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Duke Xian of Qin (, 424–362 BC), personal name Ying Shixi or Ying Lian, was a duke of the state of Qin during the
Eastern Zhou The Eastern Zhou (256 BCE) is a period in Chinese history comprising the latter two-thirds of the Zhou dynasty. The period follows the Western Zhou era and is named due to the Zhou royal court relocating the capital eastward from Fenghao ...
dynasty, reigning from 384 to 362 BC.


Accession to the throne

Duke Xian was the son of Duke Ling of Qin, the 25th ruler of the state of Qin. However, when Duke Ling died in 415 BC, the throne was passed to Duke Ling's uncle Duke Jian, instead of his son. Duke Jian reigned for 15 years and was succeeded by his son Duke Hui II, who died 13 years later in 387 BC, and was then succeeded by his son Chuzi II. As Chuzi was only a baby, the power was controlled by his mother, duchess dowager Qin Xiaozhu. In 385 BC, the second year of Chuzi's reign, the minister Jun Gai (菌改) rebelled against Chuzi and the duchess. He led his forces to escort Duke Xian, who was at the time exiled in the
State of Wei Wei (; ) was one of the seven major State (Ancient China), states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han (Warring States), Han and Zhao (state), Zhao. Its territo ...
, back to Qin, killed Chuzi and his mother, and installed Duke Xian on the throne.


Reforms

By the time Duke Xian finally became the monarch of Qin thirty years after the death of his father, decades of internal turmoil had greatly weakened the formerly powerful state of Qin. The neighbouring state of Wei, on the other hand, grew stronger and annexed Qin's Hexi territory, west of the
Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...
.


Abolition of human sacrifice

As soon as he ascended the throne, Duke Xian began a series of reforms. In 384 BC, the first year of his reign, he abolished the practice of funereal
human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...
started nearly three centuries before by Duke Wu, the tenth ruler of Qin, who had 66 people buried with him in 678 BC. The fourteenth ruler Duke Mu had 177 people buried with him in 621 BC, including several senior government officials. Afterwards, the people of Qin wrote the famous poem ''Yellow Bird'' to condemn this barbaric practice, later compiled in the
Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...
''
Classic of Poetry The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, co ...
'', but the practice would still continue for more than two centuries until Duke Xian abolished it. Modern historian Ma Feibai considers the significance of Duke Xian's abolition of human sacrifice to Chinese history comparable to that of
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
's abolition of slavery to American history.


Moving the capital

In 383 BC, the second year of his reign, Duke Xian moved the Qin capital from the long-time capital Yong (in present-day Fengxiang,
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
) several hundred kilometers east to Yueyang (in present-day Yanliang District of
Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...
). The move shifted the center of Qin closer to other states such as Wei, Han, and Zhao, facilitated commerce, and weakened the powerful aristocratic clans that were entrenched in the old capital.


Establishing counties

Duke Xian expanded the practice of establishing counties, which were administered by bureaucrats appointed by the central government. This was a major departure from the then-prevalent practice of granting fiefs to hereditary aristocrats who ran their territories like small autonomous states. Duke Xian established several counties in Pu, Lantian, Pumingshi, and even in the new capital Yueyang. This reform strengthened the power of the central government, and would be further expanded to the whole state by the famous reformer Shang Yang under Duke Xian's successor Duke Xiao, contributing to Qin's rise and eventual unification of China.


War with Wei

In 364 BC, Qin and the
state of Wei Wei (; ) was one of the seven major State (Ancient China), states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han (Warring States), Han and Zhao (state), Zhao. Its territo ...
fought at Shimen (in present-day
Yuncheng Yuncheng () is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and ...
,
Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
), and the Qin army for the first time inflicted a major defeat on Wei, until then the strongest power of the
Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...
, reportedly killing 60,000 Wei soldiers.
King Xian of Zhou King Xian of Zhou (), personal name Ji Bian, was a king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. Very little is known about him. He succeeded his brother King Lie in 368 BC and ruled until his death in 321 BC. He sent gifts to many of the feudal states, ...
, the nominal ruler of China, congratulated Duke Xian and Duke Xian declared himself the
Hegemon Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states, either regional or global. In Ancient Greece (ca. 8th BC – AD 6th c.), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' ...
of China. Two years later, Qin attacked Wei again at Shaoliang (少梁, in present-day Hancheng,
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
) and captured Wei general Gongsun Cuo (公孙痤).


Death and succession

Duke Xian reigned for 23 years and died in 362 BC at the age of 62. He was succeeded by his son Duke Xiao of Qin. He was buried in Xiaoyu, near his capital Yueyang.


Family

Sons: * First son, Crown Prince Quliang (; 381–338 BC), ruled as Duke Xiao of Qin from 361 to 338 BC * Second son, Prince Jichang () * Prince Qian () ** Served as the
Grand Tutor The Three Ducal Ministers (), also translated as the Three Dukes, Three Excellencies, or the Three Lords, was the collective name for the three highest officials in Ancient China and Imperial China. These posts were abolished by Cao Cao in 208 AD a ...
of
King Huiwen of Qin King Huiwen of Qin (; 356–311 BC), also known as Lord Huiwen of Qin (), personal name Ying Si, was a king of the state of Qin during the Eastern Zhou dynasty, reigning from 338 to 311 BC. He was the first ruler of Qin to style himself "King" ( ...


In popular culture

Duke Xian appeared in the 2009 Chinese TV series ''
The Qin Empire The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...
''. He was played by the actor Xu Huanshan.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xian of Qin, Duke Monarchs of Qin 4th-century BC Chinese monarchs 424 BC births 362 BC deaths