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Shang Tang (2022-05-07)

Tang was the first ruling king of the Shang Dynasty in Chinese history. He overthrew Jie, the last ruler of the Xia Dynasty. He was the head of his tribe (部落) for more than 17 years , and during that period , he employed wise men as civil officials and revamped（修改，翻新，改进） his government.

Seeing that the Xia Dynasty began to falter , Tang initiated(发动) eleven wars against Xia Dynasty , taking large quantities of land and subduing(征服) many vassal(附属国) states . After an internal rebellion(叛乱) in Xia , Tang swept away the Xia armies in one final victory in 1600 B.C.. He then set Jie into exile(流放) until he died.

Tang's reign is reagrded as a good on by the chinese. He lowered taxes and the conscription(征招) rate of soldiers. His influence spread to the Yellow River, and many outlying tribes become vassal states. He also established Anyang as the new captital of China.

Jiang Ziya (2022-05-08)

Also known as Jiang Taigong or Jiang Shang , a Chinese semi-mythological(半神话) figure, resided(居住) next to the WeiShui River about 3,000 years ago. The region was the feudal(封建) estate(遗产) of King Wen of Zhou. Jiang Ziya know King Wen was very ambitions , so he hoped to get his attention

He often went angling(钓鱼) at the Weishui River, but he would fish in a bizarre(奇怪) way. He hung a straight hook, with no bait , three feet above the water . He over and over said to himself , "Fish , if you are desperate to live , come and gulp(吞掉) down the hook by yourself."

In a little while his outlandish(古怪) way of fishing was reported to King Wen, who sent a soldier(士兵) to bring him back. Jiang noticed the soldier coming , but did not care about him. Jiang just continued with his fishing , and was soliloquising(独白) , "Fishing , fishing . No fish has been hooked-but shrimp(虾) is up tomfoolery(珠宝). " The soldier reported his back to King Wen , who became more interested in Jiang.

King Wen sent a bureaucrat(官僚) to invite Jiang this time. But Jiang again paid no attention to the invitation. He simply carried on fishing , saying , "Fishing , fishing. The big fish has not been hooked-but a small one is up to mischief(恶作剧)."

Then King Wen realized Jiang might be a great genius(天才) , so he went to invite Jiang persongnally , and brought many magnificent(宏伟) gifts with him. Jiang saw the king's earnest desire , so Jiang decided to work for him.

Jiang helped King Wen and his son turn over the Shang Dynasty and establish the Zhou Dynasty. Jiang was given the title of Taigong so people called him Jiang Taigong. His treatise(论著) on millitary , Six Secret Teachings, is considered one of the Seven Military Classics of Ancient China . Jiang Ziya is a prominent(突出) character in the popular Chinese classical novel Creation of the Gods.

Guan Zhong (2022-05-09)

Guan Zhong (died in 645 B.C. ) was a politician in the Spring and Autumn Period. His given name was Yíwú. Zhong was his courtesy(礼貌) name. Recommended by Bao Shuya, he was appointed(委任) Prime Minister by Duke Huan of Qi in 685 B.C. .

Guan Zhong modernized the state of Qi by starting multiple reforms. Politically , he centralized(集中) power and divided the state into different villages , each carry out a specific(特定) trade . Instead of relying on the traditional aristocracy(贵族) for manpower(人力) , he applied levies(征款) to the village units directly. He also developed a better method for choosing talent to be governors. Under Guan Zhong , Qi shifted administrative responsibilities from hereditary(遗传的) aristocrats(贵族) to professional bureaucrats(官僚).

Guan Zhong also introduced several important economic reforms. He created a uniform tax code. He also used state power to encourage the production of salt and iron ; historians usually credit Guan Zhong for introducting state monopolies(垄断) of salt and iron . During his term of office (任期) , the state of Qi became much stronger and Duke Huan of Qi gained hegemony(霸权) among the states. He is listed as the author of the Guan-zi , actually a much later (late Warring States) compilation(汇编) of works from the scholars(学者) of the Jixia Academy.

Gou Jian (2022-05-10)

King Gou Jian of Yue (reigned(统治） 496 B.C. ~ 465 B.C. ) was the king of the Kingdom of Yue (present-day Shanghai , northen Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu ) near the end of the Spring and Autumn Period , named Luo Gou Jian . Gou Jian was the son of Marquess（侯爵） Yun Chang of Yue . He was defeated and captured by King Fu Chai of Wu of the neighbouring State of Wu , After three years of servitude（服务） and humiliation（屈辱） with his wife in the State of Wu , he gained the trust of King Fu Chai who eventually allowed him to return to his state where he resumed (恢复) his rule and initiated major reforms. He soon appointed skilled pliticians , such as Wen Zhong and Fan Li , as advisors to help build up the kingdom. During this time , his ministers（部长） also worked to weaken the State of Wu internally through bribes(贿赂) and diplomatic(外交) intrigue(阴谋) . All the while ruling his kingdom , Gou Jian never relished(品味) in riches as a king , but instead slept on sticks and eating food suited for peasants(农民). This way , he could remember his humiliations while serving under the State of Wu. There is a Chinese idiom , "Wo Xin Chang Dan" (literally(按照字面) meaning "sleeping on sticks and tasting gall(胆)" ) coming about because of this and his perseverance(毅力) . After ten years of economic and political reforms , his state at last became powerful enough to challenge and eventually annex(吞并) the State of Wu in 47 B.C. , where King Fu Chai was forced to commit suicide (自杀). Later , King Gou Jian met the dukes(公爵) in Xuzhou and gained hegemony(霸权) among the states.

Shang Yang (2022-05-11)

Shang Yang ( original name Kung-sun Yang , died in 338 B.C. ) was a Chinese statesman and thinker whose successful reorganization (整顿，改组) of the state of Qin paved(铺路) the way for the eventual unification of the Chinese empire(帝国) by the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. ~ 206 B.C. ). Shang Yang believed that the integrity(完整性，正直) of a state could be maintained only with power and that power consisted(包括) of a large army and full granaries(粮仓).

Entering into the service of Duke Hsiao , head of the state of Qin , Shang Yang replaced the feudal(封建) division(划分) of the country with a system of centrally appointed(委任) governors. He instituted(提起) compulsory(必修) military（军事） service and a new system of land division and taxation(税收) and insisted on strict and uniform administration of the law. He is also said to have forced all persons into " productive occupations(职业) , " such as farming or soldiering ( but not commerce ) , and to have set up a system of mutual spying(间谍) among the people. When he fell into disgrace(耻辱) in 338 B.C. , he was tied to chariots(战车) and torn(撕裂) apart. The work Shang Chun Shu ( "Book of the Lord of Shang " ) probably contains writings and ideas of Shang Yang , although the exact authorship(作者) of the book is in doubt. It is one of the major works of the highly pragmatic(务实) and authoritarian(骄横) legalist(法家) school of Chinese philosophy.

Qin Shi Huang (2022-05-13)

Qin Shi Huang ( born c. 259 B.c. , Qin , northwestern China , died 210/209) , personal name Zheng , B.C. , and then the first emperor of a unified China from 221 B.C. to 210 B.C., ruling under the name First Emperor.

Having unified China , he and his prime (主要) minister Li Si passed a series of major reforms aimed of cementing（胶合） the unification , and they undertook (承诺，承接)some gigantic(巨大) construction projects , most notably(特别是) the precursor(前驱体) version of the current Great Wall of China. For all the tyranny(暴政) of his autocratic(专制) rule , Qin Shi Huang is still regarded by many today as the founding father in Chinese history whose unification of China has endured(忍受) for more than two millennia(千) , with interruption(中断).

Li Si (2022-05-19)

Li Si (born 280 B.C. , Chu state , central China , died 208 B.C. , Xian yang ) was a Chinese statesman who Utilized the ruthless but efficient ideas of the political philosophy of Legalism to weld the warring Chinese states of his time into the first centralized Chinese empire , the Qin Dynasty.

In 247 B.C. he entered the state of Qin to begin almost 40 years of service under the ruler later known as Shih Huang-ti ("First Sovereign Emperor" ) . As minister to the emperor , Li was responsile for most of the radical plitical and cultural innovations made in Qin after 221 B.C. .

Li caused the empire to be divided into 36 regions , each governed by a centrally appointed offical. Under his guidance the emperor standardized coinage and weights and measures and began construction of the Great Wall to keep out barbarians from the north. Li Si was also influential in creating a unified writing system , which remained substantially the same until recent times. Finally , in an effort to prevent the growth of subversive thought, Li in 213 B.C. , forbade the teaching of history and ordered the "burning of the books , " for which he earned the opprobrium of all future generations of Confucian scholars. When the emperor died in 209 B.C. , Li became involved in the eunuch Zhao Kao's plot to void the proper succession. But the two conspirators quarreled , and Zhao Kao had Li executed.