Wang Chang (王昶) | 24 Histories

Overview

Wang Chang was a Former emperor of Min.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Sovereign Kang	康宗

Life and dates

Death

AD 939 延義立
Seized and killed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 128
Killed by Lian Chongyu earlier
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 155

Attested activity

AD 937 天福二年
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 103
AD 938 天福三年
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 116
AD 939 天福四年冬十月
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 78, passage 156
AD 939 延義立被殺
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 128
AD 892 to AD 946 王氏七主五十五年
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 71, passages 50-51
AD 939 連重遇殺昶
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 155

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Wang Jiyan (王繼嚴)
brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 121
Spouse of Spring Swallow (春燕)
empress 皇后
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 119
Parent of Wang Jigong (王繼恭)
son 子
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 103
Spouse of Wife of Wang Chang (昶妻)
wife 妻
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 128
Sibling of Wang Jiyong (王繼鏞)
youngest brother 季弟
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 121

Kinship Role sons · Quantity unspecified
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 128

Key source chapters

Career and standing

King of Min 閩王
AD 937 天福二年 · Enfeoffed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 103
Sovereign Kang 康宗
Granted posthumously
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 129

Places and affiliations

Min 閩
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 50
Polity Min 閩 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 103

Events and relationships

Sent tribute envoys
Diplomatic · Sender
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 78, passage 156

References in the histories

Search passages

History

20 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 78Volume 78 Book of Later Jin 4: Gaozu Annals 4 · 1 passage

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庚戌，閩王王昶、威武軍節度使王繼恭遣僚佐林思、鄭元弼等朝貢，致書於宰執，無人臣之禮。 On the gengxu day, Wang Chang, king of Min, and Wang Jigong, military governor of the Weiwu Army, sent aides Lin Si and Zheng Yuanbi and others to present tribute; their letters to the chief ministers lacked the etiquette due a subject.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 68Volume 68: Hereditary House of Min · 18 passages

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晉天福二年，昶遣使朝貢京師，高祖遣散騎常侍盧損冊昶閩王，拜其子繼恭臨海郡王。 In the second year of Tianfu, Chang sent tribute envoys to the Jin capital. Emperor Gaozu dispatched Lu Sun, Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry, to invest Chang as King of Min and appoint his son Jigong Prince of Linhai.

損至閩，昶稱疾不見，令繼恭主之。 When Sun arrived in Min, Chang pleaded illness and refused an audience, leaving Jigong to receive him.

昶聞之，怒損侵辱之，損還，昶無所答。 Chang was furious that Sun had humiliated his envoy. Sun returned home, and Chang offered no response to the court.

而其子繼恭遣其佐鄭元弼隨損至京師貢方物，致書晉大臣，述昶意求以敵國禮相往來。 Meanwhile his son Jigong sent aide Zheng Yuanbi to accompany Sun to the capital with tribute goods and a letter to Jin ministers asking that Min and Jin exchange embassies as equal states.

獄具引見，元弼俯伏曰：「昶，夷貊之君，不知禮義，陛下方示大信，以來遠人，臣將命無狀，願伏斧鑕，以贖昶罪。」 When the case was concluded Yuanbi was brought before the throne. He prostrated himself and said, "Chang is a barbarian ruler who knows nothing of propriety. Your Majesty is showing great faith to draw distant peoples to your court. I have failed in my mission and beg to accept the axe in Chang's stead."

昶亦好巫，拜道士譚紫霄為正一先生，又拜陳守元為天師，而妖人林興以巫見幸，事無大小，興輒以寶皇語命之而後行。 Chang also dabbled in sorcery, naming the Daoist Tan Zixiao Lord of Orthodox Unity and Chen Shouyuan Celestial Master. The sorcerer Lin Xing won his favor, and no matter great or small was undertaken until Xing pronounced the Precious Emperor's command.

守元教昶起三清臺三層，以黃金數千斤鑄寶皇及元始天尊、太上老君像，日焚龍腦、薰陸諸香數斤，作樂於臺下，晝夜聲不輟，雲如此可求大還丹。 Shouyuan persuaded Chang to erect a three-tiered Terrace of the Three Pure Ones and cast statues of the Precious Emperor, the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, and the Supreme Lord Lao from thousands of jin of gold. Each day several jin of dragon-brain, spikenard, and other incense were burned while music played below the terrace without cease, day and night, on the promise that the Great Reverted Elixir could be obtained this way.

而昶愈惑亂，立父婢春燕為淑妃，後立以為皇后。 Chang grew only more erratic. He made his father's maid Spring Swallow a Pure Consort and later elevated her to empress.

昶弟繼嚴判六軍諸衛事，昶疑而罷之，代以季弟繼鏞，而募勇士為宸衛都以自衛，其賜予給賞，獨厚於他軍。 Chang's brother Jiyan commanded the Six Armies and palace guards. Chang suspected him, removed him, and replaced him with his youngest brother Jiyong. He then recruited stalwart men into an Imperial Guard Command for his personal protection and lavished on them rewards richer than those given any other unit.

是歲夏，術者言昶宮中當有災，昶徙南宮避災，而宮中火，昶疑重遇軍士縱火。 That summer diviners warned of disaster in the palace. Chang moved to the Southern Palace to escape it, but fire broke out anyway. Chang suspected soldiers under Chongyu of arson.

內學士陳郯素以便佞為昶所親信，昶以火事語之，郯反以告重遇。 The Inner Academician Chen Tan had long won Chang's trust through flattery. Chang confided his suspicions about the fire to Tan, who promptly warned Chongyu.

重遇懼，夜率衛士縱火焚南宮，昶挾愛姬、子弟、黃門衛士斬關而出，宿於野次。 Terrified, Chongyu led his guards that night to burn the Southern Palace. Chang fled with his favorite consorts, sons, and eunuch guards, cutting his way through the gates to camp in the open countryside.

延義令其子繼業率兵襲昶，及之； Yanyi sent his son Jiye with troops to pursue Chang and overtook him.

射殺數人，昶知不免，擲弓於地，繼業執而殺之，及其妻、子皆死無遺類。 Several of Chang's party were shot down. Seeing escape was impossible, Chang threw down his bow. Jiye seized him and killed him, and his wife and sons were slaughtered to the last person.

延義立，謚昶曰康宗。 With Yanyi enthroned, Chang was posthumously titled Sovereign Kang.

曦自昶世倔強難制，昶相王倓每抑折之，曦亦憚倓，不敢有所發。 Xi had been unruly and defiant even under Chang. Chang's chancellor Wang Tan had repeatedly reined him in, and Xi feared Tan enough to keep his resentment hidden.

新羅遣使聘閩以寶劍，昶舉以示倓曰：「此將何為？」 Silla sent envoys to Min bearing a precious sword. Chang held it up for Tan and asked, "What do you suppose this is for?"

連重遇殺昶，懼為國人所討，與朱文進連姻以自固。 Lian Chongyu, who had killed Chang, feared popular retribution and cemented his position by marrying into Zhu Wenjin's family.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 71Volume 71: Timeline for the Hereditary Houses of the Ten Kingdoms · 1 passage

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王氏世次，曰潮、曰審知、曰延翰、曰璘、曰昶、曰曦、曰延政，凡七主。 The Wang clan succession runs: Chao, Shenzhi, Yanhan, Lin, Chang, Xi, and Yanzheng—seven rulers in all.