Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-05-05 01:11
Please click on Chinese Simplified to read Chinese.
Cang Ren (傖人 or Reckless Fellows)
Towards the end of the Han Dynasty (漢朝 206BC to 220AD) the land was divided
by the three most powerful generals during that time. In the North was Cao
Cao (曹操), in the region of South and Southeast of the Yangtze River (楊
子江) was Sun Quan (孫權) and Liu Bei (劉備) in the Western part of the
land.
Cao Cao, who was the Prime Minister of the Han Court, died in 220AD and
his son Cao Pi (曹丕) succeeded him as the new Prime Minister. Without hesitation
Cao Pi dethroned Emperor Xian Liu Xie (獻皇帝劉協 190AD to 220AD) of the
Han Dynasty and established his own Dynasty called Wei (魏朝 220AD to 265AD),
with his capital in present day city of Luoyang (洛陽) in Henan province
(河南省).
In response to Cao Pi, in 221AD, Liu Bei established his Kingdom called
Shu (蜀) in the western part of the land with his capital in Chengdu (成
都) in the present day province of Sichuan (四川省). In 229AD, Sun Quan
proclaimed the formation of his Kingdom of Wu (吳) with his capital in Jianye
(建業 the present day city of Nanjing 南京市). The historians called this
period the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國) with incessant warfare for
more than 50 years.
In 260AD, Cao Huan (曹奐) was installed as the 5th Emperor of the Wei Dynasty
and his Prime Minister was Sima Yi (司馬懿). The Kingdom of Shu was conquered
by the Wei Dynasty in 263AD. In 265AD, Emperor Cao Huan was dethroned by
Sima Yan (司馬炎) who established his own Dynasty called Jin (晉朝 265AD
to 420AD). Sima Yan installed himself as Emperor Wu (武皇帝帝 265AD to 290AD)
. Sima Yan subjugated the Kingdom of Wu in 280AD. Sima Yan, thus, unified
the country, what we now call China, with an estimated population of 16,163,863.
Sima Yan was not only a drunkard but also a debauchee who could not tolerate
criticism. He kept thousands of young and beautiful girls in his palace
as his concubines. He could punish any official who dare to expostulate
with him on his debauchery. Sima Yan died in 290AD and was succeeded by
his son Sima Zhong (司馬衷) who was crowned Emperor Hui (惠帝 290AD to 306AD
).
Sima Zhong was a moron who did not have the ability to govern such a large
country. He allowed his wife Empress Gu Nanfeng (賈南風) to take charge
of the administration. She used her husband's authority to manipulate with
power and the country fell apart in a civil war which was called the Rebellion
of the Eight Princes (八王之亂) that lasted from 290AD to 305AD. Eventually
Empress Gu died in the turmoil.
As a result of the civil war the condition of the country deteriorated into
famine which followed by droughts and the invasions of locusts. The non-Han
Chinese tribes of the Turkic Xiong Nu (匈奴), the Jie (羯), the Xian Bei
(鮮卑), the Di (氐) and the Qiang (羌) took advantage of the anarchy and
established themselves into political and armed units. In 304AD the Di founded
a kingdom in the western part of the country, the Xiong Nu proclaimed the
formation of a kingdom in the present day south of Shaaxi province (陝西
省). The historians called this period "Wu Hu Luan
Hua 五胡亂華)" The Invasion of the Five Barbarians.
Emperor Hui Di died in the 11th month 306AD. He was succeeded by Sima Chi
(司馬熾), the 25th son of the late Emperor Wu (武帝). Sima Chi was crowned
Huai Di (懷皇帝 307AD to 312AD).
In 311AD, Liu Cong (劉聰) the chieftain of Xiong Nu seized Luo Yang, the
capital of Jin and captured Emperor Huai. More than 30,000 people were killed.
Liu Cong rewarded Huai Di the title of Ping Agong (平阿公) and wanted the
captured Emperor to work for him. However, in 313AD Liu Cong had Emperor
Huai executed.
The 14 years old Sima Ye (司馬業), a nephew of Empero Huai, was installed
as Emperor Min (愍帝) in Changan (長安 in present day Shaanxi province )
by a relative. In 316AD, another leader of the Xion Nu tribe overran Changan
and captured Emperor Min who was later killed by the conquerors. It was
the end of the Jin Dynasty.
Due to the famine, the political and economic chaos in North China en masse
of Han Chinese fled southward to the safety regions south of the Yangtze
River. In 317AD Sima Rui (司馬睿), a relative of Huai Emperor, set up a
new Dynasty called Eastern Jin (東晉朝) in Jiankang (建康 the present day
city of Nanjing city [Note: the change from Jianye to Jiankang]). Sima Rui
installed himself as Emperor Yuan (元帝 31&AD to 322AD). The exodus of Han
Chinese continued to move into south of the Yangtze River. They were the
powerful family groups and they established political units to control over
their new homes. They swamped the regions where it is now called the provinces
of Jiangsu (江蘇省), Jiangxi (江西省) and Anhui (安徽省). It was estimated
that more than a million people had emigrated to the South.
There were feuds between the emigrants and the locals, mostly over the seizure
of lands by the new comers. The locals nicknamed the the Guest or Exiled
People "Cang Ren 傖人" which meant the reckless fellows. Although the new
Dynasty of Eastern Jin had made a few attempts to recover the North, Emperor
Yuan and the new comers were contented with their new found and fertile
land in the South. As a result the Han-Chinese population in the South increased
by several folds and the non-Han Chinese in the South were Sinicized by
these Diaspora.
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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