Chai Rong

Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou
後周世宗
Emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty
Reign26 February 954[1] – 27 July 959
PredecessorGuo Wei
SuccessorChai Zongxun
Born27 October 921
Xingzhou (modern Xingtai, Hebei, China)
Died27 July 959(959-07-27) (aged 37)
Kaifeng
Burial
Qing Mausoleum (慶陵; in modern Xinzheng, Henan)
34°33′44.52″N 113°41′47.88″E / 34.5623667°N 113.6966333°E / 34.5623667; 113.6966333
Spouse
IssueChai Zongxun
others
Names
Surname: Chái (), later changed to Guō ()[note 1]
Given name: Róng ()
Era dates
Xiǎndé (), continued from Emperor Taizu
Year 1: 6 February 954 – 26 January 955
Year 2: 27 January 955 – 14 February 956
Year 3: 15 February 956 – 2 February 957
Year 4: 3 February 957 – 22 January 958
Year 5: 23 January 958 – 10 February 959
Year 6: 11 February 959 – 30 January 960
Posthumous name
Emperor Ruìwǔ Xiàowén (皇帝)
Temple name
Shìzōng ()
HouseChai (by birth)
Guo (adoptive)
DynastyLater Zhou
FatherChai Shouli (柴守禮) (biological)
Guo Wei (adoptive)
Chai Rong
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChái Róng
Wade–GilesCh'ai2 Jung2
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationChaai4 Wing4
JyutpingCaai4 Wing4

Chai Rong (Chinese: 柴榮) (27 October 921[2] – 27 July 959[3]), later known as Guo Rong (郭榮),[note 1] also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, was the second emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned from 954 until his death in 959. He succeeded his uncle-in-law Guo Wei (Emperor Taizu), whose surname he had adopted.

Emperor Shizong is considered a highly successful emperor of the Five Dynasties period. He centralized military power by his reforms, and proved his military prowess by a series of victories against Northern Han, Later Shu, Southern Tang, and the Liao dynasty. Although his accomplishments were limited due to his premature death, they paved the way for the eventual unification of large parts of China proper by the Northern Song, founded by his trusted generals Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi.

  1. ^ Wudai Shiji, ch. 12.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference wds114 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Wudai Shi, ch. 119.


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