Gongsun Shu (, died 24 December 36 AD) was the founder and only emperor of

Chengjia Chengjia (; 25–36 AD), also called the Cheng dynasty or Great Cheng, was a self-proclaimed empire established by Gongsun Shu in 25 AD after the collapse of the Xin dynasty of Chinese history, rivalling the Eastern Han dynasty founded by E ...

, a state that controlled China's

Sichuan Basin The Sichuan Basin (), formerly transliterated as the Szechwan Basin, sometimes called the Red Basin, is a lowland region in southwestern China. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and is drained by the upper Yangtze River and its tributa ...

from 25 to 36. A successful official of the

Western Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

and short-lived Xin dynasties, Gongsun was the Administrator of Daojiang Commandery when the Xin regime fell in 23, amid rebellions aimed at restoring the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. Through a series of political and military maneuvers, Gongsun secured control of

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

and in 24 proclaimed himself king of Shu. In the following year, he assumed imperial title and founded the Cheng dynasty. Under his administration, the Sichuan region experienced a period of peace and economic prosperity, and the city of

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

was developed into an imperial capital. But Gongsun adopted a defensive military posture that kept his influence confined within Sichuan while

Liu Xiu The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

's revived Eastern Han regime reunified the rest of

China proper China proper, Inner China, or the Eighteen Provinces is a term used by some Western writers in reference to the "core" regions of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China. This term is used to express a distinction between the "core" regions popu ...

. In 36, Gongsun was mortally wounded in battle against an Eastern Han invasion force, and Chengjia capitulated on the following day.

Early life and career

Gongsun Shu was born into a family of officials in

Youfufeng Fufeng ( zh, 扶風), also known as You Fufeng ( zh, 右扶風), was a historical region located in modern western Shaanxi. In early Han dynasty, the administrator of the capital Chang'an and its vicinities was known as ''You Neishi'' (右內史) ...

(右扶風, present day

Xingping Xingping () is a city located in the center part of Shaanxi province, China. It has been a city since 1993, with a total area of 496 square kilometers and a population of 620,000. The annual average temperature is and its annual precipitation o ...

) during the

dynasty; his precise year of birth is unknown. His courtesy name was Ziyang (). His father, Gongsun Ren, served as an imperial clerk in the

Censorate The Censorate was a high-level supervisory agency in Imperial China, first established during the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC). The Censorate was a highly effective agency during the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). During the M ...

in the court of

Emperor Ai of Han Emperor Ai of Han (27 BCE – 15 August 1 BCE) was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty. He ascended the throne when he was 20, having been made heir by his childless uncle Emperor Cheng, and he reigned from 7 to 1 BCE. The people and the off ...

, and was later appointed Governor of

Henan Commandery Henan Commandery ( zh, 河南郡) was a Jun (country subdivision), commandery in China from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in modern northern Henan province. During the reign of King Xuanhui of Han, Sanchuan Commandery (三川郡) was establ ...

(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 ...

). His father's high position entitled Shu to entry into officialdom as a gentleman cadet. When Gongsun Shu was appointed

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

Qingshui County Qingshui County () is a county in Gansu province of the People's Republic of China, bordering Shaanxi province to the east. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Tianshui. In 2014 its population was 324,300 people, of whi ...

Tianshui Commandery Tianshui Commandery ( zh, 天水郡), known as Hanyang Commandery ( zh, 漢陽郡) during the Eastern Han dynasty, was a historical commandery of China in eastern Gansu. The modern city of Tianshui receives its name from the commandery. History Th ...

, his father was worried about his inexperience and sent one of his subordinates to advise him, but the officer returned only a month later, saying Shu did not need help. His capability was recognized by his superior, the Governor of Tianshui, who made him the head of four more counties. His ability to maintain order earned him a reputation throughout the commandery. After

Wang Mang Wang Mang () (c. 45 – 6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun (), was the founder and the only Emperor of China, emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty and later ...

usurped the Han throne and established the

Xin dynasty The Xin dynasty (; ), also known as Xin Mang () in Chinese historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty which lasted from 9 to 23 AD, established by the Han dynasty consort kin Wang Mang, who usurped the throne of the Emperor Ping o ...

, in about 15 AD he appointed Gongsun Shu the Governor of Daojiang (導江, the former Shu Commandery of Han), with its capital at

Linqiong Qionglai () is a county-level city of Sichuan Province, Southwest China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Chengdu. It is located around from downtown Chengdu. The city is located on the western edge of the Sichuan Ba ...

, near

. Gongsun held the position until the forces of the

Gengshi Emperor The Gengshi Emperor (; died AD 25), born Liu Xuan (), was an emperor of the Han dynasty restored after the fall of Wang Mang's Xin dynasty brought on by the Lülin. He was also known by his courtesy name Shenggong () and as the King or Prince of H ...

overthrew the Xin dynasty in 23 AD.

As Emperor of Chengjia

As the Xin dynasty was facing a large number of rebellions, Gongsun proclaimed himself to be the King of Shu () and in 25 asserted independence by adopting the title of Emperor of

while adopting the

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year o ...

of Longxing (龍興, "Dragon Rising). As ruler of Chengjia, Gongsun Shu built an imperial palace and created a

bureaucracy The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...

to oversee the administration of his new empire. He controlled the entirety of the former

, an economically prosperous region that allowed Gongsun Shu to build and supply a large military force. In 26, Gongsun Shu sent general Hou Dan to conquer the region of

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as the ...

north of Sichuan in southern

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

along the Han River. In 33 Gongsun Shu sent generals Tian Rong () and Yan Cen () down the

Three Gorges The Three Gorges () are three adjacent gorges along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, in the hinterland of the People's Republic of China. With a subtropical monsoon climate, they are known for their scenery. The "Three Gorges Scenic A ...

of the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

to conquer the

Nan Commandery Nan Commandery ( zh, 南郡, "Southern Commandery") was a Chinese commandery that existed from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. Its territories covered present-day central and western Hubei province, as well as parts of Chongqing. The seat ...

in modern

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

but did not advance far.

Death

In 35,

Emperor Guangwu Emperor Guangwu of Han (; 15 January 5 BC – 29 March AD 57), born Liu Xiu (), courtesy name Wenshu (), was a Chinese monarch. He served as an emperor of the Han dynasty by restoring the dynasty in AD 25, thus founding the Eastern Han (Later ...

ordered an army to conquer Chengjia. When the Han forces entered Sichuan, Guangwu offered Gongsun Shu terms of surrender, which Gongsun refused. The campaign was slow and difficult and lasted more than a year. In December 36, Han forces under generals Wu Han and Zang Gong reached Chengdu with only a week's supplies left. They were on the verge of accepting failure and withdrawing, when Gongsun Shu personally led an attack on the Han forces on 24 December. Wounded in the battle, he died in the night, and the defenders of Chengdu under general Yan Cen surrendered the following day, marking the end of Chengjia. After entering Chengdu, Wu Han ordered the massacre of Gongsun Shu's wife, children, and other relatives, as well as Yan Cen and his family.

Early life and career

As Emperor of Chengjia

Death

See also

References

Further reading