King Huiwen of Zhao () (born 310 BCE - died 266 BCE, reigned 298 BCE – 266 BCE) reigned in 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 ...

during 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 Chinese history. During his reign, the Zhao state reached its apogee, with famous administrators and generals alike such as Lin Xiangru,

Lian Po Lian Po (; – 243 BC), was a prominent general of the Zhao state in the Warring States period of Chinese history. He was named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of the late Warring States period, along with Bai Qi, W ...

Zhao She Zhao She ( 3rd century BC; zh, 趙奢) was a Chinese bureaucrat and general for the State of Zhao during the Warring States period. Biography Zhao She's origins and early life were unknown, other than he was initially employed as a land tax co ...

and

Li Mu Li Mu (; died 229 BC), personal name Zuo (繓), courtesy name Mu (牧), was a Chinese military general of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period. He was named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of the late W ...

. He was the first ruler of Zhao to style himself "king" without later reversing the decision, and also the last ruler during the Warring States period to declare himself king. Zhao He was originally one of the younger sons of King Wuling; however, since King Wuling favoured Zhao He's mother Wu Wa, he eventually made Zhao He heir, while the eldest son Zhao Zhang was demoted to Lord Anyang. In 298 BCE, Zhao Wuling abdicated his throne and Zhao He became king of Zhao. In 295 BCE, Lord Anyang revolted at Shaqiu. Government forces prevailed, however, and Lord Anyang fled to Zhao Wuling's palace for safety. Generals Li Dui and Gongzi Cheng thus began besieging the palace. In due time, Lord Anyang was handed over and killed; however, the generals did not let up the siege and King Wuling eventually died of hunger. King Zhao Huiwen is a central character in many of the stories told about Lin Xiangru. In 283 BCE,

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 ...

extended an offer (which he had no intention of abiding by) to Zhao that would see Qin hand over fifteen cities in exchange for the sacred jade

Heshibi Mr. He's jade or ''Heshibi'' was a sacred ceremonial '' bi (璧, "jade-disk with a round hole in center")'' used as regalia, which had an important role in Chinese history. First appearing during the mid-8th century BCE, it was cut into a ritual ...

. Lin Xiangru's actions saved face for Zhao and humiliated the Qin. In 279 BCE, King Zhaoxiang of Qin invited King Huiwen to a meeting at Shengci; once there, he again attempted to shame King Huiwen by ordering the latter to play the zither. Lin Xiangru's actions again caused the Qin to lose face and earned him great acclaim throughout China. In 270 BCE, Qin invaded Han and threatened crucial Zhao interests in central China, especially with regards to the Shangdang region (present-day southern

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-leve ...

). King Huiwen sent forces to intervene; under the leadership of Zhao She the Qin forces were defeated. This minor skirmish enhanced Zhao prestige, but was to foreshadow a greater Zhao-Qin rivalry that would end disastrously for the former at 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 militar ...

a decade later. King Huiwen of Zhao died in 266 BCE and was succeeded by his son and heir,

King Xiaocheng King Xiaocheng of Zhao (; reigned 265 BCE – 245 BCEVolume 6 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' indicated that King Xiaocheng died in the 2nd year of the reign of Qin Shi Huang, who was still King of Qin at the time; this corresponds to 245 BCE in the prolep ...

Notes and references

* Zhao Guo Shi Gao (Draft History of the Zhao State), Shen Changyun, Zhonghua Book Company, China. *''

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 ...

'', volume 15, volume 43 {{DEFAULTSORT:Huiwen of Zhao 310 BC births 266 BC deaths Monarchs of Zhao (state) Chinese kings 3rd-century BC Chinese monarchs Zhao (state) Zhou dynasty nobility