I have always been fascinated by the history of the kingdom of Nanyue or Nam Viet which lasted from 204 BC to 111 BC. It lasted five reigns (93 years) until it was conquered by the Han dynasty.
The territory of Nanyue kingdom stretched from today's Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, to northern and central Vietnam. Nanyue's capital Panyu is a district in today's Guangzhou city.
Nanyue was founded by Zhao Tuo, a commander of the Qin dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC) sent to China's south in 219 BC to expand the Qin empire there. In 214 BC, Zhao Tuo and his 500,000 soldiers subdued the southern regions which were then incorporated into the Qin empire.
While Zhao Tuo was still in the south, the Qin dynasty collapsed in 206 BC. The Qin empire broke up into several kingdoms and Zhao Tuo took the opportunity of the ensuing chaos to establish his own kingdom of Nanyue in 204 BC.
Zhao Tuo was a wise statesman, benevolent leader and he encouraged mutual respect and intermarriage between his Han soldiers and women from local Yue communities. In 196 BC, Zhao Tuo made Nanyue a vassal state of the Han dynasty (which had succeeded the Qin dynasty). Nanyue kingdom prospered trading with the Han dynasty and with Southeast Asia including the Malay archipelago.
But, relations between Nanyue and Han dynasty soured in 183 BC over trade. The defiant Zhao Tuo declared himself emperor equal to his Han overlords and abandoned vassalage with the Han dynasty. Vassalage relationship with the Han dynasty was restored in 179 BC but Zhao Tuo now ruled Nanyue independent of Han.
 |
| Emperor Zhao Mo's jade burial suit |
Zhao Tuo died in 137 BC after ruling for 67 years and was succeeded by his grandson Zhao Mo. (Zhao Tuo lived to 103 and none of his sons survived him.)
Zhao Mo ruled for sixteen years and died in 122 BC. He was succeeded by his son Zhao Yingqi who ruled for ten years before dying of illness. From here, things went downhill swiftly for the kingdom of Nanyue.
Zhao Yingqi's son Zhao Xing succeeded his father. The fourth emperor of Nanyue, Zhao Xing on the advice of his mother Jiu (empress dowager) sought to merge Nanyue into the Han dynasty in 113 BC.
However, Zhao Xing's prime minister Lu Jia objected and he launched a coup. Lu Jia killed emperor Zhao Xing, his mother and the Han dynasty ambassador, and then installed the emperor's elder brother Zhao Jiande to the Nanyue throne.
.jpg) |
| Tomb of prime minister Lu Jia in Hung Yen, Vietnam today |
Following the coup, the mighty Han dynasty promptly launched an invasion of Nanyue and executed Lu Jia and emperor Zhao Jiande, thus ending the Nanyue kingdom in 111 BC.
 |
| Huojia 2023 |
The Han emperor Han Wu Di was travelling in Henan province when he received news of the capture of Lu Jia. Han Wu Di named the place he was at, Huojia 获嘉 meaning "capture of Jia" to celebrate the event. Huojia county in Henan exists to this day.
The Nanyue Kingdom in Summary (204 BC - 111 BC)
Zhao Tuo - Founder. Reign 203 - 137 BC. Ruled 76 years. This was the golden age of Nanyue
Zhao Mo - Second emperor. Reign 137 - 122 BC. Ruled 16 years
Zhao Yingxqi - Third emperor. Reign 122 - 113 BC. Ruled 10 years
Zhao Xing - Forth emperor. Reign 113 BC. Ruled 1 year
Zhao Jiande - Fifth emperor. Reign 113 - 111 BC. Ruled 2 years.
The second emperor Zhao Mo's lavish tomb was discovered in 1983 in Guangzhou. The tomb is a time capsule. It contained thousands of artefacts that provided many insights into life during the Nanyue kingdom.
Among the artefacts were cooking vessels and roasting / grilling implements. The Nanyue people love to eat!
(The tomb of Zhao Tuo, the founder of Nanyue who presided over its golden age during his 67 year reign is likely the grandest but has not yet been found.)
There are barbecue pans, stands, grilling forks and spits in Zhao Mo's tomb. This is interesting as today's Guangdong province is famed for their siu mei or roasted meats. The grilling artefacts tell us that Guangdong's love of roasts go back over 2,000 years to the time of the Nanyue kingdom.
Siu mei or roast meats is also probably one of the legacies of the Han soldiers adopting the lifestyle of the local Yue peoples who roast their meats.
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments submitted with genuine identities are published