In the year 548 AD, the rebel general Hou Jing of the Jie ethnic group, who surrendered to Southern Liang, rebelled. The 85 year old founding emperor of the Liang Dynasty, Xiao Yan, starved to death in the Hou Jing Rebellion, and the Jiangnan aristocrats who controlled the country’s lifeline were also brutally slaughtered and wiped out. During that period, the population of Jiangnan sharply decreased, and the once prosperous and prosperous land instantly became a hell on earth with thousands of miles of smoke and bones gathering together. Jiangnan needs a hero who can rise and fall, preserve cultural roots, and save the people in times of crisis. Chen Baxian, the son of Jiang Nan from a humble family, emerged at the right time. He led troops to Lingnan, launched a Northern Expedition to rule out chaos, and gathered a large army from the north to invade, finally establishing the Chen Dynasty, allowing the people to rest and recover. Jiangnan once again regained its prosperous scene. However, only 33 years later, his descendant Chen Shubao, in the midst of the dynasty’s crisis, leisurely sang the sound of the downfall of the country, with the flowers blooming in the backyard of the jade tree. Chen Baxian’s dream of heroism ultimately withered in the warblers and swallows of Chen Houzhu’s dance.
Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Changxing County
The Tomb of Emperor Chen Wu, Changxing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province
This is a small town in Jiangnan, formerly known as the Great Wall. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were a large number of barbarians living here, belonging to the indigenous people of the south. Among the descendants of the Wuxi barbarians, there was a poor young man who had a domineering name – Chen Baxian. (Tour guide: This is Chen Baxian. His attire here is that of a poor person, because Chen Baxian did not come from a wealthy family. In modern terms, he came from a poor family.) In Chen Baxian’s hometown, his fellow villagers are more willing to believe that his ancestors faced the world with cloth and clothing, but at the same time, they attached various miracles to him. There is a pavilion behind the statue, inside which there is a well, which locals call the sacred well.
Cultural and Museum Researcher – Liang Yijian: A cultural and museum researcher from Changxing County, Zhejiang Province. In order to confirm the history of the well, he once went to the underground to conduct archaeological research.
Researcher Liang Yijian: This well circle is not the original one, because of its diameter. The original wellhead is about 1 meter away from our current ground. If this well is added up to the ground, it will be about 1 meter lower. There is a small tile here, a small tile in the middle, and four pieces of stone pieced together below. This is his true wellhead. In our local area, there is a beautiful legend in the folk. When his mother was fetching water by the well, she suddenly saw a small white dragon enter his abdomen, and he became pregnant. Then Chen Baxian was born later, and after birth, the water in the well boiled. Then the family scooped out the water from the well and gave it to him. He bathed, and then this well was called the Holy Well.
This future hero was born in Longmu. Due to his family’s poverty, Chen Baxian had a career in fishing in his early years. Later, he became a village official and served as a village official in the village. In his spare time, Chen Baxian enjoyed reading historical records, reading military books, and practicing martial arts. The well at his doorstep could no longer meet his ambition. He was determined to venture into a wider world. Soon, Chen Baxian came to the capital Jiankang and managed the oil depot. Due to his intelligence and intelligence, he was the messenger of Xiao Ying, the new Marquis of Yu, a member of the royal family of the Liang Dynasty. Although he came from a humble background and had a low status, he was familiar with official affairs and was diligent in his work. Deeply favored by Xiao Ying, he was transferred to serve as the Governor of Guangzhou and brought along Chen Baxian. He was then introduced as a staff member to serve as a member of the Central Direct Army, and was ordered to gather soldiers and horses to become a military officer in charge of the army. This was an important turning point in Chen Baxian’s fate, At this time, Chen Baxian was in his thirties and was in his prime. However, in order for him to truly rise to power, he had to break through an invisible obstacle, which was the feudal system that had been established since the Wei and Jin dynasties. Although the yellow power politics had been rebuilt, a small number of Han people had gained the trust of the emperor. However, the feudal system was strictly guarded by scholars and commoners, and the wealthy and powerful families were intertwined, vigorously controlling the political power. The so-called noble and noble positions, handsome and heavy subordinates, and the poor still suffered from exclusion, making it difficult for them to rise to power.
Professor Hu Axiang from Nanjing University: The era of the Six Dynasties was a time in Chinese history where aristocratic status was particularly emphasized. Liang Qichao even said that the Six Dynasties were the only aristocratic era in Chinese history, which meant having a good background. After having a good background, one should strive for progress and become a high-ranking official. In this atmosphere, it was difficult for people like Chen Baxian, who came from a cold ethnic group and had a very low status, to stand out. So how did they later rise up? The background of this great rebellion, the 548 year rebellion by Hou Jing, dealt a great blow to the Jiangnan region, not only causing economic damage, but also more people who had migrated to the Jiangnan area since the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The aristocratic family has basically been destroyed.
The true rise of Chen Baxian was in the rebellion of Hou Jing. Faced with the remnants of mountains and rivers, Chen Baxian led 3000 local troops in Guangdong and marched north to attack Qin Wang. During the campaign against Hou Jing, he sent envoys to Jiangling and defected to the Xiangdong King Xiao Yi, who later became Emperor Yuan of Liang, and obtained the legitimacy of the Northern Expedition. It was also from this time that Chen Baxian, born in a humble family, began to soar high. After the Hou Jing Rebellion, there were two powerful officials active on the political stage of the Liang Dynasty. One was Chen Baxian, who came from a humble family, and the other was the representative figure of the northern aristocratic family, the Wang family of Taiyuan, Wang Sengbian. After forming a political alliance, the Chen Wang coalition was unstoppable and soon conquered Jiankang, annihilating Hou Jing’s rebels. After the Hou Jing Rebellion was quelled, the King of Xiangdong, Xiao Yi, proclaimed himself emperor in Jiangling, becoming Emperor Yuan of Liang.
After Emperor Yuan ascended the throne, he rewarded Chen Baxian based on his achievements as usual, and evaluated the Hou Jing Rebellion with Chen Baxian’s contributions being the most prominent. Emperor Yuan of Liang only appointed Chen Baxian as the Minister of Works, leading the Governor of Yangzhou, and controlling Jingkou, while Wang Sengbian was appointed as the Grand Preceptor and holding Jiankang. Although Chen Baxian, who had outstanding military achievements, was still excluded from the core of power and was separated from the commoners. From the issue of Chen Baxian’s placement, it can be seen that the royal family led by Emperor Yuan and the aristocratic family were wary of Chen Baxian from a humble background. The biggest conflict in the Liang Dynasty was not only within the Xiao Wall, but also within the national borders. In addition, in the north, the two Xianbei powers, Northern Qi and Western Wei, who were eyeing closely, seized large areas of land from the Liang Dynasty with the help of the Hou Jing Rebellion. Even the natural danger of the Yangtze River, which the Liang Dynasty had always relied on, nearly half of it fell into the hands of northern enemies. By this time, the Liang Dynasty was already in great danger.
Researcher Lou Jin from the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: The royal families of Emperor Wu of Liang were falling apart, and the powerful forces in various regions were watching. The Hou Jing Rebellion was just a large political group in the north, but it was just such a force that destroyed the Southern Liang. We can confirm this fact that in terms of overall national strength, the north was stronger than the south, and the overall situation has been established.
Jingzhou Ancient City, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province
Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, is the Jiangling where Emperor Yuan of Liang declared himself emperor. Over 1500 years ago, the famous Jiangling Burning of Books in Chinese history took place in this place. In 554 AD, three years after the suppression of the Hou Jing Rebellion, the Western Wei army launched a surprise attack on Jiangling, causing Emperor Yuan of Liang to be deeply besieged.
This is the Jingzhou Library, which now has over 400000 volumes of books, including over 20000 ancient book collections. Such a collection size is not particularly large in the country, let alone compared to large libraries. However, more than 1500 years ago, this was the place with the largest collection of books in China. At its peak, the ancient book collection reached 140000 volumes. However, the vast sea of books has disappeared, and the previous directors of Jingzhou Library can only search for the glory of the past in these few ancient books.
Director of Jingzhou Library – Ouyang Jun: Emperor Yuan of Liang destroyed 140000 volumes of his collection in this place. The books he burned are all very precious books. As the director of the library, every time I think of this, I feel quite uncomfortable. Otherwise, Jingzhou may be a culturally rich place
From the heart of Emperor Yuan of Liang, he should be very complex, and he also did not want to destroy this book. From his heart, he felt that these good things, things that I cherish so much, I should not leave them to you barbarians, I should not leave them to you. Sometimes, when he dies, he burns these precious things together, as if feeling a kind of defense or mentality.
Before the fall of Jiangling, Emperor Yuan of Liang, Xiao Yi, burned 140000 volumes of books carefully collected over the years. He wanted to use these books for his own burial. He called himself the way of civil and military affairs. Tonight is the end of the night. The history of the burning of books in Jiangling is an unprecedented catastrophe in the history of Chinese culture. In terms of quantity, Emperor Yuan of Liang destroyed half of the books handed down from generation to generation. In terms of quality, what he destroyed was the essence accumulated over the ages. When asked about the reason for burning books, Emperor Yuan of Liang was defeated and captured. When asked about the reason for burning books, he explained that he had read thousands of volumes, especially today, so he burned them.
Researcher Lou Jin from the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Of course, this book burning incident was one of the most important disasters in the history of books in China. Why can we say that in the future, except for the Qing Dynasty, it has accumulated so much, and has accumulated for more than 1000 years, never reaching this number again.
With the burning of books in Jiangling, the Liang Dynasty also quickly disappeared. After the fall of Jiangling, the heavy responsibility for the survival of the Liang Dynasty fell on the shoulders of Chen Baxian and Wang Sengbian. As important officials of the Liang Dynasty, Wang and Chen naturally refused to obey the power of the north. They decided to welcome the ninth son of Emperor Yuan of Liang, Xiao Fangzhi, who was 13 years old at the time, as the emperor. At this time, the Northern Qi also wanted to support an agent in Jiangnan. They chose the nephew of Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yuanming, to defeat Wang Sengbian in Chaohu, Anhui, and forced Wang Sengbian to agree to the Northern Qi’s request for Xiao Yuanming to declare himself emperor in Jiankang. The political alliance, which was already on the verge of collapse, finally disintegrated due to Wang Sengbian’s defection and betrayal. In 555 AD, Chen Baxian launched a surprise attack on Jiankang from Jingkou, killing Wang Sengbian’s father and son and re establishing Xiao Fangzhi as Emperor Jing of Liang, overseeing various military affairs both domestically and internationally, Seeing the agents who were painstakingly supported and overthrown in an instant, how could the Northern Qi government sit idly by? A war that will determine the fate of the south is about to unfold.
Lotus can be harvested in Jiangnan, and lotus leaves can be found in Hetian fields. Every summer, by the Xuanwu Lake, the lotus leaf fields turn green and the entire lakeside changes. Chen Baxian, who has just entered Jiankang, is facing the most severe test after his army marched out of Lingnan. In order to invade the Southern Dynasty, the Northern Qi organized a 100000 strong army to march south. The plum rain in Jiangnan covers the sky and the sun, and the Qi army’s officers and soldiers are all from the north who are not accustomed to the cloudy and rainy weather in the south. After a long attack, their morale begins to decline, and Chen Baxian needs to wait for this moment. On June 11th, the weather clears up, and the decisive battle is coming. Chen Baxian hopes that The soldiers can have a full meal, and then be besieged for months in the Healthy City, where there is a shortage of food and supplies. At this moment, Chen Baxian’s nephew Chen Qian timely brought 3000 mu of rice and 1000 ducks. Chen Baxian was overjoyed and immediately ordered people to cook the ducks and cut many lotus leaves from Xuanwu Lake, Wrapping rice with lotus leaves and pairing it with a few fragrant pieces of duck meat, this is the origin of the famous lotus leaf rice in Nanjing. The soldiers ate it with great pleasure, and their morale was greatly boosted. They annihilated the main force of the Qi army in one fell swoop. The Qi army retreated to the north of the Yangtze River, with only two to three thousand soldiers left. As a result, Northern Qi was in a state of decline, and Chen Baxian finally defeated a powerful opponent.
After Chen Baxian drove out the Northern Qi forces south of the Yangtze River, the Xiao Liang regime naturally had to be transferred to him. He conquered the country and was ready to sit on it. In 557 AD, at the age of 54, Chen Baxian forced Xiao Fangzhi to abdicate the throne to him, establishing the Chen Dynasty and setting the capital in Jiankang. From then on, the Han tribe took full power. At a young age, Chen Baxian left his hometown. More than 30 years later, this son of a humble family ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, reaching the pinnacle of his life. After becoming a ruler and subject of a country, Emperor Chen Wu still did not forget his humble nature and put forward the concept of governing the country with integrity and fairness, highlighting the political demands and propositions of the humble family. This was in stark contrast to the pursuit of extravagance and debauchery by the literati of the Southern Dynasty. In 1994, when his descendants rebuilt Chen Baxian’s former residence in their hometown of Changxing, they also followed the frugal style of Emperor Chen Wu, and the entire memorial hall showed no luxury.
Researcher Liang Yijian from the Cultural Museum: The most precious cultural relic here is a monument jointly created by Gui Youguang, the magistrate of Changxing County in the Ming Dynasty, and Wu Cheng’en, the county magistrate. The position of the two of them in literary history is highly admired by people. He wrote about their diligence, frugality, lofty aspirations, hard work and wealth, and the emperors on the left of the Yangtze River, known as the Most Western Wise.
As the founding monarch of the country, Emperor Chen Wu had a tenacious will and character, and a simple work style. During his reign, he changed the extravagance in the imperial palace, set an example, advocated frugality to cultivate virtue, and opposed extravagance and waste. Emperor Chen Wu was self disciplined with frugality and frugality. He often ate only a few dishes, and private village banquets were all made of pottery and clams. The dishes were well prepared, and the orders were sufficient. It was not a waste. Even though the economy in Jiangnan recovered later on, the palace was still adorned with talented clothes and adorned with no golden or emerald songs, bells, and female music, which were not among the previous ones. During that period, the Chen Dynasty was lenient and simple in politics, and the people’s power was restored. Jiangnan was once a time of prosperity. In the shattered mountains and rivers, vitality emerged. Chen Baxian, who came from the Han ethnic group and was chosen by history, grew from a village official to a general. He was ordered to fight in times of danger and despair. In the end, he was dressed in a yellow robe to clean up his broken mountains and rivers, Avoiding the more brutal war in Jiangnan, while almost independently protecting the continued inheritance and development of Chinese culture in the south. If the situation continued like this, the Chen Dynasty was likely to become stronger on the basis of focusing on accumulating national strength, but history was always changed by countless accidental events. In June 559 AD, Emperor Chen Wu, who had only been in power for 21 months, passed away suddenly during the construction of Kangcheng.
Wan’anling, Jiangning District, Nanjing City
This is Wan’an Mausoleum located in Jiangning District, Nanjing City. There is a saying that after the death of Emperor Chen Wu, he was buried here. In the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, Wan’an Mausoleum, and even in the unfamiliar scenic spots of the locals, only two solitary stone beasts remain here. The dynasty founded by Emperor Chen Wu has long been a thing of the past. But more than 1500 years ago, the Chen Dynasty, which had the smallest territory in the history of the Southern Dynasty and was the weakest in China, stubbornly defended the most prosperous areas of China’s economy and culture. As a result, the unification of the Sui and Tang dynasties left an extremely rich legacy.
Researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Lou Jin: In the Northern Qi and Hou Jing groups, both were Hu Hua Han ethnic groups that emerged from the Six Towns, making them a very backward, brutal, and dark rule. Compared to this rule, Chen Baxian was able to resist the Gao Qi and resist the Western Wei. Of course, he was a national hero. Through the Chen Dynasty’s sorting and governance of Jiangnan, because he initially needed to suppress rebellions in various regions and greatly weakened the local powerful forces in Jiangnan. This process was conducive to the future rule of the Sui Dynasty.
The rivers and mountains conquered by Chen Baxian were in ruins waiting to be revived. He passed away two years after ascending the throne, leaving endless regrets. As Chen Baxian’s son was not by his side, his nephew Chen Qian succeeded him as Emperor Chen Wen. Emperor Chen Wen was one of the few successful rulers of the Southern Dynasties. He followed Emperor Wu’s southern and northern expeditions and was full of worries about the future of the dynasty. During his reign, he successively suppressed the rebellions in Xiangying Wang Lin, Linchuan Zhoudi, Jian’an Chen Baoying, and other places, and then blockaded Baqiu, preventing the eastward advance of the Northern Zhou Dynasty along the Shunjiang River. At the same time, Emperor Wen rectified the administration of officials, focusing on agriculture and mulberry, and promoting prosperity. Repair water conservancy.
Jianhu Scenic Area Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
This is Jianhu Lake in Shaoxing, a famous tourist attraction in Zhejiang. During the Chen Dynasty, it was a famous water conservancy project. During the reign of Emperor Wen of Chen, the lake water flowed along a 120 mile long waterway to irrigate thousands of miles of fertile fields. Even today, these rivers still exist. During the reign of Emperor Chen Wen, the politics of the Chen Dynasty were clear and the social economy developed to a certain extent, and the country began to become strong. With the stability and strength of the Chen Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty began to reconcile with the Chen Dynasty. The Chen Dynasty sent envoy Zhou Hongzheng, Shangshu, to Chang’an to welcome back Emperor Chen Xu, the younger brother of Emperor Chen Wen, who later became Emperor Chen Xuan. Years of imprisonment caused Chen Xu to feel a deep pain in the face of the collapse of his country and family. After ascending to the throne, Emperor Chen Xuan, who was full of crisis and mission towards the rise and fall of the dynasty, decided to embark on a northern expedition and expand his territory. From a strategic perspective, the Southern Dynasty occupied the Huainan and Jiangbei regions for a long time, which were captured by the Northern Qi. Meanwhile, Jingzhou and Bashu to the west of the Chen Dynasty were captured by the Northern Zhou, lacking strategic depth and becoming the biggest weakness of the Chen Dynasty’s national defense.
In the year 573 AD, a 100000 strong army of the Chen Dynasty crossed the Yangtze River to conquer Northern Qi. The Northern Expedition army swept through the air and encountered almost no decent resistance, so they recaptured a large area of land in Huainan. However, when the situation was good, Emperor Chen Xuan suddenly ordered his troops to stop the Northern Expedition. Emperor Chen Xuan did not take advantage of the victory because the Chen Dynasty’s national strength was weak at that time, and the Northern Expedition overdrawn this newly revitalized dynasty. On the contrary, taking advantage of the mutual restraint between the Arctic and the Chen Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, which had benefited from fishing, began a military journey and annihilated Northern Qi, which had already been defeated by the Chen Dynasty’s army. In the year 577 AD, Northern Zhou unified the north. The unification of the north faced a stronger opponent for the Chen Dynasty, and Emperor Chen Xuan, who was unwilling to sit and watch the north prosper but failed to determine the situation, launched the second Northern Expedition at this time, However, this time Emperor Chen Xuan suffered a major blow, and the Battle of Xuzhou almost completely wiped out the Chen army.
Researcher Lou Jin from the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: The first time Emperor Xuan launched the Northern Expedition was when the Chen Dynasty did not accurately estimate the situation between the north and the south at that time, did not correctly recognize the basic strength comparison that was still clearly dominated by the north at that time, and also harbored a sense of pride. Therefore, during this war, Chen’s previously weak national strength suffered a heavy setback, and it was difficult to recover. Therefore, the failure of this Northern Expedition can only be said to be the end of the Southern Dynasty’s fate.
In the year 582 AD, Emperor Chen Xuan, full of a sense of crisis and determined to conquer the world and engulf the eight wastelands, repeatedly urged future generations, both civil and military, to exhaust their efforts and hold official positions, with a focus on harmony before leaving to the west. After 25 years of establishment, the Chen Dynasty was handed over to Chen Shubao, who was the famous Empress Chen. The flowers shone brightly in the sunlight, and the fragrance came in the wind. The beautiful woman had already set her hair on her temples, trying to stand and hovering. This is “Plum Blossom Falling” written by Empress Chen. Chen Shubao’s identity was emperor, and his responsibility was to govern and prosper the country. However, he did not pay much attention to such an identity. Faced with the beautiful Jiangnan, Chen Houzhu preferred to be a poet, recite poetry, and sing. Chen Houzhu had a difficult life since childhood. At the age of two, Jiangling fell, and he and his parents were abducted by the Western Wei Dynasty. It was not until 562 AD that he returned to Jiangnan. At the age of nine, Chen Shubao was appointed as the Crown Prince of Ancheng. When Chen Shubao was in trouble, he was still an immature child. By the time he first learned about the world, he had become the Crown Prince of Ancheng, enjoying all his glory and wealth. Chen Shubao, unlike his father Chen Xu, was not aware of the heavy burden of the ancestral temple and the difficulties of the royal profession. According to the Wei Zheng of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Houzhu was born in a deep palace and grew up in the hands of a woman. He was not aware of the difficulties of farming and was generally good. The Chen Dynasty was plagued by internal and external troubles, and had already experienced ups and downs. When the Chen Empress Dowager first ascended to the throne, he also issued a solemn edict, which stated that he had no choice but to remain silent and dare to forget about Kangji. This means that he cannot seek comfort, has nothing to do, and dare not forget to govern the country. If Lord Chen could be as full of a sense of crisis and strive for governance as he did in his accession proclamation, perhaps he could still maintain half of the country for the time being, but unfortunately, Chen Shubao was an emperor with no ambition and a willingness to live a peaceful life.
Qinhuai River, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province
The Qinhuai River, located ten miles away, boasts a picturesque and elegant style, with its armor nestled in the sea. In the city of Jiankang, where this river passes through, the ruler of the country, Chen Shubao, is particularly skilled in literary works, especially in palace style poetry. The themes of palace style poetry are mainly about reciting the wind and moon, while Jiang Yan’s emotions are narrow and evil. The style is frivolous and gorgeous, delicate and beautiful. When Chen Shubao became the crown prince, a large number of literati gathered in the Eastern Palace, forming a literary group of considerable scale. More than ten people, including Meng Xuan, Kong Fan, Jiang Zong, Wang Yuan, etc., disrespected etiquette and acted recklessly, claiming to be ten courtesans guests. Chen Shubao succeeded to the throne. Later, with the protection of imperial power, this literary group achieved greater development. Xu Ling, who was then known as the Emperor of Wen and revered as the Emperor of Ci after his death, was one of the leaders among them. In order to cater to the good conduct of Emperor Chen, Xu Ling specially compiled a poetry collection called “Yutai Xinyong” for women in the palace to recite. “Yutai Xinyong” has always held a high literary position in literary history and is the third poetry collection after the Book of Songs and Chu Ci
Fang Lin: This “Yutai New Ode” contains a large number of palace style poems, and he also includes good works like “Peacock Flies Southeast” that praise women’s resistance to feudal oppression and feudal ethics. However, his aesthetic taste can be said to be somewhat vulgar, it is really unbearable. What palace style poems care about is women’s beauty, body, and bed pleasures. They can say in one sentence that his love for children and daughters is rare.
As a monarch, when Chen Houzhu ascended to the throne, his political manifesto was forgotten. He not only did not think of danger in times of peace, but also indulged in his favorite literature. He ignored the court politics all day and was busy traveling to the backyard with literary courtiers. From then on, the Chen dynasty’s politics declined and the rules and regulations were not established. The monarch and his subjects indulged in the charming Jiangnan culture together, dreaming of pink all day long.
There are beautiful women in the north who are unparalleled and independent, looking at the city of Qingren and then at the country of Qingren. Zhang Lihua, the favored concubine of Empress Chen, was such a beautiful woman. History records show that her hair was seven feet long, as black as lacquer, and the light could shine on people. She was elegant in her movements and graceful in her appearance. Every time she looked at her, the light shone brightly, shining on both sides. When she was dressing up in the pavilion, she faced the pavilion railing, and the palace looked like an immortal. Since becoming the crown prince, Chen Shubao had been deeply in love with Zhang Lihua. When Emperor Chen Xuan had just passed away, Empress Chen was once injured by her younger brother, Chen Shujian, who wanted to replace her. During her recovery period, she screened off all the concubines and left Zhang alone. Empress Dowager Chen was extremely fond of Zhang Lihua, as she accompanied her and had a strong memory. Many memorials were unforgettable, so Empress Dowager Chen’s favor towards Empress Zhang and other concubines was reflected in the famous Three Pavilions in history. Since the founding of Emperor Wu, the furnishings in the inner court have been very simple, but all of this has undergone changes with the Lord Chen.
In the second year of Chen Houzhu’s reign, a great deal of construction was carried out. The construction of the Linchun Pavilion, Jieqi Pavilion, and Wangxian Pavilion was extremely ingenious, with the construction of the Linchun Pavilion, Jieqi Pavilion, and Wangxian Pavilion. The middle was connected by auxiliary roads, with dozens of rooms, doors and windows, wall strips, lintels, and railings all made of sandalwood wood, and decorated with gold, emerald, and jade. The precious beds and tents in the pavilion were rare and precious, unprecedented in ancient times. Every time a gentle breeze came, they could be heard for miles, and the sun shone brightly in the backyard. There were many beautiful scenery in Jiangnan, and the three pavilions were newly completed. Chen Houzhu wrote a poem for this purpose, titled “The Flowers of the Jade Tree in the Back Courtyard”. The high pavilion, with its new makeup and gorgeous quality, is truly stunning. The reflecting households are delicate and charming, yet they do not enter at first. They greet each other with a smile on their faces as they exit the curtains. The face of the witch is like a flower with dew, and the jade tree shines brightly in the backyard. The poetic lines are refined and praised by later generations, but the flowers in the backyard of the Yushu have not bloomed for a long time, but have become a famous voice of national downfall. The southeast is charming, and the female is male, gentle and charming. With the refinement and maturity of Jiangnan culture, natural landscapes have become humanistic landscapes, and the long river trench has also become gentle and charming. At this time, in the north, the Northern Zhou Dynasty had been replaced by the Sui Dynasty. Yang Jian, the Emperor Yang of Sui, who was determined to rebuild unity, had already pointed his finger at Jiangnan. In addition to not abiding by the monarchy, indulging in literature, extravagance and corruption, and indulging in pleasure seeking, Chen Houzhu also showed political incompetence and used inhumane methods. In 586 AD, Chen Shubao, 34 years old in the park, issued an edict to emulate the ancient sages Tang Yao and Xia Yu, set up recommendation drums, listen to courtiers, and in the face of the pressure of the Sui Dynasty’s large army, Chen Guoda served as a general and submitted a memorial to advise. The current officialdom openly bribed and accepted bribes, and petty people colluded inside and outside, causing chaos in the court. Violating the legal code, if there is war on the border, our great cause will be destroyed. Kong Fan was a guest of Empress Chen and was favored for his beautiful articles. His official position was as a Shangshu. He even scolded Ren Zhong, saying, “We have the natural danger of the Yangtze River, so why bother with border warfare?”, Your border generals are just ordinary warriors, and there is no comparison to my foresight. Upon hearing these words, Lord Chen immediately deposed the military power of the current position. From then on, if any of the generals of the Chen Dynasty were to make a slight mistake, Lord Chen would issue an edict to take away the military power of these generals and distribute it to civil officials, ultimately leading to the disintegration of the Chen Dynasty’s civil and military forces. The villains used by Director Chen include Shi Wenqing, Shen Keqing, Kong Fan, and others. Most of them are good at literature, can belong to literature, and are particularly skilled in five or seven characters. If only a group of literati drink and write essays, then it will not cause much harm to the Wang Dynasty, after all, literature is not mistaken. The country, but many literati around Chen Houzhu take pride in themselves and do not have any national strategies. In terms of governing the country, stabilizing borders, and other important matters related to national development, they have no strategic plans like the Houzhu.
In the winter of 588 AD, the Sui Dynasty launched a full-scale attack from the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, while also launching a full-scale attack on the Southern Dynasty. When the army was overwhelming the border, Chen Houzhu still indulged in drinking and singing, thinking that he could rely on the Yangtze River to defend the enemy’s gates. However, wherever the tiger was, the rolling Yangtze River could not stop the iron hooves of the Sui army, embellishing the essence of weakness that peace could not conceal. In the prosperous era, the fate of the kingdom could not be saved. In January of 589 AD, the city was destroyed and the country fell. Chen Houzhu’s pink dream finally withered in the charming Jiangnan, in the southern capital, without any major decisive battle. In a corner of Jiming Temple, there is a well, just like the Bible of Emperor Chen Wu. This well also has a name called Yanzhi Well, and its fame is even greater than that of the Holy Well.
Shao Lei: On the night of the country’s downfall, Empress Chen, with her two beloved concubines, Zhang Lihua and Kong Guifei, jumped in and lived a miserable life, preparing to avoid this calamity. At that time, the accompanying ministers all tried to dissuade her, but Empress Chen did not do so. After all, it would be disrespectful to the country and would be easily criticized by later generations. They all advised Empress Chen to sit upright and face the invasion of the army. However, in panic, Empress Chen completely ignored the advice of his subordinates. Some of his ministers tried to persuade her not to do so, even lying down. On this well, the Empress Chen was prevented from entering, but she insisted on not listening and went down to the bottom of the well with her two concubines.
This ancient well is not the one that Empress Chen fled into, but it does not prevent people from attaching historical facts and legends to this ancient well in front of them. On the night of the fall of the country, Chen Houzhu forgot the majesty of a ruler and even his beloved concubine. If he were only a talented and beautiful woman, this life and death experience may have been transmitted as a beautiful story. However, as an emperor, Chen Houzhu’s greed and lack of dignity during the collapse of the country were the most criticized in history, and the farce did not end after he hid in a well.
Interview: He was discovered that night, and then his two concubines were brought up from the well by the Sui army with ropes. At that time, three people were dragged onto a rope, which made the Sui soldiers feel very heavy. When they came out, his two concubines were very panicked and covered in a lot of rouge, which fell on the railing of the well. Therefore, the well was later named Yanzhi Well. There were indeed some red marks on the railing of the well, which were all said to be traces of rouge. However, in reality, it was not a trace of rouge, it was the stone vein, red. Quartzite, caused by veins.
When Emperor Chen Wuxian was born, the ancient well in Changxing was boiling with water. When the Chen Dynasty was completed, that well was revered as a sacred well. 33 years later, the former dynasty had come to an end, and Empress Chen even retreated into the ancient well, feeling ashamed. The ancient well where he hid, in addition to the name of the rouge well, was also called the disgraceful well by the people of Nanjing.
Professor Hu Axiang from Nanjing University: Chen Houzhu, Chen Shubao, can be said to be a saint of love. From the touching perspective of his writing, he should have held a position in the literary history of China. We cannot say that he was a tyrant, but he was really a wasteland lord. When Chen Houzhu passed away, the Sui Dynasty gave him the posthumous title Yang, just like Yang Guang, the later Emperor Yang of Sui. What does Yang mean, which means to be negligent in government affairs, to eat, drink, play, and have fun all day long? This is a bad posthumous title.
Chen Houzhu, who had lost his country, passed away due to illness at the age of 52 16 years after the fall of the Chen Dynasty. However, he was unable to return to Jiankang because his former capital, Jiankang, had already been flattened by the Sui army after the fall of the Chen Dynasty. Currently, only about 300 square meters of Southern Dynasty ruins remain in the city of Nanjing.
Professor Hu Axiang from Nanjing University: Today, we don’t see much about the Chen Dynasty in Nanjing, but it’s actually a kind of hidden emotions. In the 33 year history of the Chen Dynasty, we have left us with a lot of things. We don’t necessarily have to be as long as the Tang Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, and Qing Dynasty. Some short histories reflect many things in a relatively short period of time. In this regard, the Chen Dynasty can be said to be a very typical dynasty in Chinese history.
90 seconds in history: Kumarash
In 383 AD, the famous general of pre Qin, Lv Guang, led a large army to embark on an expedition to Kucha from Chang’an. The purpose of this expedition was only to obtain a Western Regions monk. This is a true and legendary story. After Lv Guang’s great defeat of Kucha, this Western Regions monk embarked on his difficult and long journey to Zhongyuan. At this time, Chang’an’s Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures, which had been dormant for over 200 years, and the largest translation site in Chinese history were waiting for his arrival. Kumarash, a renowned monk from the Western Regions who has gone through the vicissitudes of life and studied both China and the West, presented the profound and melodious Buddhist scriptures that have been passed down for thousands of years to this land through his fluent and beautiful Chinese language expression and unique Buddhist scripture style, enabling Buddhism to truly take root on the land of the Central Plains.
