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    Qin Xian Gong Qin

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    Kenneth Lee
    Duke Xian of Qin ascended the throne in 385 BC after leading a rebellion that killed the previous ruler. He implemented important reforms including abolishing human sacrifice, moving the capital city, and establishing counties administered by bureaucrats rather than hereditary aristocrats. This strengthened central government control. Duke Xian led military victories against the powerful state of Wei. He ruled for 23 years until his death in 362 BC.

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    Qin Xian Gong Qin

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    Kenneth Lee
    69 views3 pages
    Duke Xian of Qin ascended the throne in 385 BC after leading a rebellion that killed the previous ruler. He implemented important reforms including abolishing human sacrifice, moving the capital city, and establishing counties administered by bureaucrats rather than hereditary aristocrats. This strengthened central government control. Duke Xian led military victories against the powerful state of Wei. He ruled for 23 years until his death in 362 BC.

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    Qin Xian Gong. Imperial China

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    Duke Xian of Qin ascended the throne in 385 BC after leading a rebellion that killed the previous ruler. He implemented important reforms including abolishing human sacrifice, moving the capital city, and establishing counties administered by bureaucrats rather than hereditary aristocrats. This strengthened central government control. Duke Xian led military victories against the powerful state of Wei. He ruled for 23 years until his death in 362 BC.

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    69 views3 pages

    Qin Xian Gong Qin

    Uploaded by

    Kenneth Lee
    Duke Xian of Qin ascended the throne in 385 BC after leading a rebellion that killed the previous ruler. He implemented important reforms including abolishing human sacrifice, moving the capital city, and establishing counties administered by bureaucrats rather than hereditary aristocrats. This strengthened central government control. Duke Xian led military victories against the powerful state of Wei. He ruled for 23 years until his death in 362 BC.

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    Duke Xian of Qin (424–362 BC)

    Duke Xian of Qin (Chinese: 秦 獻 公 ; pinyin: Qín Xiàn Gōng,


    424–362 BC) was from 384 to 362 BC the 29th ruler of the Zhou Duke Xian of Qin
    Dynasty state of Qin that eventually united China to become the 秦獻公
    Qin Dynasty. His ancestral name was Ying ( 嬴 ), and Duke Xian Ruler of Qin
    was his posthumous title. His given name was Shixi ( 師 隰 ) or Reign 384–362 BC
    Lian (連).[1][2]
    Predecessor Chuzi II
    Successor Duke Xiao of Qin

    Contents Born 424 BC

    Accession to the throne Died 362 BC (aged 61–


    62)
    Reforms
    Abolition of human sacrifice Issue Duke Xiao of Qin
    Moving the capital House House of Ying
    Establishing counties Father Duke Ling of Qin
    War with Wei
    Death and succession
    Family
    In popular culture
    References

    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, the duchess dowager. 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 force to escort Duke Xian, who was at the
    time exiled in the State of Wei, back to Qin, killed Chuzi and his mother, and installed Duke Xian on
    the throne.[1][2]

    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).[1][2]

    Abolition of human sacrifice


    As soon as he ascended the throne, Duke Xian started to make a series of reforms. In 384 BC, the first
    year of his reign, he abolished the practice of funeral human sacrifice 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 Classic of Poetry,[3] but the practice would still
    continue for more than two centuries until Duke Xian abolished it.[1][2] Modern historian Ma Feibai
    considers the significance of Duke Xian's abolition of human sacrifice to Chinese history comparable
    to that of Abraham Lincoln's abolition of slavery to American history.[2][4]

    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) several hundred kilometers east to Yueyang (in present-
    day Yanliang District of Xi'an).[1][4] 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.[4]

    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
    enfeoffing territories to hereditary aristocrats who ran their fiefs like mini-states. Duke Xian
    established several counties in Pu, Lantian, Pumingshi, and even in the new capital Yueyang. The
    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.[2][4]

    War with Wei


    In 364 BC, Qin and the State of Wei fought at Shimen (in present-day Yuncheng, Shanxi), and the
    Qin army for the first time inflicted a major defeat on Wei, until then the strongest power of the
    Warring States period, reportedly killing 60,000 Wei soldiers. King Xian of Zhou, the nominal ruler
    of China, congratulated Duke Xian and Duke Xian declared himself the Hegemon of China.[1][2]

    Two years later, Qin attacked Wei again at Shaoliang (少梁, in present-day Hancheng, Shaanxi), and
    captured Wei general Gongsun Cuo (公孙痤).[1]

    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.[2]

    Family
    Parents:

    Crown Prince Su (太子肅; d. 415 BC), ruled as Duke Ling of Qin from 424–415 BC
    Sons:
    First son, Crown Prince Quliang (太子渠梁; 381–338 BC), ruled as Duke Xiao of Qin from
    361–338 BC
    Second son, Prince Jichang (公子季昌)
    Prince Qian (公子虔)
    Served as the Grand Tutor of King Huiwen of Qin

    In popular culture
    Duke Xian appeared in the 2009 Chinese TV series The Qin Empire. He was played by the actor Xu
    Huanshan.[5]

    References
    1. Sima Qian. 秦本纪 (http://www.guoxue.com/shibu/24shi/shiji/sj_005.htm) [Annals of Qin]. Records
    of the Grand Historian (in Chinese). guoxue.com. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
    2. Han, Zhaoqi (2010). "Annals of Qin". Annotated Shiji (in Chinese). Zhonghua Book Company.
    pp. 415–420. ISBN 978-7-101-07272-3.
    3. Yellow Bird, Classic of Poetry (in Chinese).
    4. Zhu, Zhongxi (2004). "On Duke Xian of Qin" (http://wenku.baidu.com/view/f09be6efaeaad1f34693
    3f4c.html). Long You Wen Bo (陇右文博) (in Chinese). Gansu Provincial Museum (2). Retrieved
    3 May 2012.
    5. "Cast of TV series The Qin Empire" (http://yule.sohu.com/20091110/n268422164.shtml) (in
    Chinese). Sohu Entertainment. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2012.

    Duke Xian of Qin


    House of Ying
    Born: 424 BC Died: 362 BC

    Regnal titles
    Preceded by Duke of Qin Succeeded by
    Chuzi II 384–362 BC Duke Xiao of Qin

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duke_Xian_of_Qin_(424–362_BC)&oldid=960286820"

    This page was last edited on 2 June 2020, at 03:38 (UTC).

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