so he was also known as the Prince of Lanling (蘭陵王). Gao Changgong was the grandson of

Gao Huan Gao Huan () (496 – 13 February 547), Xianbei name Heliuhun (賀六渾), formally Prince Xianwu of Qi (齊獻武王), later further formally honored by Northern Qi initially as Emperor Xianwu (獻武皇帝), then as Emperor Shenwu (神武皇帝 ...

and the fourth son of

Gao Cheng Gao Cheng (; 521–549), courtesy name Zihui (子惠), formally Prince Wenxiang of Bohai (勃海文襄王), later further posthumously honored by Northern Qi as Emperor Wenxiang (文襄皇帝) with the temple name Shizong (世宗), was the paramou ...

. According to the ''

Book of Northern Qi The ''Book of Northern Qi'' (Chinese: 北齊書, pinyin Běi Qí Shū), was the official history of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. It was written by the Tang Dynasty historian Li Baiyao (李百藥) and was completed in 636. It is listed among ...

and the Record of the Court Entertainment Bureau'', Gao Changgong had a beautiful face and feminine physical appearance thus he always wore a terrible mask when he fought in battles.

Biography

Gao Changgong was born the fourth son of

, elder brother of the first emperor of

and therefore a prince of Northern Qi, he was given the title of Prince of Lanling. Gao Changgong was also made a general by

Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi ((北)齊武成帝) (537–569), personal name Gao Zhan (高湛 which can also romanized as Gao Dan), nickname Buluoji (步落稽), was an emperor of the Chinese Northern Qi dynasty. In traditional Chinese historiogr ...

(Gao Zhan), his uncle, and his distinction in battles as well as personal kindness and bravery led him becoming widely loved and admired. Legend has it that he looked beautiful like a woman so he wore a mask in battles to appear more fearsome to the enemy. Gao Changgong repelled the

First Turkic Khaganate The First Turkic Khaganate, also referred to as the First Turkic Empire, the Turkic Khaganate or the Göktürk Khaganate, was a Turkic khaganate established by the Ashina clan of the Göktürks in medieval Inner Asia under the leadership of Bumin ...

when they attacked Jinyang (晉陽, now the city of

Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...

). His most famous battle however was the rescue of the siege of Jinyong (金墉, near modern

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

) in 564 A.D. Gao Changgong led only 500 cavalrymen and fought through an army of

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty and ...

, which was attacking the city with 100,000 soldiers. He fought his way to the gates the city, surprising the defenders. The soldiers of Jinyong didn't recognize him, so he took off his helmet and mask. The soldiers in the city rejoiced at his arrival and were refilled with courage. They opened the gates and joined the battle outside the city. Soon the army of Northern Zhou was defeated. Ryouou in Bugaku (Hokkaido Gokoku-Jinja) 1

Ryouou in Bugaku (Hokkaido Gokoku-Jinja) 1

In order to celebrate the victory, the soldiers composed the famous song and dance "The song of the Prince of Lanling entering the battle camp” (蘭陵王入陣曲, also known as 大面, "The great mask"). According to the Record of the Court Entertainment Bureau (教坊記) of

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, the dance "Great mask" was one of the court musics to be performed with the emperor's audience. The song and the dance are long lost in China, however, it was introduced into Japan during the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

with Lanling known as , and is still being performed in some ceremonies today. After the death of Gao Zhan, Gao Changgong's cousin

Gao Wei Gao Wei (高緯) (29 May 556 – November 577According to volume 10 of ''History of the Northern Dynasties'', Gao Wei was killed in the 10th month of the 6th year of the ''Jiande'' era of Yuwen Yong's reign. This corresponds to 28 Oct to 25 Nov ...

ascended the throne. Gao Changong's reputation, competence and influence over the army upset the young emperor. Gao Wei asked Gao Changgong about the battle at Jinyong: "You penetrated too deeply into the formation; if you had suffered a military reverse, it would be too late to regret such an action." Gao Changgong replied: "I am responsible for our family affairs, I did it without considering the consequences." The emperor, hearing the reference to "family affairs" became suspicious. He was afraid that Gao Changgong might overthrow him. Many members of the Gao family had met their ends at the hands of brothers and cousins, and he became paranoid that he would have the same fate. To avoid the emperor's suspicion and jealousy, Gao Changgong often pretended to be sick, staying away from wars and politics. No matter how low a profile he kept, the emperor still sent him a cup of poisonous wine one day in 573 A.D. Gao Changgong drank the wine and ended his life, probably in his early 30s. Four years after Gao Changgong's death, having lost one of its greatest generals, Northern Qi was destroyed by

. All the members of the Gao royal family were slaughtered. In 1999, within the cave of Longmen, a message was found carved into a statue, indicates that the Prince of Lan Ling had living descendants.

Popular culture

Gao Changgong is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI'', also known as ''Sangokushi 11'' (三國志11), is the 11th installment in the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sangokushi'') grand strategy game series by Koei. The game was released for the PC on March ...

'' by

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...

. His story is also dramatized in the 2013 television series '' Prince of Lan Ling'' and 2016 television series ''

Princess of Lanling King Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

''. Gao Changgong appears as a character in Fate/Grand Order as "Prince of Lan Ling" and is voiced by Mori Nanako. He also makes an appearance in the popular mobile game "Legend of the Phoenix" as a confidant and a partner.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gao, Changgong Northern Qi generals 573 deaths Northern and Southern dynasties imperial princes 6th-century births People from North China Executed Northern Qi people People executed by Northern Qi People executed by poison Suicides in Northern Qi