Wang Lang (; died AD 24), originally named Wang Chang (王昌), became a leader of one of the revolts that rose up towards the end of the

Xin dynasty The Xin dynasty (; ), also known as Xin Mang () in Chinese historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty which lasted from 9 to 23 AD, established by the Han dynasty consort kin Wang Mang, who usurped the throne of the Emperor Pin ...

by pretending to be a son of

Emperor Cheng of Han Emperor Cheng of Han (51 BC – 17 April 7 BC) was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty ruling from 33 until 7 BC. He succeeded his father Emperor Yuan of Han. Under Emperor Cheng, the Han dynasty continued its growing disintegration as the em ...

. Originally a native of the Zhao State, he was acclaimed as emperor and managed to briefly establish an independent regime in the area of

Hebei 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 ...

Life

Wang Lang began his working life as a fortune teller, with expertise in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and

calendrics A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a phys ...

, who determined that Hebei had the '' qi'' of a Son of Heaven. Before

Wang Mang Wang Mang () (c. 45 – 6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun (), was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty and later seized the thron ...

established the Xin dynasty in AD 9, there was a man living in

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin S ...

named Liu Ziyu (刘子輿) who claimed to be the son of

. When Liu Ziyu was murdered on the orders of the Xin dynasty emperor Wang Mang, Wang Lang took the opportunity to pretend to be the real Liu Ziyu. Together with (劉林), son of king Miao of Zhao (赵缪王), he claimed that in order to avoid Empress Zhao Feiyan's persecutions they had fled to

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, and knowing that Hebei had the ''qi'' of the Son of Heaven. Liu Lin planned, with the support of the powerful families of Li Yu (李育) and Zhang Can (張参), to declare Wang Lang emperor. At that time there was a rumour that the

Red Eyebrows The Red Eyebrows () was one of the two major peasant rebellion movements against Wang Mang's short-lived Xin dynasty, the other being Lülin. It was so named because the rebels painted their eyebrows red. The rebellion, initially active in the ...

army was crossing the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...

heading north. In the tenth month of AD 23,

Gengshi Emperor The Gengshi Emperor (; died AD 25), born Liu Xuan (), was an emperor of the Han dynasty restored after the fall of Wang Mang's Xin dynasty brought on by the Lülin. He was also known by his courtesy name Shenggong () and as the King or Prince of H ...

had ordered General

Liu Xiu The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

and acting minister of war to pacify Hebei. Upon visiting the city of Handan, Liu Xiu met with Liu Lin, who suggested opening the dams in order to drown the Hebei Red Eyebrows troops. Liu Xiu declined this option, and moved on north, towards (真定). In the twelfth month of the same year, Liu Lin led several hundred horsemen into the city of Handan, and in the early morning arrived at the palace of King Miao of Zhao. Wang Lang was then named emperor. Wang Lang nominated Liu Lin as prime minister, Li Yu Minister of War, and Zhang Can Great General. Wang Lang's army occupied the Ji (冀) and You (幽) counties, and took advantage of the public's positive attitude towards the Han dynasty by claiming that the general who opposed Wang Mang before the Xin dynasty was established, had not yet died and was in support of them. This gained them much popularity and support amongst the populace. Wang Lang controlled the state of Zhao from its north, and

Liaodong The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...

peninsula from its eastern end, and offered a price of ten marquise-level bronze vessels for anyone who would bring the severed head of Liu Xiu. However, by the beginning of 24 AD, Liu Xiu had gathered troops and consolidated power with and leading over two thousand troops to back him. Geng Kuang (耿況), the governor of

Shanggu Shanggu Commandery ( zh, 上谷郡) was a commandery in imperial China from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was located in present-day Hebei and Beijing. The commandery was established by the state of Yan for the defense against the ...

and , the governor of

Yuyang Commandery Yuyang Commandery ( zh, 漁陽郡) was a commandery in imperial China from Qin dynasty to Tang dynasty. It was located in present-day Hebei province as well as Beijing and Tianjin municipalities. The commandery was established by the state of Yan ...

(漁陽), sent cavalry to provide support to Liu Xiu. With all the forces now available to Liu Xiu , Wang Lang suffered a series of defeats in Hebei. During the fourth month of AD 24 Liu Xiu marched into Handan, and during the fifth month the city of Handan was conquered. Wang Lang escaped from Handan but was soon caught and killed. According to the Later Han History he was killed by , one of Liu Xiu's generals.''Later Han History'', "Biography of Wang Ba" (王霸传).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Lang 1st-century BC births 24 deaths Year of birth unknown 1st-century Chinese people Ancient rebels Chinese rebels