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| Emperor Zhang of Han 漢章帝 | |||||
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 Portrait of Emperor Zhang from Sancai Tuhui | |||||
| Emperor of the Han dynasty | |||||
| Reign | 5 September 75[1] – 9 April 88 | ||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Ming | ||||
| Successor | Emperor He | ||||
| Born | 56 | ||||
| Died | 9 April 88 (aged 32) | ||||
| Consorts | |||||
| Issue Detail | |||||
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| House | House of Liu | ||||
| Dynasty | Han dynasty | ||||
| Father | Emperor Ming | ||||
| Mother | Consort Jia | ||||
| Emperor Zhang of Han | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 漢章帝 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 汉章帝 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 劉炟 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 刘炟 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | (personal name) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Emperor Zhang of Han (Chinese: 漢章帝; pinyin: Hàn Zhāngdì; Wade–Giles: Han Chang-ti; 56 – 9 April 88[2]), born Liu Da (劉炟), was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 75 to 88. He was the third emperor of the Eastern Han.
Emperor Zhang was a hard-working and diligent emperor. He reduced taxes and paid close attention to all affairs of state. Zhang also reduced government spending as well as promoted Confucianism. As a result, Han society prospered and its culture flourished during this period. Along with his father Emperor Ming, Emperor Zhang's reign has been highly praised and was regarded as the golden age of the Eastern Han period, and their reigns are collectively known as the Rule of Ming and Zhang.
During his reign, Chinese troops under the leadership of General Ban Chao progressed far west while in pursuit of Xiongnu insurgents harassing the trade routes now collectively known as the Silk Road.
The Eastern Han dynasty, after Emperor Zhang, would be plagued with internal strife between royal factions and eunuchs struggling for power. The people for the coming century and a half would yearn for the good days of Emperors Ming and Zhang. (However, part of the strife came from the power obtained by consort kin – and the precedent was set by Emperor Zhang's bestowing of power on both his adoptive mother Empress Dowager Ma's clan and his wife Empress Dou's clan.) The strife between the eunuchs and royal factions would start a chain reaction of events that led to the end of the Han dynasty in 220.
- ^ renzi day of the 8th month of the 18th year of the Yong'ping era, per Emperor Zhang's biography in Book of the Later Han. This was also the day where his father Emperor Ming died.
- ^ renchen day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year of the Zhang'he era, per Emperor Zhang's biography in Book of the Later Han. The biography also indicate that he was 33 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died. ([章和二年春]二月壬辰，帝崩于章德前殿，年三十三。) Houhanshu, vol.03