Han Cheng (died 206 BC), also known as Han Wang Cheng in some Chinese historical texts, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Hán () of the

Eighteen Kingdoms The historiographical term "Eighteen Kingdoms" ( zh, t=十八國), also translated to as "Eighteen States", refers to the eighteen '' fengjian'' states in China created by military leader Xiang Yu in 206 BCE, after the collapse of the Qin dynasty. ...

during the

Chu–Han Contention The Chu–Han Contention ( zh, , lk=on) or Chu–Han War () was an interregnum period in ancient China between the fallen Qin dynasty and the subsequent Han dynasty. After the third and last Qin ruler, Ziying, unconditionally surrendered t ...

, an

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...

between the Qin and Han dynasties of China.

Biography

Han Cheng was a descendant of the royal family of the Hán state of the

Seven Warring States The Seven Warring States or Seven Kingdoms () were the seven leading hegemonic states during the Warring States period (c. 475 to 221 BCE) of Ancient China: * Qin (秦) * Qi (齊/齐) * Chu (楚) * Yan (燕) * Han (韓/韩) * Zhao (趙/ ...

. He lived as a commoner during the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

after his native state was conquered by the Qin state in 230 BC. In 209 BC, when uprisings occurred throughout China to overthrow the Qin Empire, Han Cheng joined Xiang Liang's rebel force in the hope of reviving his native state. Along the way, he met

Zhang Liang Zhang Liang is the romanization of common names like 張良, 張亮 and 張梁. 張良 * Zhang Liang (Western Han) (died 189 BC), early Han dynasty strategist ** Zhang Liang, an animation character from the animated TV series ''The Legend of Qin'' ...

, a descendant of a bureaucratic family from the former Hán state. Zhang Liang succeeded in persuading Xiang Liang to restore the former Hán state and Han Cheng was appointed as its ruler with Zhang Liang serving as his chancellor. Xiang Liang also provided some troops to Han Cheng and allowed him to attack the Qin garrisons at Yingchuan (in present-day

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...

). After the fall of the Qin Empire in 206 BC,

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dyna ...

divided the former Qin territories into the

. Han Cheng was appointed as the King of Hán (). Months later, Xiang Yu had Han Cheng killed and replaced with Zheng Chang.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Cheng Chu–Han contention people Chinese nobility 206 BC deaths Year of birth unknown