Guiyihou
Family name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... :	Li (李; lǐ)
Given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... :	Shi (勢, shì)
Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... :	None

Li Shi (李勢) (died 361), courtesy name Ziren (子仁), historically known by his Jin Dynasty (265-420)

Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...

-bestowed title Marquess of Guiyi (歸義侯), was the last emperor

Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

 of the Chinese

History of China

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...

/Ba

Ba (state)

Ba was an ancient state in eastern Sichuan, China. Its original capital was Yicheng , Hubei. Ba was conquered by Qin in 316 BC. The modern ethnic minority Tujia people trace some of their origins back to the Ba people....

-Di

Di (ethnic group)

The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...

 state Cheng Han

Cheng Han

The Cheng Han was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It represented two states, the Cheng state proclaimed in 304 by Li Xiong and the Han state in 338 by Li Shou...

. During his reign, the Cheng Han state continued the deterioration that occurred through his father Li Shou

Li Shou

Li Shou , courtesy name Wukao , formally Emperor Zhaowen of Han , was an emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han...

's reign, and in 347, Li Shi's forces failed against the Jin expedition force commanded by Huan Wen

Huan Wen

Huan Wen , courtesy name Yuanzi , formally Duke Xuanwu of Nan Commandery , was a general of the Jin Dynasty...

. Li Shi fled the capital Chengdu

Chengdu

Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...

 but eventually surrendered, and Emperor Mu of Jin

Emperor Mu of Jin

Emperor Mu of Jin , personal name Sima Dan , courtesy name Pengzi , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...

 spared him and created him a marquess, a title he carried for the rest of his life.

Before reign

Li Shi was a son of Li Shou

Li Shou

Li Shou , courtesy name Wukao , formally Emperor Zhaowen of Han , was an emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han...

 and his concubine Consort Li. As Li Shou was a cousin of Cheng Han's founding emperor Li Xiong

Li Xiong

Li Xiong , courtesy name Zhongjuan , formally Emperor Wu of Cheng , was the first emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han and commonly regarded as its founder...

 and an honored general, Li Shi himself was an army officer, and he was much favored by the emperor Li Qi

Li Qi

Li Qi , courtesy name Shiyun , posthumous name Duke You of Qiongdu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han. He seized the throne after his brother Li Yue assassinated their father Li Xiong's designated heir, their cousin Li Ban, in 334...

, who made him an officer in the capital guard corps. When Li Shou rebelled against Li Qi in 338 and attacked the capital Chengdu

Chengdu

Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...

, Li Shi opened the gates to allow Li Shou's army in, leading to Li Qi's defeat and subsequent removal by Li Shou. After Li Shou declared himself emperor later that year, he created Li Shi crown prince

Crown Prince

A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....

.

Reign

In 343, Li Shou died, and Li Shi succeeded him. In 344, he honored his father's wife Empress Yan

Empress Yan (Zhaowen)

Empress Yan was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Cheng Han. Her husband was Li Shou . When Li Shou, after a coup, took over the throne from his cousin and the founding emperor Li Xiong's son Li Qi, he created her empress in 338...

 as empress dowager

Empress Dowager

Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...

, and he created his wife Crown Princess Li

Empress Li (Li Shi)

Empress Li was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Cheng Han. Her husband was Li Shi, the last emperor of Cheng Han. She was his wife when he was crown prince under his father Li Shou, and when he succeeded his father in 343, he created her empress...

 empress. Pursuant to officials who believed that Li Shou improperly disassociated himself with Li Xiong and Li Xiong's father Li Te

Li Te

Li Te ,...

, Li Shi included Li Xiong and Li Te in the imperial temple and reassociated with Li Xiong's regime, despite Li Shou's change of the state's name from Cheng to Han.

In 345, because Li Shi had no sons, his younger brother Li Guang (李廣) requested to be crown prince. Li Shi disagreed. His advisors Ma Dang (馬當) and Xie Siming (解思明) tried to persuade him otherwise -- arguing that Li Shi, in addition to having no sons, also had few brothers, and therefore needed to have Li Guang's support. Li Shi suspected the two of them -- both of whom had served his father faithfully -- of plotting with Li Guang, and so arrested them and executed them, along with their clans. He also demoted Li Guang to the title of Marquess of Linqiong, and Li Guang committed suicide. The people greatly mourned for Ma and Xie's deaths.

In winter 346, the general Li Yi (李奕) rebelled and quickly advanced on Chengdu, but was killed by an arrow while sieging the city, and so his rebellion collapsed. After defeating Li Yi, Li Shi became ever more arrogant and unattentive to important state affairs, fearful and untrusting of his father's subordinates. He also carried out cruel punishments that caused the people to lose faith in him. The state was also damaged by the sudden appearance of a tribal people known as the Lao (獠), as the local governments could not control the Lao easily.

The state of Cheng Han's affairs brought the attention of Jin's ambitious general Huan Wen

Huan Wen

Huan Wen , courtesy name Yuanzi , formally Duke Xuanwu of Nan Commandery , was a general of the Jin Dynasty...

. In winter 346, Huan submitted a report requesting to attack Cheng Han -- and then, without approval from the imperial government, immediately departed. In spring 347, Huan slipped past Cheng Han forces sent to intercept him, commanded by Li Fu (李福), Li Quan (李權), and Zan Jian (昝堅), advancing directly on Chengdu. Cheng Han forces, in fear, largely collapsed. However, Li Shi gathered the remaining troops and mounted a counterattack that was initially successful. Huan, in fear, ordered retreat -- but his signal officer, in panic, beat his drums (signifying attack) rather than his gong (signifying retreat). The Jin forces attacked harder and defeated Cheng Han forces, allowing Huan to march upon Chengdu's gates. Li Shi fled, but soon had a messenger submit a humble surrender petition to Huan. He then surrendered in person after binding himself and bringing a coffin -- signifying readiness to be executed. Huan released him and escorted him to the Jin capital Jiankang

Jiankang

Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Southern Dynasties. Its walls are extant ruins in the modern municipal region of Nanjing.-History:...

, where Emperor Mu of Jin

Emperor Mu of Jin

Emperor Mu of Jin , personal name Sima Dan , courtesy name Pengzi , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...

 pardoned him and created him the Marquess of Guiyi. He died in 361.

Personal information

• Father
  • Li Shou
    Li Shou
    Li Shou , courtesy name Wukao , formally Emperor Zhaowen of Han , was an emperor of the Chinese/Ba-Di state Cheng Han...
    
     (Emperor Zhaowen)
• Mother
  • Consort Li, daughter of Li Feng (李鳳)
• Wife
  • Empress Li
    Empress Li (Li Shi)
    Empress Li was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Cheng Han. Her husband was Li Shi, the last emperor of Cheng Han. She was his wife when he was crown prince under his father Li Shou, and when he succeeded his father in 343, he created her empress...