Wen Tianxiang (; June 6, 1236 – January 9, 1283), noble title Duke of Xin (), was a Chinese poet and politician in the last years of the

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. For his resistance to

Kublai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of th ...

's invasion of the Southern Song dynasty, and for his refusal to yield to the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

despite being captured and tortured, he is a popular symbol of patriotism, righteousness, and resistance against tyranny in China. He is known as one of the 'Three Loyal Princes of the Song' (), alongside

Lu Xiufu Lu Xiufu (8 November 1236 – 19 March 1279), courtesy name Junshi (), was a Chinese statesman and military commander who lived in the final years of the Song dynasty. Originally from Yancheng (present-day Jianhu County) in Jiangsu Province, alo ...

and

Zhang Shijie Zhang Shijie () was a Chinese admiral, military general, and politician during the Mongol invasion of China. Zhang was born to a prosperous family in present-day Hebei (part of the Liao empire, then Jin empire). After the fall of the Jin to th ...

. Wen Tianxiang is depicted in the

Wu Shuang Pu ''Wu Shuang Pu'' () is a book of woodcut prints, first printed in 1694, early on in the Qing dynasty. This book contains the biographies and imagined portraits of 40 notable heroes and heroines from the Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, all acco ...

(無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang. His continuing symbolic importance was evident in an event that took place in Wen Tianxiang's historical shrine in Haifeng (

Haifeng County Haifeng County ( postal: Hoifung; ) is a county under the administration of Shanwei, in the southeast of Guangdong Province, China. History Hakka peasants from nearby villages of Chengxiang county (modern-day Meixian) immigrated to Haifeng, fo ...

) in 1908, where

Chen Jiongming Chen Jiongming, (; 18 January 187822 September 1933), courtesy name Jingcun (竞存/競存), nickname Ayan (阿烟/阿煙), was a Hailufeng Hokkien revolutionary figure in the early period of the Republic of China. Early life Chen Jiongming wa ...

persuaded over thirty young men from the village to swear secret support for a national revolution.Leslie H. Dingyan Chen (1999). ''Chen Jiongming and the Federalist Movement: Regional Leadership and Nation Building in Early Republican China''. Ann Arbor: Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, pp. 13–14

Biography

Wen was born on 6 June 1236 in Luling (

Ji'an Ji'an () is a prefecture-level city situated in the central region of Jiangxi province of the People's Republic of China while bordering Hunan province to the west. It has an area of and as of the 2020 census, had a population of 4,469,176, of ...

Jiangxi Province Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north into hi ...

during the Song dynasty. At the age of 18, he excelled in his local examinations, and two years later participated in examinations in the capital, during which he was personally awarded first rank (''

Zhuangyuan ''Zhuangyuan'', or ''trạng nguyên'' in Vietnamese, variously translated into English as principal graduate, primus, or optimus, was the title given to the scholar who achieved the highest score on highest level of the Imperial examination, (i ...

'') by

Emperor Lizong Emperor Lizong of Song (26 January 1205 – 16 November 1264), personal name Zhao Yun, was the 14th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the fifth emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He reigned from 1224 to 1264. His original name was ...

. He would subsequently take up several posts in the government of the Southern Song, including being Attendant () of the Justice Ministry and Prefect of

Ganzhou Ganzhou (), alternately romanized as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jiangxi province, China, bordering Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, and Hunan to the west. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong District. Hist ...

. Wen Tianxiang was in conflict with the corrupted magistrated

Jia Sidao Jia Sidao (August 25, 1213 – October 1275), courtesy name Shixian, was a Chinese politician. He was a chancellor of the late Song dynasty of China, the younger brother of a concubine of Emperor Lizong, who subsequently had a relationship of s ...

and the pro-peace faction as he support the war effort against the invading Mongols. Wen once requested the execution of an eunuch who proposed fleeing from the capital Lin'an, as a result Wen was demoted and forced into premature retirement at the age of 37. Later when the war situation further deteriotated, Wen was recalled an appointed as the Prefect of

. He immediately recruit some troops from the local population and was later assigned to defence the region of Pingjiang (now in Suzhou, Jiangsu). In 1275, Yuan Mongols troops under Bayan attacked the Jiangsu and Jiejiang regions. Yuan forces quickly bypassed Pingjiang and marched directly to the region now known as Yuhang District. Wen Tianxiang hurriedly rushed to Yuhang but he was too late, his former base in Pingjiang was also quickly overwhelmed by the Mongols. Wen and his troops then retreat back to Lin'an. Together with

, Wen Tianxiang proposed a plan to keep fighting, but was rejected by Chancellor of the Right Chen Yizhong. At that time many Song court officials (including Chancellor of the Left Liu Mengyang) already ran away fearing the approaching Yuan troops, other was mostly pro-peace faction. Pro-war figures like Zhang Shijie also left to continued the fight on their own. The Song Empress Dowager finally decided to surrender, and Wen was appointed as the new Chancellor of the Right to lead the Song delegation (1276).Lin Handa, Cao Yuchang. Five-thousand years of Chinese history, Vol 3. (Vietnamese translation). Culture and Information Publishing House, 2001

Chapter: The Uprising of Wen Tianxiang. Wen Tianxiang didn't pledge for a surrender as tasked. When meeting Bayan, Wen inquired Bayan about the Mongol's intention and demanded the retreat of the Yuan forces: Seeing that Wen Tianxiang was determined to not surrender, Bayan arrested Wen in the Mongol headquarters. An enraged but helpless Wen Tianxiang could only witness the Empress Dowager and other Song court magistrate finalized their surrender. Nonetheless, Wen managed to escaped from the Yuan Mongol camp, and head to Yang province. The Yang prefect wrongly suspected Wen as a spy from the Yuan, therefore Wen further travelled south and finally met Zhang Shije and Chen Yizhong in Fuzhou, this time with a newly crowned

Emperor Duanzong Emperor Duanzong of Song (10 July 1269 – 8 May 1278), personal name Zhao Shi, was the 17th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the eighth and penultimate emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He was the fifth son of Emperor Duzong and ...

. After a brief discussion, Wen travelled to Nanjian pronvince (now located as Nanping, Fujian province) to recruited troops, then marched to Jiangxi. Wen managed to gain several victories, but he was soon overwhelmed by the Yuan forces led by

Zhang Hongfan Zhang Hongfan () (1238–1280) was a Chinese military general of the Mongol Empire. As commander of the Mongol army and navy, he annihilated the Southern Song by crushing the last Song resistance at the Battle of Yamen in 1279, where he is said to ...

and was arrested (1278).Lin Handa, Cao Yuchang. Five-thousand years of Chinese history, Vol 3. (Vietnamese translation). Culture and Information Publishing House, 2001

Chapter: Zhang Shije defending Yamen. Wen was treated well by Zhang Hongfan and was promised a prestigious Yuan post in exchange for his surrender, but Wen refused. Later, Song resistance forces was completely destroyed at the

Battle of Yamen The naval battle, naval Battle of Yamen () (also known as the Naval Battle of Mount Ya; ) took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the last stand of the Song dynasty against the invading Mongols, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. Although out ...

(1279), Zhang again provide the same offer, reasoning that Wen was no longer bound by the already perished as Song Dynasty. Wen again categorically refused, saying that "''I was a court officer of the Song but failed to save the country. I am deserved to be a criminal, why should I cling to my life now ?"'' Zhang had no choice but escort Wen to Dadu.Lin Handa, Cao Yuchang. Five-thousand years of Chinese history, Vol 3. (Vietnamese translation). Culture and Information Publishing House, 2001

Chapter: The Song of Righteousness. He was imprisoned in a military prison. During this time he wrote the poems "Song of Righteousness" (), and "Crossing the Lingding Sea", the latter of which included these lines of defiance in the face of Mongol rule: The Yuan court, still clinged to the hope of persuade Wen Tianxiang, sent the former Song Chancellor Liu Mengyan (the one who ran away when the Mongol approached Lin'an) to see Wen in prison. An enraged Wen Tianxiang immediately gave Liu a violent scolding.Lưu thủ đan tâm chiếu hãn thanh
CRI Online The Yuan continued to sent former

Emperor Gong of Song Emperor Gong of Song (2 November 1271 – 1323), personal name Zhao Xian, was the 16th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the seventh emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. The sixth son of his predecessor, Emperor Duzong, Zhao Xian ca ...

to persuade Wen, but he simply answered: "''Your Highness please come back to the palace !''" Later his brother Wen Pi was also sent to the prison with the same task, and Wen Tianxang said: "''We have the same parents but do not serve the under the same sky !''" During the imprisonment, Wen Tianxiang also received letters from his daughter, informed him that his whole family was held captive in the Yuan royal palace. Wen then replied: "''I have received the letter, my soul hurts so much. Everybody have relatives and family, but in this circumstance I can only choose death, there is no alternative.''" In 1283, Wen Tianxiang was summoned to appeared before

. He briefly bowed his head to greet the Yuan Emperor, but refused to prostrate as a subordinate of the Yuan. Kublai Khan expressed respect to Wen and again provide the same offer of a prestigious position. Wen repeated his refusal, saying: "''I am Song's chancellor, I cannot serve other dynasty ! I can only accept death, if not, I cannot face the matyrs at the Underworld. ..I only desire death, I have nothing to say.''" At that time an uprising arosed and the rebels claimed to attack Dadu "to rescue Chancellor Wen". Kublai Khan had no choice but to execute Wen Tianxiang. It is said that after Wen's death, people discover his

death poem The death poem is a genre of poetry that developed in the literary traditions of East Asian cultures—most prominently in Japan as well as certain periods of Chinese history and Joseon Korea. They tend to offer a reflection on death—both in g ...

written as:

Ancestry and descendants

Wen Tianxiang adopted the three sons of his younger brother when his two sons died young. There are now at least six branches of the Wen family in the provinces of

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

, and in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and overseas locations. Local dialect pronunciations would be Man (

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

), Vun (

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

), Boon (

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

) and Bhung ( Teochew). The Man clan are considered one of the original founding families in the

history of Hong Kong The region of Hong Kong has been inhabited since the Old Stone Age, later becoming part of the Chinese Empire with its loose incorporation into the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). Starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, ...

. The well-known

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

painter and calligrapher

Wen Zhengming Wen Zhengming (28 November 1470 – 1559), born Wen Bi, was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet during the Ming dynasty. He was regarded as one of the Four Masters of Ming painting. Biography Wen Zhengming was born Wen Bi near present-da ...

also belonged to the Wen family. The mother of

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

Wen Qimei Wen Qimei (13 February 1867 – 5 October 1919; born Wen Suqin) was the mother of Mao Zedong. Life Wen was born in 1867 in the valley of Sidutaiping, in Xiangxiang county of Hunan. Her father, Wen Qifu, was a poor shoemaker who was a heavy dri ...

, was a descendant as well. One of the oldest continuous branches of the Wen family established itself in the

Hengyang Hengyang (; ) is the second largest city of Hunan Province, China. It straddles the Xiang River about south of the provincial capital of Changsha. As of the 2020 Chinese census, Its total population was 6,645,243 inhabitants, whom 1,290,715 ...

/ Hengshan area of present-day

shortly after 1000. A branch of this Wen family settled in the United States in the mid-1940s and is related through marriage to the prominent Sun family of Shouxian,

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

(

Sun Jianai The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

; Fou Foong Flour Company 福豐麵粉廠) and the Li family of

Hefei Hefei (; ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census and its built-up ( ...

, Anhui (

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

Monuments

Jiangxi

Wen Tianxiang's hometown in

honors the famous national hero with a mausoleum. Exhibitions of paintings, calligraphy, and even army uniforms supposedly left by Wen are displayed in the Wen Family Ancestral Temple in Futian. The Wen Tianxiang Mausoleum is located in Wohushan.

Beijing

The Memorial to Prime Minister Wen Tianxiang was built in 1376 during the reign of the

Hongwu Emperor The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts in ...

of the

. The location of Wen's execution is thought to be near the entrance to Fuxue Alley in the East City District of Beijing and a memorial has been established on the northern side of the entrance to South Fuxue Alley near Beixinqiao. "The Song Dynasty's Top Ranking Scholar and Prime Minister, the West River's Filial Son and Loyal Subject," is carved into the columns of the memorial's main hall.

Guangdong

The "Golden Marshal's Cemetery" commemorating the heroes of the anti-Yuan nationality at the end of the Song dynasty was established in the Gurao Township, Chaoyang District, Shantou City, Guangdong Province. There are many legends about Wen Tianxiang in the area of Gurao Town, Chaoyang District. According to legend, in the last years of the Southern Song dynasty, Wen Tianxiang raised an army in Chaoyang to resist the invading Yuan forces and was captured in Haifeng County during the campaign. Due to the great disparity in strength between the two sides, most of the Song soldiers were killed. Based on investigation, there are nine Song tombs in Gu Rao and neighboring towns. In later years, festive activities were held to commemorate Marshal General Wen Tianxiang and his descendant, These develop into what is known as the Gurao Festival. During this festival, the villages are covered with red and green, and the villagers walk through the streets to perform folk art tours. Overseas travellers have also returned to their hometowns.

Taiwan

In the late 1950s and 1960s, a place called ', within the present

Taroko National Park Taroko National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. The park spans Taichung Municipality, Nantou County, and Hualien County and is lo ...

, was renamed "Tianxiang" in memory of Wen Tianxiang during the construction of the

Central Cross-Island Highway The Central Cross-Island Highway () or Provincial Highway 8 is one of three highway systems that connect the west coast with the east of Taiwan. Construction The construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway began on July 7, 1956 and wa ...

. Tianxiang is now a famous resort in the east of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. In addition, three streets also take their name from Wen (i.e. the "Tianxiang Road"). One is in Zhongshan District,

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

nearby the Minquan W. Road MRT Station, another is in

Sanmin District Sanmin District () is a district of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History During the Ming dynasty, the Wang, Tsai, and Cheng families built houses in the area to farm the land. The area was thus named ''Sankuaicu'' (). After the handover of Taiwan from ...

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

and the other is in Xiulin,

Hualien County Hualien County (Mandarin Wade–Giles: Hua¹-lien² Hsien⁴; Pīnyīn: ''Huālián Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Hoa-lian-koān'' or ''Hoa-liân-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Fâ-lièn-yen''; Amis: ''Kalingko'') is a county on the east coast of Taiwan. It ...

Hong Kong

The

San Tin San Tin () is a loosely defined area in Yuen Long District in New Territories, Hong Kong that is part of the San Tin constituency. Unlike Hong Kong's highly urbanised areas, San Tin is sparsely populated due to its marshlands. San Tin is loca ...

area in the

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

is home to many villagers surnamed "Man", the Cantonese pronunciation of "Wen". The "Man" villagers trace their ancestry to Wen Tianxiang via Man Tin-Sui, also a famous Song dynasty general and the cousin of Wen Tianxiang. A Man Tin Cheung Memorial Park and "Man" ancestral hall and residence (

Tai Fu Tai Mansion Tai Fu Tai Mansion is a residence located in Wing Ping Tsuen, San Tin near Lok Ma Chau, north of Yuen Long, Hong Kong. History It was probably built in 1865 in the reign of the Qing Dynasty. It was built as a residence by Man Chung-luen () who ...

) in San Tin are historical attractions in Hong Kong.

References

External links

Man Tin Cheung Park in Hong Kong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wen, Tianxiang 1236 births 1283 deaths 13th-century Chinese poets Executed Song dynasty people Song dynasty chancellors Song dynasty poets Song dynasty politicians from Jiangxi People executed by the Yuan dynasty by decapitation Poets from Jiangxi Politicians from Ji'an Yuan dynasty poets Heads of government who were later imprisoned Legendary Chinese people