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| Wang Mang 王莽 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Emperor of the Xin dynasty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 9–23 CE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 45 BCE Yuancheng, Wei Commandery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 6 October 23 CE (aged 67) Chang'an | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| House | Wang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Xin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Wang Man (王曼) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Qu (渠) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 王莽 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 巨君 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wang Mang (45 BCE[1] – 6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun, officially known as the Shijianguo Emperor (始建國天帝), was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty.[note 1] He was originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty and later seized the throne in 9 CE. The Han dynasty was restored after his overthrow, and his rule marked the separation between the Western Han dynasty (before Xin) and Eastern Han dynasty (after Xin). Traditional Chinese historiography viewed Wang as a tyrant and usurper, while more recently, some historians have portrayed him as a visionary and selfless social reformer. During his reign, he abolished slavery and initiated a land redistribution program. Though a learned Confucian scholar who sought to implement the harmonious society he saw in the Chinese classics,[2] his efforts ended in chaos.
Wang Mang's late reign saw large-scale peasant rebellions,[3] most notably the revolt of the Red Eyebrows. In October 23 CE, the capital Chang'an was attacked and the imperial palace ransacked. Wang Mang died in the battle. The Han dynasty was re-established in either 23 CE when the Gengshi Emperor took the throne, or in 25 when Emperor Guangwu of Han took the throne after defeating the Red Eyebrows who had deposed the Gengshi Emperor.
- ^ Wang Mang's biography in Book of Han indicated that he was 38 (by East Asian reckoning) in the 1st year of the Suihe era (8 BCE).
- ^ Wills, John E. Jr (1994), "Wang Mang", Mountain of Fame: Portraits in Chinese History, Princeton University Press, pp. 72–89, doi:10.2307/j.ctt7sd8m.12
- ^ Chou, Chih-P’ing (2012), "Wang Mang, the Socialist Emperor of Nineteen Centuries Ago", English Writings of Hu Shih, China Academic Library, Springer, pp. 39–47, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-31181-9_5, ISBN 978-3-642-31180-2, retrieved 12 March 2023
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