King Huiwen of Qin (; 356–311 BC), also known as Lord Huiwen of Qin () or King Hui of Qin (), given name Si (駟), was the ruler of the

Qin state Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted e ...

from 338 to 311 BC during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

of Chinese history and likely an ancestor of Emperor

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ...

. He was the first ruler of Qin to style himself "King" (王) instead of "Duke" (公).

Biography

Early life

Prince Si was the son of Duke Xiao, and succeeded his father as ruler after the latter's death.

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

reference page for a 2006 class called Moral Reasoning; includes a useful map. When the adolescent Si was still

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

, he committed a crime and was severely punished for it. The great minister

Shang Yang Shang Yang (; c. 390 – 338 BC), also known as Wei Yang () and originally surnamed Gongsun, was a Chinese jurist, philosopher, and politician.Antonio S. Cua (ed.), 2003, p. 362, ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy'"The fifth important legali ...

was just then implementing his legalist reforms to the laws of Qin and he insisted that the crown prince should be punished for the crime regardless of his royal status. Duke Xiao approved of the draconian punishment and Si's tutors, Prince Qian (公子虔), Duke Xiao's older brother, and Gongsun Gu (公孫賈), for neglecting their duties in educating the crown prince, with Prince Qian having his nose cut off and Gongsun receiving the punishment of qing (黥; a form of punishment which involved branding a criminal by tattooing his face), while Ying Si was banished from the royal palace. It was believed that Si harboured a personal grudge against Shang Yang and when he came to the throne as King Huiwen, Si had Shang Yang put to death on charges of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. However, Huiwen retained the reformed systems in Qin left behind by his father and Shang Yang.

Reign

During Huiwen's reign, Qin became very powerful in terms of its

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

strength, and constantly invaded neighbouring states as part of its

expansionism Expansionism refers to states obtaining greater territory through military empire-building or colonialism. In the classical age of conquest moral justification for territorial expansion at the direct expense of another established polity (who ...

policy. In 316 BC it conquered the states of Shu and Ba to the south in the

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 tribut ...

. The strategy here was to annex and colonize the semi-civilized lands to the south rather than confront the more advanced states to the east with their large armies. The strategist

Su Qin Su Qin (380–284 BCE) was a Chinese political consultant and philosopher who was an influential political strategist during the Warring States period. He was born in Chengxuan Village, Luoyang in present-day Henan Province. According to legend S ...

, a student of

Guiguzi Guiguzi () is a collection of ancient Chinese texts compiled between the late Warring States period and the end of the Han Dynasty. The work, between 6,000–7,000 Chinese characters, discusses techniques of rhetoric. Although originally associ ...

, managed to persuade the other six major states to form an alliance to deal with Qin. However, Su Qin's fellow student, Zhang Yi, came into the service of Huiwen and he helped Qin break up the alliance by sowing discord among the six states.

Death

King Huiwen ruled Qin for 27 years and died in 311 BC at the age of 46. He was succeeded by his son,

King Wu of Qin King Wu of Qin (; 329–307 BC), also known as King Daowulie of Qin (秦悼武烈王) or King Daowu of Qin (秦悼武王) or King Wulie of Qin (秦武烈王), was the ruler of the Qin state from 310 to 307 BC during the Warring States period of C ...

, born of Queen Huiwen.

Family

Queens: * Queen Huiwen, of Wei (; d. 305 BC), possibly a daughter of

King Hui of Wei King Hui of Wei (; 400–319 BC), originally called Marquis Hui of Wei, and after 344, King Hui of Liang () was the third ruler of the state of Wei during the Warring States period, ruling from approximately 369–319 BC. He was a grandson of Marq ...

; married in 334 BC; the mother of Crown Prince Dang *

Queen Dowager Xuan Queen Dowager Xuan of Qin (; 338(?)–265 BC), also known as Mi Bazi (羋八子), was the first queen dowager in Chinese history. A concubine of King Huiwen of Qin and the mother of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Queen Dowager Xuan acted as regent for he ...

, of the Mi clan of Chu (; d. 265 BC), a royal of Chu by birth; the mother of Princes Ji, Shi and Kui Sons: * Prince Tong (; d. 311 BC), ruled as the Marquis of Shu from 313–311 BC * Crown Prince Dang (; 329–307 BC), ruled as

from 310–307 BC * Prince Zhuang (; d. 305 BC) * Prince Yong (; d. 305 BC) * Prince Ji (; 325–251 BC), ruled as

King Zhaoxiang of Qin King Zhaoxiang of Qin (; 325–251 BC), or King Zhao of Qin (秦昭王), born Ying Ji (, was the king of Qin from 306 BC to 251 BC. He was the son of King Huiwen and younger brother of King Wu. King Zhaoxiang reigned as the King of Qin for 5 ...

from 306–251 BC * Prince Yun (; d. 301 BC), ruled as the Marquis of Shu from 308–301 BC * Prince Shi () ** Known by his title, Lord Gaoling () * Prince Kui () ** Known by his title, Lord Jingyang () * Prince Yao () * Prince Chi () Daughters: * Queen Yi of Yan () ** Married King Yi of Yan (d. 321 BC) in 334 BC

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Fu Dalong in '' The Qin Empire II: Alliance'' (2012) * Portrayed by Alex Fong in ''

The Legend of Mi Yue ''The Legend of Mi Yue'' () is a 2015 Chinese television series directed by Zheng Xiaolong and based on eponymous historical novel. It stars Sun Li in the title role of Mi Yue. The series aired 2 episodes daily on Beijing TV and Dragon TV from ...

'' (2015) * Portrayed by

Gallen Lo Gallen Lo Ka-leung () is a Hong Kong actor and singer who primarily acts in television series. He is sometimes credited as King Gallen or Law Ka-Leung. Career Lo started his television career in 1984 at ATV. He received short-term success in a ...

in ''

Song of Phoenix ''Song of Phoenix'' (Chinese: 思美人) is a 2017 Chinese television series adapted from Liang Zhenhua's namesake novel, focusing on the legendary life of great Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221BC). It stars Ma Ke as ...

'' (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huiwen of Qin, King 356 BC births 311 BC deaths 4th-century BC Chinese monarchs Rulers of Qin