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Jing Ke (died 227 BC) was a '' youxia'' during the late
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 The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapt ...
. As a
retainer Retainer may refer to: * Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth * RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship * Retainers in early China, a social group in early China Employment * Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for w ...
of Crown Prince Dan of the Yan state, he was infamous for his failed
assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
attempt on King Zheng 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 ex ...
, who later became
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 Empero ...
, the Qin Dynasty's first emperor (from 221 BC to 210 BC). His story is told in the chapter titled ''Biographies of Assassins'' (刺客列傳) in
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 be ...
's ''
Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...
''.


Background

In 230 BC, the Qin state began conquering other states as part of King Zheng's ambition to unify the country under one rule. The Qin army, having already achieved absolute military supremacy over the other states since 260 BC, first successfully annihilated the state of Han, the weakest 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/ ...
. Two years later, the once-formidable Zhao state was also conquered in 236 BC.王恆偉. (2005) (2006) 中國歷史講堂 #2 戰國 秦 漢. 中華書局. . pp. 70-71. Zhao's northeastern neighbor, the Yan state was next in line to be threatened by Qin expansion. In exchange for peace,
King Xi of Yan Xi, King of Yan (燕王喜) (?–?) (ruled 255–222 BC) was the last sovereign of the state of Yan in the last days Warring States period of Chinese history. He was the son of King Xiao of Yan (燕孝王). He was born as Ji Xi (姬喜), the ...
had earlier forced his son Crown Prince Dan to be held a diplomatic hostage in the Qin, but Prince Dan returned knowing that Qin was far stronger than Yan and would attack it sooner or later. Jing Ke originally came from the minor Wey state. He was of the clan name Qing ( 庆氏) of the ancestral name Jiang (姜姓) and a distant descendant of Wukui of Qi, had good education and was proficient in the art of the sword. His homeland of Wey was annexed by Qin in 239 BC, and Jing Ke fled to Yan. A '' youxia'' named Tian Guang (田光) first introduced him to Prince Dan. There Jing Ke accepted the hospitality of Prince Dan, who, as a last resort, decided to send an assassin against the King of Qin. The plan involved either kidnapping the king and forcing him to release the territories from his control; or failing this, killing him. The expectation in either case was that Qin would be left disorganized, enabling the other remaining major states to unite against its conquest.


Assassination plot


The plan

In 228 BC, the Qin army was already at the
Zhao Zhao may refer to: * Zhao (surname) (赵), a Chinese surname ** commonly spelled Chao in Taiwan or up until the early 20th century in other regions ** Chiu, from the Cantonese pronunciation ** Cho (Korean surname), represent the Hanja 趙 (Chine ...
capital of
Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shan ...
, and was waiting to approach the state of Yan. Jing Ke agreed to go to Qin and pretend to be a nobleman begging for mercy. According to events at the time, Dukang (督亢) (in present-day
Hebei Province Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...
) was the first part of the Yan state that the Qin wanted, by reason of its fertile farmland. The plan was to present as gifts the map of Dukang and the severed head of the traitorous Qin general Huan Yi to the king of Qin, in order to approach him. At the time, General Huan Yi had lost favor with Qin and wanted revenge against it;王恆偉. (2005) (2006) 中國歷史講堂 #2 戰國 秦 漢. 中華書局. . pp. 72-73. whereas the Qin state put a bounty on capturing him of 1,000 gold pieces.戴逸, 龔書鐸. 002(2003) 中國通史. 春秋 戰國 秦. Intelligence press. . p. 62. Jing Ke went to Huan himself to discuss the assassination plan. Huan Yi believed that the plan would work, and agreed to
commit suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...
so that his head could be collected. Prince Dan then obtained the sharpest possible dagger, refined it with poison, and gave it to Jing Ke. To accompany him, Prince Dan assigned
Qin Wuyang Qin Wuyang (秦舞陽) was a young man who followed Jing Ke when the latter went on the mission to assassinate Ying Zheng, the king of Qin. Both Jing and Qin were first disguised as envoys from Yan and were there to present the severed head of "Fa ...
as his assistant. Qin Wuyang was known to have successfully committed murder at the age of 13. In 227 BC, Prince Dan and other guests wore white clothing and white hats at the Yi River (易水) to send the pair of assassins off. Jing Ke reportedly sang a song "the wind blows, the Yi river freezes. The hero fords once, never to return!" (風蕭蕭兮易水寒,壯士一去兮不復還). The King of Qin received the message of visitors presenting a gift to him, and was willing to receive them at the city.


Assassination attempt

Concealing the dagger inside the map
scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...
, Jing Ke and
Qin Wuyang Qin Wuyang (秦舞陽) was a young man who followed Jing Ke when the latter went on the mission to assassinate Ying Zheng, the king of Qin. Both Jing and Qin were first disguised as envoys from Yan and were there to present the severed head of "Fa ...
represented the Yan as
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...
s and met with King Zheng. Qin Wuyang reportedly became so nervous that he acted almost paralyzed when entering the palace, and Jing Ke managed the excuse that his partner had never set eyes on the grace of
Son of Heaven Son of Heaven, or ''Tianzi'' (), was the sacred monarchical title of the Chinese sovereign. It originated with the Zhou dynasty and was founded on the political and spiritual doctrine of the Mandate of Heaven. Since the Qin dynasty, the secu ...
.Sima Qian. Dawson, Raymond Stanley. Brashier, K. E. (2007). The First Emperor: Selections from the Historical Records. Oxford University Press. , . pp. 15-20, 82, 99. Other sources suggest Jing Ke described Qin Wuyang as a rural boy who had never seen the world and was suffering a
cultural shock Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration ...
. The panicked Qin Wuyang was then barred from moving up the palace, and Jing Ke was ordered to present the map alone. Jing Ke approached King Zheng and politely presented the map scroll. When the King Zheng unrolled the map, Jing Ke immediately seized the revealed dagger, grabbed the king's clothes and attacked him, who somehow managed to back away from the initial thrust by tearing off a sleeve in the process. While King Zheng fled from his attacker on foot, he attempted to draw his own sword hanging from his belt, but was unable to do so while running desperately as it was a very long ceremonial sword. None of the other Qin officials within the vicinity were armed and able to stop Jing Ke, and the guards were all stationed outside the palace and were unable to immediately reach the scene. In the confusion Jing Ke began to close in on the king, who struggled to get away from the assassin by circling behind a pillar. Seeing the king in grave danger, a royal physician named Xia Wuju (夏無且) grabbed his own medicine bag and hurled it at Jing Ke, which slowed down the assassin just enough to allow King Zheng to recover some distance. Reminded by cries from other officials, the king managed to shift his longsword behind his back and unsheathe it over the shoulder. Now armed, he immediately turned back and struck Jing Ke in the thigh, effectively immobilizing him.王恆偉. (2005) (2006) 中國歷史講堂 #2 戰國 秦 漢. 中華書局. . pp. 74-75. The injured Jing Ke, out of a desperate last attempt, threw his dagger towards King Zheng, only to miss the target. The king then proceeded to stab Jing Ke eight more times, mortally wounding him. Knowing it was hopelessly over, the dying Jing Ke sat with his legs stretched forward and apart, a posture then considered very rude manner, and used the last of his strength to taunt King Zheng with abuses. At this point, the guards had arrived at the scene to finish off both Jing Ke and the fleeing Qin Wuyang. It was recorded that right after the incident, King Zheng sat on his throne
catatonic Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal. The onset of catatonia can be acute or subtle and symptoms can wax, wane, or change during ...
ally holding the sword, due to the exhaustion caused by the adrenaline rush, before he finally recovered after a short while and thanked the physician Xia Wuju for attempting to stop the assassin.


Yan annihilation

After Jing Ke's attempt, the Qin army general Wang Jian was sent against the Yan state. In 226 BC, Prince Dan sent his army to fight at Ji (薊), but were soon defeated. In an effort to try to appease the King of Qin,
King Xi of Yan Xi, King of Yan (燕王喜) (?–?) (ruled 255–222 BC) was the last sovereign of the state of Yan in the last days Warring States period of Chinese history. He was the son of King Xiao of Yan (燕孝王). He was born as Ji Xi (姬喜), the ...
put his son to death; however, the Yan were annexed and destroyed nonetheless.


In popular culture

*The Chinese film ''
The Emperor and the Assassin ''The Emperor and the Assassin'', also known as ''The First Emperor'', is a 1998 - 1999 Chinese historical romance film based primarily on Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, as described in Sima Qian's ''Records of the Grand Histo ...
'' (1999), featuring
Gong Li Gong Li (Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaonin ...
and others, is based on the aforementioned events. Jing Ke himself does not appear in the films ''
The Emperor's Shadow ''The Emperor's Shadow'' is a 1996 Chinese historical film directed by Zhou Xiaowen and starring Jiang Wen, Ge You, Xu Qing and Ge Zhijun. It was the most expensive Chinese film produced at the time of its release. Plot Set in third century BC ...
'' (1996), directed by
Zhou Xiaowen Zhou Xiaowen (; born 1954 in Beijing) is a Chinese filmmaker. He graduated from the Cinematography Department of the Beijing Film Academy in 1975 and is part of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei ...
, or ''
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
'' (2002) starring
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, but both films borrow elements from his story. *A fictionalized version of Jing Ke appears in the film '' Highlander: Endgame'' (2000), played by actor and martial artist
Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...
. In the film, Jing Ke is, like the other principal characters, an
immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film ''The Wisdom of ...
warrior living in the story's present day. The film alters the spelling of Jing Ke's name to "Jin Ke" and makes reference to his historical association with Qin Shi Huang. *The Chinese film ''
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
'' (2002) is loosely based on Jing Ke's assassination attempt, with
Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen. After three years ...
playing the assassin. *The character Tsing Yi in
John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun ...
's '' Last Hurrah for Chivalry'' (1979), according to its director, is inspired by Jing Ke. *A Chinese TV series called '' Assassinator Jing Ke'' (荆轲传奇) was produced in 2004, depicting a fictionalized biography of Jing Ke, starring Liu Ye, Wang Yanan, and
Peter Ho Peter Ho (, born September 13, 1975) is an American-Hong Kong- Taiwanese singer, actor and model based in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Since his debut in 1998, he has released seven albums and has starred in over 25 films and television series, most no ...
. *Jing Ke is a spy in the computer game '' Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword''. *Jing Ke is one of the heroes in '' The Legend of Qin'', 3D animation series, father of the protagonist, Jing Tianming. Ke's farewell song is also quoted in this series. *Jing Ke's song as he left for his mission was played in the song Episode 119 Medley in an episode of the show ''
Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...
'', when Señor Chang entered the library to kill off the two remaining students in the paintball fight. * Jing Ke appears in the mobile game '' Fate/Grand Order'' as an Assassin class Servant. This version of Jing Ke appears as a woman, and the game notes she was recorded in history as a man for unknown reasons. Her personal quest revolves around her failed attempt. * Jing Ke's story is the basis of the plot of ''
Katanagatari is a Japanese light novel series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Take. The series is published by Kodansha under the ''Kodansha Box'' imprint. The story revolves around a ''katanagari'', or " sword hunt" for 12 weapons that were creat ...
''. *Jing Ke is the protagonist of the short story "The Circle" by
Liu Cixin Liu Cixin (, pronounced ; born 23 June 1963) is a Chinese science fiction writer. He is a nine-time winner of China's Galaxy Award and has also received the 2015 Hugo Award for his novel '' The Three-Body Problem'' as well as the 2017 Lo ...
. * Jing Ke appears in the fictional historical drama '' The King's Woman'' based on the novel ''The Legend of Qin: Li Ji Story'' (秦时明月之丽姬传). *A reference to the legend is used by the professor in the Taiwanese film ''
Daughter of the Nile ''Daughter of the Nile'' () is a 1987 film by Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien. Background The film's title is a reference to a character in a manga called ''Crest of the Royal Family'' who is hailed as Daughter of the Nile. The film is a ...
'' (1987) by Hou Hsiao-hsien. * Nobel laureate
Mo Yan Guan Moye (; born 17 February 1955), better known by the pen name Mo Yan (, ), is a Chinese novelist and short story writer. Donald Morrison of U.S. news magazine ''TIME'' referred to him as "one of the most famous, oft-banned and widely pirate ...
wrote a play in 2003, entitled "Our Jing Ke" (我们的荆轲), which retells the story of Jing Ke's failed assassination attempt. The play premiered in August 2011 in Beijing by Beijing People's Art Theatre (BPAT). The play won the highest drama award in China in 2012. *A tv show called "Kings Of China" has been confirmed to cover Jing Ke *The Game "Fate of the Empress" features Jing Ke as a limited obtainable hero


See also

*
Gao Jianli Gao Jianli (Chinese: 高漸離) was a musician of the Chinese state of Yan, during the Warring States period, who played a struck zither called '' zhu'' ( 筑) or ''ji zhu'' ( 击筑). Legend After his friend Jing Ke was killed during his assas ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jing, Ke 227 BC deaths Failed regicides Zhou dynasty people Year of birth unknown Chinese assassins Wey (state) Qin (state) Yan (state) Qin Shi Huang Violent deaths in China Chinese courtiers 3rd-century BC Chinese people