Liu Bang
Introduction
Emperor Gao(256/247 BC – 1 June 195 BC), commonly known within China by his temple name, Gaozu (Chinese: pinyin: Gāozǔ), personal name Liu Bang (Wade-Giles: Liu Pang), was the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, ruling over China from 202 BC to 195 BC. Liu Bang was one of the few dynasty founders in Chinese history who emerged from the peasant class (another major example being Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty). In the early stage of his rise to prominence, Liu was addressed as "Duke of Pei", with the "Pei" referring to his hometown of Pei County. He was also granted the title of "King of Han" by Hegemon-King of Western Chu Xiang Yu, when Xiang split the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms, and he was known by this title before becoming Emperor of China. (SiMa, 1961)
Background
Liu was born in a humble farming household somewhere in Pei County at Zhongyang, Fengyi ( Feng County, Jiangsu Province nowadays) . His extraordinary birth is depicted as a destined miracle, here is the story: before Liu Bang came to this world, his mother, whose name remained unknown in history and who is respectfully called Old Madam Liu by later generations, was sleeping one afternoon and dreamed of an immortal, just at that time the sky turned dark and lightning and thunder pervaded the small county. Shocked by the unusual weather, Liu Bang’s obscure father, reverently named Old Sir Liu later, hurried in to check his spouse and was stunned to find a dragon appear near her bed. Before long, Liu’s mother got pregnant and gave birth to him.( Wang Yao and Si Le,2008) Liu’s face, with a high nose as well as neat whiskers, looked very much like that of a dragon. He also got 72 dark specks on his left leg. When he was young, he developed several favorable personalities such as frankness, personal charm, and ability to bear pains and sufferings. Nevertheless, he preferred idling away time instead of reading or taking part into farming. Regardless of his father’s
Emperor Gao(256/247 BC – 1 June 195 BC), commonly known within China by his temple name, Gaozu (Chinese: pinyin: Gāozǔ), personal name Liu Bang (Wade-Giles: Liu Pang), was the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, ruling over China from 202 BC to 195 BC. Liu Bang was one of the few dynasty founders in Chinese history who emerged from the peasant class (another major example being Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty). In the early stage of his rise to prominence, Liu was addressed as "Duke of Pei", with the "Pei" referring to his hometown of Pei County. He was also granted the title of "King of Han" by Hegemon-King of Western Chu Xiang Yu, when Xiang split the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms, and he was known by this title before becoming Emperor of China. (SiMa, 1961)
Background
Liu was born in a humble farming household somewhere in Pei County at Zhongyang, Fengyi ( Feng County, Jiangsu Province nowadays) . His extraordinary birth is depicted as a destined miracle, here is the story: before Liu Bang came to this world, his mother, whose name remained unknown in history and who is respectfully called Old Madam Liu by later generations, was sleeping one afternoon and dreamed of an immortal, just at that time the sky turned dark and lightning and thunder pervaded the small county. Shocked by the unusual weather, Liu Bang’s obscure father, reverently named Old Sir Liu later, hurried in to check his spouse and was stunned to find a dragon appear near her bed. Before long, Liu’s mother got pregnant and gave birth to him.( Wang Yao and Si Le,2008) Liu’s face, with a high nose as well as neat whiskers, looked very much like that of a dragon. He also got 72 dark specks on his left leg. When he was young, he developed several favorable personalities such as frankness, personal charm, and ability to bear pains and sufferings. Nevertheless, he preferred idling away time instead of reading or taking part into farming. Regardless of his father’s