Xu Shouhui
Encyclopedia
Xu Shouhui (died 1360) was a 14th century Chinese
rebel leader who proclaimed himself emperor during the late Mongol Yuan Dynasty
period. He was also known as Xu Zhenyi (真一 or 真逸, in WG Hsü Chen-i).
Born in Luotian
(羅田, now in Hubei
), Xu was a cloth vendor by profession. In August 1351, he worked with others in Qízhōu (蘄州) to establish the rebel army of Red Turbans under the pretense of the Buddhist White Lotus Society
. In the following months, they captured Qishui (蘄水) and made it the command centre of the Red Turbans and the capital of the newly declared Empire of Tianwan (天完), with himself as the emperor with the era name of Zhiping (治平).
The number of his supporters increased rapidly as he claimed to be a Milofo reincarnate (彌勒佛下生) who sought to "destroy the rich to benefit the poor" (摧富益貧). In 1352, he invaded more of Hebei, and moved on to take Jiangxi
, Anhui
, Fujian
, Zhejiang
, Jiangsu
, and Hunan
.
After being temporarily defeated by the Mongol army, he fled to Huangmei
Mountain (黃梅山), but returned in 1355 to invade once again and move the capital to Hanyang
.
Five years later, Xu Shouhui was assassinated by his former co-fighter, Chen Youliang
, thus causing the collapse of the Tianwan Empire.
Late Imperial China
Late Imperial China refers to the period between the end of Mongol rule in 1368 and the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912 and includes the Ming and Qing Dynasties...
rebel leader who proclaimed himself emperor during the late Mongol Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
period. He was also known as Xu Zhenyi (真一 or 真逸, in WG Hsü Chen-i).
Born in Luotian
Luotian
Luotian County is a county of Huanggang, Hubei, China.Located in the foothills of Dabie Shan , the County has a population of about 600,000 and covers an area of 2,144 square kilometers.-History:...
(羅田, now in Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
), Xu was a cloth vendor by profession. In August 1351, he worked with others in Qízhōu (蘄州) to establish the rebel army of Red Turbans under the pretense of the Buddhist White Lotus Society
White Lotus Society
The White Lotus Society primarily refers to White Lotus, originally a Buddhist sect, later a secret society.Fictional organizations very loosely based on the historical organization include:...
. In the following months, they captured Qishui (蘄水) and made it the command centre of the Red Turbans and the capital of the newly declared Empire of Tianwan (天完), with himself as the emperor with the era name of Zhiping (治平).
The number of his supporters increased rapidly as he claimed to be a Milofo reincarnate (彌勒佛下生) who sought to "destroy the rich to benefit the poor" (摧富益貧). In 1352, he invaded more of Hebei, and moved on to take Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, and Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
.
After being temporarily defeated by the Mongol army, he fled to Huangmei
Huangmei
Huangmei County falls under the administration of Huanggang city municipality in eastern Hubei Province, and is adjacent to Anhui Province.-Huangmei opera:...
Mountain (黃梅山), but returned in 1355 to invade once again and move the capital to Hanyang
Hanyang
Hanyang was one of the three cities that merged into modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Currently, it is a district and stands between the Han River and the Yangtze River, where the former falls into the latter...
.
Five years later, Xu Shouhui was assassinated by his former co-fighter, Chen Youliang
Chen Youliang
Chen Youliang was the founder of the insurgent state of Dahan in the late Yuan Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Biography:...
, thus causing the collapse of the Tianwan Empire.