Gao Qiong (高琼, 935 - December 26, 1006), born in Bozhou Mengcheng (now

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

Mengcheng County Mengcheng County () is a county in the northwest of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Bozhou city, bordering Lixin County. It is famous for its beef production and for Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to: * ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (� ...

Northern Song Dynasty Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

general. Zhong-Wu military governor. Gao conducted many military exploits.

Experience

Gao Qiong's ancestry was living in

Yan Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed inde ...

, dating back to the Five Dynasties period. Gao Qiong was a robber in his childhood, he was arrested and was supposed to be beheaded at the Meridian Gate. During the torrential summer rain, when guards were slack, Gao Qiong latched off nail and escaped. Later he joined the troop of Wang Qi, a general of Hou Zhou Dynasty. Gao gained the levy over the

Southern Tang Southern Tang () was a state in Southern China that existed during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which proclaimed itself to be the successor of the former Tang dynasty. The capital was located at Nanjing in present-day Jiangsu Province ...

exploits. In 1004, Dowager

Empress Xiao Yanyan Xiao Yanyan (; 953–1009), also known as Empress Dowager Chengtian (承天皇太后) was a Khitan people, Khitan queen consort, empress and military leader of history of China, imperial China's Liao dynasty. She was regent on behalf of her son f ...

sent two hundred thousand warriors to attack Northern Song Dynasty. Gao Qiong played an important role in helping

Emperor Zhenzong Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was changed ...

to arrive in the battlefront which Song and Liao confront each other. Later he was involved in the

Chanyuan Treaty The Chanyuan Treaty () was signed between the Northern Song dynasty and the Liao dynasty in 1005, and marked a pivotal point in Chinese history and in the relations between the two dynasties. The treaty laid the foundation for approximately a cent ...

. From then on he got the trust of the

and had a high prestige that his family took the relation with the royal family of

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

. His granddaughter was conferred as the Empress Gao. Gao Qiong cannot read, but he often told his sons: Do not rely on their parents for shelter achievements, but to study hard in order to achieve personal excellence.

References

;Bibliography *Lorge, Peter Allan. ''The Reunification of China: Peace Through War Under the Song Dynasty''. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gao, Qiong 1006 deaths Song dynasty generals 935 births Generals from Anhui People from Bozhou