Zhang Mao
Encyclopedia
| Liang Chengliewang ((前)涼成烈王) or Xiping Chenggong (西平成公) |
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| 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"... : |
Zhang Zhang (surname) Zhang is among the most common Chinese surnames. In the 1990 edition of Guinness Book of Records, it was listed as the world's most common surname, with over 100 million people worldwide with this surname. It was also ranked third in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Academy of... (張; zhāng) |
| 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"... : |
Mao (茂, maò) |
| 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... : |
Chenglie (成烈, chéng liè) literary meaning: "successful and achieving" |
| 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... : |
Cheng (成, chéng) "successful" |
Zhang Mao (張茂) (277–324), courtesy name Chengxun (成遜), formally Prince Chenglie of (Former) Liang ((前)涼成烈王) (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...
given by Han Zhao
Han Zhao
The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...
) or Duke Cheng of Xiping (西平成公) (posthumous name used internally in Former Liang) was a ruler and the commonly accepted first ruler 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...
state Former Liang
Former Liang
The Former Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin dynasty in China. It was founded by the Zhang family of the Han Chinese...
. (Former Liang being a state that transitioned from a Jin Dynasty
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...
governorship to an independent or semi-independent state that vacillated between being a Jin vassal and being a vassal of the stronger state controlling the Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
region – Han Zhao
Han Zhao
The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...
, in Zhang Mao's case – it is difficult to define a single founding date or founder for Former Liang; but Zhang's general pardon of the people in his domain when he became ruler was considered by many historians as the sign of effective independence from Jin.) During the brief reign of his grandnephew Zhang Zuo
Zhang Zuo
Zhang Zuo , courtesy name Taibo , formally Prince Wei of Liang was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
, he was honored as Prince Cheng of Liang (涼成王).
Early career
Zhang Mao first appeared in history in 308 when his father, Zhang GuiZhang Gui
Zhang Gui was the governor of Liang province and first Duke of Xiping under Western Jin. He was the seventeenth generation descendant of King of Changshan Zhang Erh from the Chu–Han Contention era. In 301, appointed as governor of the Liang province. In 313, granted the title Duke of Xiping...
(張軌), the first Zhang Duke of Xiping and governor of Liang Province (涼州, modern central and western Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), suffered a stroke and was unable to speak, and therefore had Zhang Mao act as governor during his illness. When the unrelated Zhang Yue (張越) and Cao Que (曹怯) tried to take advantage of Zhang Gui's illness to have him replaced, the Zhangs resisted and convinced the powerful Sima Mo (司馬模) the Prince of Nanyang that Zhang Gui should remain governor. At this time, Zhang Gui's oldest son and Zhang Mao's older brother Zhang Shi (張寔), who had previously been at Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
, returned to Liang Province and defeated and killed Cao, reaffirming the Zhangs' rule over the province.
During the subsequent governorship of Zhang Shi, Zhang Mao was one of his trusted generals. In 320, the magician Liu Hong (劉弘), who had spread rumors that the gods wished for him to be the ruler of Liang Province, convinced two of Zhang Shi's guards Yan She (閻涉) and Zhao Ang (趙卬) to assassinate Zhang Shi. Zhang Mao had Liu Hong arrested and executed by drawing and quartering. Because Zhang Shi's son Zhang Jun
Zhang Jun (Former Liang)
Zhang Jun , courtesy name Gongting , formally Duke Zhongcheng of Xiping or Duke Wen of Xiping was a ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang...
was still young (13 at the time), Zhang Shi's subordinates requested that Zhang Mao take over as governor and the Duke of Xiping, and he did so. He also issued a general pardon for the people in his domain – and this act is the main reason why his rule is commonly considered to mark the independence of Former Liang.
As ruler
Zhang Mao initially continued to claim to be a Jin vassal, as a governor and a duke. He appointed Zhang Jun, his nephew, as his heir. (Historical accounts are not clear whether Zhang Mao had sons of his own.) In 321, he started the construction of an impressive tower known as Lingjun Tower (靈鈞台), but after Yan Zeng (閻曾) persuaded him that it was too costly and that Zhang Gui would have disapproved, he stopped the construction.In 322, Zhang Mao had his general Han Pu (韓璞) seize the Longxi (隴西) and Nan'an (南安, together roughly modern Dingxi
Dingxi
-Geography and climate:Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
) Commanderies – which appeared to be then under nominal Han Zhao
Han Zhao
The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...
control, while Han Zhao forces were battling the rebel Chen An (陳安), extending his domain east of the Yellow River.
However, in 323, after the Han Zhao emperor Liu Yao
Liu Yao
Liu Yao , courtesy name Yongming , was the final emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao. He became emperor in 318 after most other members of the imperial Liu clan were massacred by Jin Zhun in a coup. However, the empire was soon divided in half, as the general Shi Le declared...
defeated Chen An, he continued on and reached the Yellow River, claiming to be ready to cross it. Zhang went into a battle posture, but negotiated peace, agreeing to submit to Han Zhao authority and offering tributes of horses, livestock, and jewels. Liu Yao created him the Prince of Liang and granted him the nine bestowments
Nine bestowments
The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine...
. Subsequently, Zhang Mao resumed the construction on Lingjun Tower, stating that its construction was necessary for defensive purposes, and strengthened the defenses of the capital Guzang (姑臧, in modern Wuwei, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
).
In summer 324, Zhang Mao grew ill. He told his nephew Zhang Jun to remain faithful to Jin, and also ordered that he not be buried as a prince, since his princely title was not granted by the Jin emperor. He died soon thereafter.
Era name
Most historical sources indicate that Zhang Mao, like his brother Zhang Shi, continued to use Emperor Min of JinEmperor Min of Jin
Emperor Min of Jin, Simplified Chinese character 晋愍帝, Traditional Chinese character 晉愍帝, Pinyin. Jìn Mǐndì, Wade-Giles Chin Min-ti , personal name Sima Ye , courtesy name Yanqi , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the last of the Western Jin Dynasty.Emperor Min surrendered in 316 to Liu Yao, a...
's era name Jianxing (both to show continued allegiance to Jin and to distance himself from Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin , personal name Sima Rui , courtesy name Jingwen , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the first of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
and his line) but some sources indicate that he changed era name to Yongguang (永光 yǒng guāng 320–323). A current theory is that his era name was used internally while the Jianxing era name was used when communicating with other states.