Dynasties of ChinaWestern JinWestern Jin lineage
Yongxi and others · Reign 290—306
The dim-witted son of Emperor Wu of Jin was successively controlled by his relatives, the queen and other kings during his seventeen years in power, leading to the Eight Kings Rebellion.
Sima Zhong, courtesy name Zhengdu, was the second son of Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty. He was appointed Crown Prince due to the early death of his eldest brother. He was only nine years old when he was established in 267. His talent was dull, and history records that he did not understand things. Although Emperor Wu knew that he was unworthy, he still insisted on passing the throne because of his expectations for his grandson Sima Yu. Emperor Wu died of illness in April 290, and Sima Zhong ascended the throne, changing the Yuan Dynasty to Yongxi, with his relative Yang Jun as assistant. The following year, Queen Jia Nanfeng teamed up with King Sima Wei of Chu to kill Yang Jun, and then successively eliminated the kings of Runan, Sima Liang and Sima Wei, and controlled the government for nearly ten years. During this period, Zhang Hua, Pei Wei and other virtuous ministers assisted the government, and the court situation could still be maintained.
In 300 AD, Empress Jia deposed and killed Crown Prince Sima Yu. King Zhao Sima Lun launched a coup, deposed and killed Empress Jia, usurped the throne the following year and honored Emperor Hui as the Retired Emperor. King Qi Sima Jiong, Chengdu King Sima Ying, Hejian King Sima Yong and others launched an army to attack, and Emperor Hui was restored to power. However, the kings fought endlessly since then, and Changsha Wang Yi, Prince of Donghai Yue and others came to power one after another. In the battle of Dangyin in 304, Emperor Hui was defeated in person and was robbed by Sima Ying and taken to Yecheng. He was then taken to Chang'an by Zhang Fang and did not return to Luoyang until 306. Emperor Hui died violently in November 307. It is said that he was poisoned by Prince of Donghai Sima Yue. At the age of 49, he was succeeded by his younger brother Sima Chi.
Emperor Hui of the Jin Dynasty was stupid and spent his whole life under the control of his relatives, queens and kings. The so-called culpability was not mainly on him personally, but on Emperor Wu's insistence on the institutional arrangement of passing on the throne to an inhumane person, ennobling the clan and conferring military power. In the sixteen years before and after the Eight Kings Rebellion, various ethnic groups that migrated inland took advantage of the situation to rise, and the Western Jin began to collapse. The Emperor Hui era thus became a turning point in Chinese history from unification to long-term division.
PoliticsYang Jun assists the government
Emperor Wu died of illness and Sima Zhong came to the throne. Yang Jun, his relative, took charge of the government as Taifu and Grand Governor. He forged a posthumous edict to exclude Sima Liang, the king of Runan.
PoliticsZhu Yang Jun
In March, Queen Jia Nanfeng joined forces with King Sima Wei of Chu to launch a coup, killing Yang Jun and exterminating three other tribes. Queen Mother Yang Zhi was also deposed and soon died of starvation. Sima Liang, king of Runan, and Wei Guan, the elder, entered the court to assist in the administration.
PoliticsQueen Jia kills two kings
In June, Empress Jia issued an edict in the name of Emperor Hui, instructing Chu Wang Wei to kill Sima Liang and Wei Guan, and then executed Sima Wei for the crime of perverting the edict. From then on, Empress Jia specialized in government affairs, and the power struggle between the kings, their relatives, and the queen began.
PeopleZhang HuaPei Wei Assistant Government
Empress Jia appointed Zhang Hua, Pei Wei, and Jia Mo to co-govern. Zhang Hua came from a humble background and knew many people, and Pei Wei came from a well-known family. The two cooperated with each other to keep the government relatively stable for several years during the Yuankang period.
Culture"Chongyou Lun" by Pei Wei
In response to He Yan and Wang Bi's "valuing nothingness" theory and the unrestrained style of scholar-bureaucrats, Pei Wei wrote "Chongyou Lun", which advocated that all things are based on existence and emphasized that etiquette, law, and famous teachings cannot be abolished. This was an important refutation of the no matter what the metaphysics of the Wei and Jin Dynasties valued.
Lasting legacyThe dispute between "Chongyou" and "Guiwu" is the core issue of metaphysics in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. The full text of "Chongyou Lun" is contained in "Book of Jin Pei Wei Biography" and has been passed down to this day.
CultureThe Golden Valley Meeting
Shi Chong held a farewell party for Wang Xu, who was on the western expedition to Chang'an, at the Golden Valley Garden in Luoyang. He gathered more than 30 guests and had banquets day and night to compose poems. Those who failed to compose poems were punished with three buckets of wine. Shi Chong wrote "Preface to Jingu Poems", and most of the attendees were Jia Mi's "Twenty-Four Friends".
MilitaryQi Wannian Rebellion
Qi Wannian, the leader of the Di and Qiang in Guanzhong, claimed to be the emperor and launched an army. Zhou Chu and others were killed in the battle. It took more than three years to put down the army. The various ethnic groups that moved inland and the Han people lived side by side and the grievances deepened. Jiang Tong therefore wrote "Lun on Migration to the Rong" and suggested that the ethnic groups that moved inland should be moved back to their hometowns, but the court did not adopt it.
PoliticsEmpress Jia deposed and killed the Crown Prince
Crown Prince Sima Yu is smart but not favored by Empress Jia. In 299, Empress Jia designed to get him drunk and induced him to copy treasonous writings and deposed him as a commoner. In March 300, they sent someone to beat him to death with a pestle. He was twenty-three years old.
PoliticsZhao Wanglun's coup
In April, King Zhao Sima Lun and Sun Xiu marched into the palace in the name of revenge for the Crown Prince. They deposed Empress Jia, killed Jia Mi, gave Empress Jia death, and killed Zhang Hua, Pei Wei and other court officials. The Jia family's influence was eradicated in one fell swoop.
Culture"Wen Fu" written by Lu Ji
Lu Ji, who entered Luo during the Taikang period, completed "Wen Fu" in his later years, using Fu to discuss the conception, imagination and style in literary creation. It is one of the earliest literary theoretical works in ancient China to systematically discuss the rules of creation.
Lasting legacyLu Ji's "Pingfu Tie" is the earliest existing authentic Dharma calligraphy by a famous master. It is now in the Palace Museum in Beijing and is a national treasure.
SocietyWhy not eat minced meat?
"Book of Jin·Emperor Hui Ji" records that the world was in famine and the people were starving to death. Emperor Hui heard about it and asked, "Why not eat minced meat?" He also listened to the sound of frogs in Hualin Garden and asked, "Is the person who makes this sound an official or a private person?" History books use this to show that he did not know the world.
Lasting legacy"Why not eat minced meat" is still an idiom today, used to ridicule people who are unaware of the sufferings of the people.
PoliticsSima Lun usurped the throne
In the first month of the first month, King Zhao Sima Lun deposed Emperor Hui as the Retired Emperor, established himself as emperor, and moved Emperor Hui to Jinyong City. In March, King Qi Sima Jiong, King of Chengdu Sima Ying, King of Hejian Sima Yong and others launched an army to attack. In April, Lun was defeated and killed, and the Emperor returned to his throne.
SocietyRefugees enter Sichuan and revolt
After the famine in Guanzhong, tens of thousands of people fled to Shu to make a living. The imperial court ordered their repatriation, which triggered a civil uprising. Li Te from Di led the refugees to raise an army in Shu, but was defeated and died. His son Li Xiong continued to fight and was proclaimed King of Chengdu in Chengdu in 304. He later established the Cheng Han Dynasty, which was one of the earliest political regimes established among the Sixteen Kingdoms.
PoliticsKing Qi Ji was killed
Sima Jiong had meritorious service and was ranked as the Great Sima. He was specialized in government affairs and indulged in excessive desires. In December 302, Sima Yi, king of Changsha, attacked and killed Sima Jiong in Luoyang City, and the government was transferred to Sima Yi's hands.
MilitaryBattle of Dang Yin
Prince of Donghai Sima Yue sent Emperor Hui to personally conquer Sima Ying, but was defeated in Dangyin. Emperor Hui was hit by three arrows in the face, and all the officials were scattered. Only Ji Shao, the servant, died protecting him with his body. Blood splashed on the emperor's clothes. Emperor Hui was kidnapped by Sima Ying and taken to Yecheng.
MilitaryLiu Yuan raised an army and proclaimed himself King of Han
Liu Yuan, a Xiongnu nobleman, took advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains and raised troops in Zuoguocheng (today's Lishi, Shanxi). He proclaimed himself King of Han. He considered himself a nephew of the Han Dynasty and proclaimed himself emperor in 308. The wave of Wuhu's founding of the country began, and the rule of Western Jin quickly collapsed.
PoliticsTaken to Chang'an
After Sima Ying was defeated in Yecheng, King Yong of Hejian sent Zhang Fang to rob Emperor Hui to Chang'an, looting along the way and destroying most of the palaces in Luoyang. In 306, Prince of Donghai Sima Yue defeated Sima Yong and welcomed Emperor Hui back to Luoyang. At this time, the Eight Kings Rebellion was coming to an end.
PeopleSima Rui Town Jianye
Prince of Donghai Sima Yue appointed Langya King Sima Rui as General Andong, supervising the military affairs in Yangzhou and Jiangnan, and guarding Jianye. Sima Rui managed Jiangdong with the assistance of Wang Dao and others. Ten years later, he became the King of Jin and established Eastern Jin.
Lasting legacyToday's Nanjing is known as the "ancient capital of the Six Dynasties" because Sun Wu, Eastern Jin, Southern Song, Qi, Liang and Chen successively established their capitals. Jianye (Jiankang) is its predecessor.
PoliticsEmperor Hui died violently
Emperor Hui died suddenly in the Xianyang Palace in November at the age of 49. According to history books, he was poisoned by eating cakes. One theory is that he was poisoned by Sima Yue. He was succeeded by the emperor's younger brother Sima Chi. He never gained personal control of power during his lifetime.
The daughter of Jia Chong, has a jealous and fierce temperament. He successively eliminated Yang Jun, King Sima Liang of Runan, and King Sima Wei of Chu. He had been in power for nearly ten years. He also deposed and killed Crown Prince Sima Yu, which provoked Zhao Wanglun's coup and was sentenced to death.
Emperor Wu, the father of Queen Yang Zhi, was appointed as an auxiliary to the government by virtue of his maternal relatives, but failed to convince the public. In 291, he was executed by Empress Jia and King Wei of Chu together, and the three clans were wiped out.
Born into a humble family but well-educated, Emperor Hui and Pei Wei co-administered the government, which kept the government stable for several years under the autocratic power of Empress Jia. In 300 AD, King Zhao Sima Lun was killed during a coup and merged with the Yi clan.
Born in the Pei family of Hedong, he was a man of rare talent. He once offered wine to the prince of the state, and wrote "Chongyou Lun" to refute the theory of valuing nothing. He worked with Zhang Hua to assist the government, and was killed in the coup of 300 AD by Zhao Wanglun.
The eldest son of Emperor Hui, he was smart since childhood and was deeply loved by Emperor Wu, but he was willful and unruly when he grew up. He was framed by Empress Jia for treason and was demoted to a commoner. He was killed in 300 AD at the age of twenty-three.
The son of Sima Yi, under the planning of adviser Sun Xiu, deposed and killed Jia Hou, usurped the throne and proclaimed himself emperor the following year. Three months later, he was overthrown by King Qi Ji and others and sentenced to death.
The son of Emperor Wu was granted the title of King of Chengdu and guarded Yecheng. In 303, he launched an army to attack Wang Yi of Changsha and was appointed as the crown prince. After the Battle of Dangyin in 304, he took control of Emperor Hui. He was later deposed and killed in 306.
The final winner of the Eight Kings Rebellion welcomed Emperor Hui back to Luoyang in 306, took over the government, and established Emperor Huai in 307. He died of fear in 311, and Western Jin's remaining army was subsequently annihilated by Shi Lei.