Jian, King of Qi (; reigned 264–221 BC) was the last king of Qi, one of the seven major states of the

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

of ancient China. His personal name was Tian Jian (田建),

ancestral name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

Gui The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...

, and he did not have a

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

because he was the last king of Qi. Jian succeeded his father

King Xiang of Qi King Xiang of Qi (; died 265 BCJohn Knoblock. 1994. ''Xunzi: A Translation and Study of the Complete Works''.) was from 283 to 265 BC king of Qi, one of the seven major states of the Warring States period of ancient China. King Xiang's personal ...

, who died in 265 BC. He reigned for 44 years. At the time he acceded to the throne, there were only a few states left in what is now China. Qi was one of the wealthiest, and it was on the seacoast far from the most aggressive state, Qin. For years, King Jian's mother acted as his advisor. On her deathbed she wanted to tell her son the king which ministers she thought were the best. But when the writing materials arrived she could no longer tell him. After she died, Hou Sheng (后勝) became his prime minister. It was alleged by some sources that Hou Sheng was in the pay of the state of Qin. In Strategies of the Warring States, The Book of Qi One famous anecdote is that after the

Battle of Changping The Battle of Changping () was a military campaign during the Warring States period of ancient China, which took place from 262 BC to 260 BC at Changping (northwest of present-day Gaoping, Shanxi province), between the two strongest military pow ...

in 260 BC, in which, according to the historian

Sima Qian Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...

, 450,000 soldiers of the

state of Zhao Zhao () was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han and Wei, in the 5th century BC. Zhao gained significant strength from the mil ...

were killed by the Qin army, King Jian was advised: "Zhao is a hedge that protects Qi... just as the lips protect the teeth. When the lips are gone, the teeth become cold....Go to the aid of Zhao!" In Strategies of the Warring States, The Book of Qi However, the king did nothing; during his reign he tried to stay out of wars, as the future First Emperor

Qin Shihuang 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 ( ...

attacked all the states around him. The kingdom of Qi was the only opponent of Qin after

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 ( ...

conquered every other state. King Jian and his prime minister Hou Sheng (后勝), a relation of Jian's wife, sent the Qi army to the western border of Qi to protect the country; but Qin general

Wang Ben Wang Ben 王賁, was a Chinese general of the state of Qin during the Warring States period. He was a son of the better known general Wang Jian. He played a key role in the Qin's wars of unification. Life In 225 BCE, a 600,000 strong Qin army ...

(王賁), son of Wang Jian, attacked Qi from the north instead and conquered it in 221 BC, completing

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

's unification of China. King Jian was captured with his entire court. From

Discourses on Salt and Iron The Discourses on Salt and Iron () was a debate held at the imperial court in 81 BCE on state policy during the Han dynasty in China. The previous emperor, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Wu, had reversed the laissez-faire policies of his predecessors a ...

In one story, the king went to Qin voluntarily, resisting the urging of his loyal counselor, after the defeat, because

, the First Emperor, had promised him a large property of 500 ''li''. Instead, when he arrived in Qin, he was sent to a remote area with his wife and daughter, where he starved to death. The Qi people made a sarcastic ballad to commemorate him. "Oh, pine trees! Oh, cypress trees! Making the king of Qi die in a common village–this was a guest who was good at adapting!" In Strategies of the Warring States, The Book of Qi Later in 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 ...

, the official

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 emperor and took the throne. Wang Mang proclaimed to have descended from Jian of Qi (through from 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. ...

) and awarded him the posthumous name King Jing of Qi (齊敬王) and the temple name Emperor Shizu of Xin (新世祖).

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jian of Qi Monarchs of Qi (state) 3rd-century BC Chinese monarchs Chinese kings