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Emperor Gaozong of Song

Emperor Gaozong of Song (12 June 1107 – 9 November 1187), personal name Zhao Gou, courtesy name Deji, was the tenth emperor of the Chinese Song dynasty and the first of the Southern Song dynasty, ruling between 1127 and 1162 and retaining power as retired emperor from 1162 until his death in 1187. The ninth son of Emperor Huizong and a younger half-brother of Emperor Qinzong, Zhao Gou was not present in the capital of Bianjing when it fell to the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in 1127 during the beginning of the Jin-Song Wars. Narrowly avoiding capture by Jin forces, he escaped first to Yangzhou and then Lin'an, assuming the throne and reestablishing the Song court. Despite initial setbacks, including Jin invasions and a brief deposition in 1129, Emperor Gaozong consolidated his political position and presided over the continued military conflict with Jin. Prior to 1141, military commanders including Han Shizhong and Yue Fei reconquered portions of the Central Plains while chancellors like Lü Yihao, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Qin Hui managed the civil bureaucracy.

Emperor Gaozong of Song
宋高宗
Palace portrait on a hanging scroll, kept in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Emperor of the Song dynasty
Reign12 June 1127 – 26 March 1129
Coronation12 June 1127
PredecessorEmperor Qinzong
SuccessorZhao Fu
Reign20 April 1129 – 24 July 1162
PredecessorZhao Fu
SuccessorEmperor Xiaozong
Retired Emperor of the Song dynasty
Reign24 July 1162 – 9 November 1187
BornZhao Gou
12 June 1107
Bianliang, Northern Song (present-day Kaifeng, Henan, China)
Died9 November 1187(1187-11-09) (aged 80)
Lin'an, Southern Song (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China)
Burial
Yongsi Mausoleum (永思陵, in present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang)
Consorts
(died 1139)

(before 1187)
IssueZhao Fu
Second Princess Kang
Third Princess Kang
Fourth Princess Kang
Fifth Princess Kang
Era dates
Jianyan (建炎; 1127–1130)
Shaoxing (紹興; 1131–1162)
Posthumous name
Emperor Shouming Zhongxing Quangong Zhide Shengshen Wuwen Zhaoren Xianxiao (受命中興全功至德聖神武文昭仁憲孝皇帝) (conferred in 1191)
Temple name
Gaozong (高宗)
HouseZhao
DynastySong (Southern Song)
FatherEmperor Huizong
MotherEmpress Xianren
Signature
Emperor Gaozong of Song
Chinese宋高宗
Literal meaning"High Ancestor of the Song"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinSòng Gāozōng
Zhao Gou
Traditional Chinese趙構
Simplified Chinese赵构
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhào Gòu
Deji
(courtesy name)
Chinese德基
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDéjī

In 1141, Gaozong collaborated with Qin to pursue a peace settlement with Jin. Although the resulting Treaty of Shaoxing ceded the Central Plains and formally established Song as a Jin tributary, it ensured two decades of uninterrupted peace, allowing the Southern Song state to achieve internal stability and open a lucrative trade with Jin. Furthermore, it served to preclude the return of Emperor Qinzong, who remained in captivity in Jin and whose release could have jeopardized Gaozong's claim to the throne. Gaozong and Qin then secured court control over the military, forcing Han Shizhong and the general Zhang Jun into retirement and executing Yue Fei on trumped-up charges. Despite his successes as emperor, Gaozong's treatment of Yue, who was remembered as a national folk hero, tainted his reputation in both traditional historiography and popular memory.

Gaozong's only biological son, Zhao Fu, died in childhood. In 1160, he adopted his distant relative Zhao Yuan and elevated him to crown prince in 1162, shortly before abdicating in his favor. Despite his abdication, Gaozong retained de facto control of state affairs as retired emperor, continuing to oversee the dynasty until dying of natural causes in 1187, at the age of 80.

Early life Edit

Emperor Gaozong was the ninth son of Emperor Huizong and a younger half-brother of Emperor Qinzong. His mother, whose maiden family name was Wei (), was a concubine of Emperor Huizong. She was honoured as Empress Xianren (顯仁皇后; 1080–1159) after his ascension to the throne.

Emperor Gaozong was originally a prince named Zhao Gou during the reigns of his father and brother. After Emperor Huizong abdicated, his older brother Emperor Qinzong became emperor. During this time, the capital of Bianjing was under siege by the Jurchens. He was ordered to the Jurchen camp to negotiate peace by Qinzong in an effort to end the siege early but Zhao Gou was held for ransom. He later came back after being ransomed due to the Jurchens' doubts of his identity. After his brother and father and the capital of Bianjing were captured by forces of the Jurchen-led Jin Empire in the Jingkang Incident in 1127 along with majority of the imperial clan members due to his predecessors' incompetence and the imperial court's corruption, he escaped to Southern China due to being in Cizhou for a diplomatic mission and therefore, not in Bianjing.[1] In order to escape, Zhao Gou had to move province to province in order to escape the Jin troops. The Jurchens tried to lure him back to Bianjing where they could finally capture him, but did not succeed.[2] Zhao Gou finally arrived in the Song Southern Capital at Jiankang, the first of many temporary capitals.[3]

Reign Edit

Enthronement Edit

 
Quatrain on the Heavenly Mountain, calligraphy by Emperor Gaozong.

After proving himself to be a more competent administrator than his predecessors, he won support from imperial court's remnants of his ascension to the throne; he reestablished the Song Empire (historically known as the Southern Song dynasty) and was proclaimed as Emperor Gaozong with the era name Jianyan in Jiankang (present Nanjing) which at the time was a temporary residence for the remnants of the Song. The new reign name Jianyan 建炎, literally meaning "Establishing the Fire," suggests the Southern Song's continuation to the Northern Song (Fire was the dynastic element of the Song as decided in the early years of the dynasty).[4] He would later move to Yingtianfu (應天府; modern Shangqiu) due to the historical significance to Emperor Taizu of Song.[1]

From 1127 to 1129, the Song sent thirteen embassies to the Jin to discuss peace terms and to negotiate the release of Gaozong's mother and Huizong, but the Jin court ignored them.[5] The Da Chu, a puppet state established by the Jin Empire, was abolished in 1127 when Zhang Bangchang and the regent of Da Chu, the former Empress Meng, submitted to Emperor Gaozong, who then ordered Zhang's execution under pressure from Li Gang.

Emperor Gaozong's early reign was filled with Jurchen raids and attacks on his realm. This can be traced to Zhang's execution and the submission of Da Chuto Song, which ultimately caused the Jin to renew their attacks and quickly conquer Northern China.[6] Initially, he employed military leaders such as Li Gang, Zong Ze, Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and Yu Yunwen to lead the Song forces to hold off the Jurchens, as well as to improve his public image through his declaration to restore the Song Empire to its former glory. However, when one of Li Gang's guerrilla forces, the Red Scarf Army, scored a major victory against the Jin troops and almost captured their commander-in-chief, the emperor dismissed the minister on a trumped-up charge, implying that he did not want to win this battle, because if Song won, Emperor Qinzong might be restored.[7]

Owing to the vulnerability of Yingtianfu, Emperor Gaozong moved to Yangzhou in late 1127 or early 1128.[8] However, Yangzhou proved to be no safe haven for the Song either, as barely a year later the Jurchens advanced to the point were they were threatening to capture Yangzhou. When the Jurchens advanced to the Huai River, the court was partially evacuated to Lin'an (modern Hangzhou) in 1129.[9] Days later, Gaozong narrowly escaped on horseback, just a few hours ahead of Jurchen vanguard troops.[10][11]

Mutiny and first abdication Edit

 
Seated portrait of Emperor Gaozong.

On March 26, 1129, Gaozong lost his throne to a mutiny that was instigated by the palace guards led by Miao Fu (苗傅) and Liu Zhengyan (劉正彥). They were unsatisfied with Gaozong's decision to appoint their adversary Wang Yuan to an important imperial post hence would outrank them. Banding together with at least ten thousand palace guards under the pretense that Wang and the court eunuchs were plotting, Miao and Liu mutinied and murdered Wang. They then forced Gaozong to abdicate in favor of his two-year-old son, Zhao Fu. The plot came to an abrupt end less than a month later on April 20, 1129, when Miao and Liu were defeated by Gaozong's loyal army, led by Han Shizhong, and were both executed for treason. Gaozong's son later died from illness after an unofficial reign of three months. After being restored to the throne, Gaozong himself was pursued by Jin forces and was not in full control of southern China until the late 1130s. The mutiny would cause Emperor Gaozong to move his capital to Jiankang.[12]

In 1130, Wuzhu, a Jurchen general, crossed the Yangtze southwest of Jiankang and then captured the city.[13] Wuzhu set out from Jiankang and advanced rapidly to try to capture Gaozong.[14] The Jin seized Hangzhou on January 22 and then Shaoxing further south on February 4 where Emperor Gaozong was almost captured by Wuzhu at Mingzhou near Lin'an but Zhang Jun, another general who briefly halted the Jin advance, giving Emperor Gaozong the chance to flee the city by ship.[15] Soon, the Jurchens gave up the pursuit and retreated north.[15] After they plundered the undefended cities of Hangzhou and Suzhou, they finally started to face resistance from Song armies led by Yue Fei and Han Shizhong.[15]

In 1130, during the Battle of Huangtiandang, when fleeing to the south, he had the newly appointed commander-in-chief, Yue Fei, who was only 27 years old at the time, to help with the defense, and Yue scored a major victory against the Jin armies neared Nanjing. After the Song forces defeated the Jin, they stayed north of the Yangzi River, and Emperor Gaozong declared the city of Lin'an as the dynasty's new temporary capital, replacing Kaifeng in 1133.[16][17]

Having no surviving sons of his own, he adopted two boys in 1133: one of them became the foster son of the future Empress Wu in 1140, and the other one in 1142.[18]

Invasion of Da Qi Edit

Reluctant to let the war drag on, the Jin decided to create Da Qi (the "Great Qi") in 1130, their second attempt at a puppet state in Northern China.[19] The Jurchens believed that this state, nominally ruled by someone of Han Chinese descent, would be able to attract the allegiance of disaffected members of the insurgency. The Jurchens also suffered from a shortage of skilled manpower, and controlling the entirety of northern China was not administratively feasible.[19] In the final months of 1129, Liu Yu (劉豫; 1073–1143) won the favor of the Jin Emperor Taizong. Da Qi[19] had more autonomy than the previous Da Chu[5] although Liu Yu was obligated to obey the orders of the Jurchen generals.[5] With Jin support, Da Qi invaded the Song in November 1133. Li Cheng, a Song turncoat who had joined the Qi, led the campaign. They initially had success as Xiangyang and nearby prefectures fell to his army. The capture of Xiangyang on the Han River gave the Jurchens a passage into the central valley of the Yangtze River.[20] However, their southward push was halted by the general Yue Fei.[21] In 1134, Yue Fei defeated Li and retook Xiangyang and its surrounding prefectures. But later that year, Qi and Jin initiated a new offensive further east along the Huai River. For the first time, Emperor Gaozong issued an edict officially condemning Da Qi. The armies of Qi and Jin won a series of victories in the Huai Valley, but were repelled by Han Shizhong near Yangzhou and by Yue Fei at Luzhou (廬州, modern Hefei).[22] In 1135, the Jin Emperor Taizong died. This caused the Da Qi to suddenly withdraw, giving the Song time to regroup.[22] The Da Qi lost a battle at Outang (藕塘), in modern Anhui, against a Song army led by Yang Qizhong (楊沂中). The victory boosted Song morale, and the military commissioner Zhang Jun convinced Emperor Gaozong to begin plans for a counterattack. Emperor Gaozong initially agreed, but he quickly abandoned the counteroffensive when an officer named Li Qiong (酈瓊) killed his superior official and defected to the Jin with tens of thousands of soldiers.

Steps towards Peace Edit

 
 
Emperor Xizong (left) and the Chancellor Qin Hui (middle) and Emperor Gaozong (right) all took steps to ratify peace.

Meanwhile, Emperor Xizong inherited the Jin throne from Taizong, and pushed for peace.[23] He and his generals were disappointed with Liu Yu's military failures and believed that Liu was secretly conspiring with Yue Fei.[23] These conditions caused the Jin to officially abolish Da Qi in late 1137 and the Jin and Song began negotiations towards peace.[23]

When Emperor Gaozong was eventually told of the death of Huizong and Empress Zheng in 1137, he reportedly reacted quite severely, ordering an extended period of mourning.[24]

In 1138, Gaozong officially declared Lin'an the capital of the dynasty, but the label of temporary capital would still be in place.[25] Despite this, Lin'an would remain the capital of the Southern Song for the next 150 years, growing into a major commercial and cultural center.[26]

Gaozong promoted Qin Hui in 1138 and put him in charge of deliberations with the Jin.[23] Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and a large number of officials at court criticized the peace overtures.[27] Aided by his control of the Censorate, Qin purged his enemies and continued negotiations.

Treaty of Shaoxing Edit

 
Left: Emperor Gaozong supported negotiating a peace treaty with the Jurchens, the Treaty of Shaoxing, ratified on October 11, 1142.

After years of fighting and significant military success, Emperor Gaozong settled on a pacifist stance.[28] One of the major reasons behind this was that Emperor Gaozong and the chancellor Qin Hui did not want the Song army to defeat the Jurchens and destroy the Jin Dynasty, as this might result in Gaozong's half-brother - the last emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Qinzong, who was living in Jin-imposed exile in Manchuria - being recalled to the throne. If this happened, Gaozong would lose power. At the time, Yue Fei and Han Shizhong were preparing to attack Kaifeng and recapture it. Fearing that a victory at Kaifeng might cause the Jurchens to release Emperor Qinzong, Emperor Gaozong followed their advice, sending 12 orders back in the form of 12 gold plaques to Yue Fei, recalling him to the capital. There, Yue Fei said, in tears, "Thirty years of effort now is wasted." Emperor Gaozong also recalled every soldier under threats to kill their families. After Yue Fei's return to the capital, Emperor Gaozong and Qin Hui imprisoned him on a trumped-up charge under "groundless" (Chinese: 莫須有; pinyin: mò xū yǒu) and had him put to death.[29] Han Shizhong was also dismissed from his military duties. On October 11, 1142, the Song and Jin empires signed the Treaty of Shaoxing, which recognised the Jurchens' claims to the former Song territories they had already conquered. This meant that Emperor Gaozong had to give up all land north of the Huai River, in exchange for peace between the two empires. Aside from two incidents, this peace would last for seventy years.[30][31] The Song also had to pay a yearly tribute of 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 packs of silk to the Jin.[32]

The negotiation allowed the emperor's mother and other selected members of the imperial clan (including a woman claimed to be his half-sister Princess Roufu (Zhao Duofu), whom he later sentenced to death under suspicion of impersonating an imperial princess) to return to Song; Empress Wei was then named Empress Dowager in Southern Song. However, the treaty designated the Song as the "insignificant state", while the Jin was recognized as the "superior state". People would later blame the emperor for Yue Fei's death and vilify him as a hypocritical tyrant who sought to solidify power at the expense of greater danger to Song. However, although the treaty's terms resulted in Song becoming a vassal state to the Jin, it saved Song's economy: since the dynasty's founding, the regime had lost more capital on military defenses than on annual payments to their neighbors, about three-quarters of state revenue. Thus, even if Gaozong wanted to recover the lost territories, he could not afford it financially; the cost of rebuilding the Song's northern territories would have risked bankrupting the south. In addition, with the southern part of China remaining under Song control, the transport of goods became more cost-effective by boat via the streams and camels criss-crossing the region. It also eliminated obstacles to trades, allowing traders to import goods between Song and Jin territories.[33][34] Qin Hui, in a reply to Gaozong's gratitude for the success of the peace negotiations, told the emperor that "the decision to make peace was entirely Your Majesty's. Your servant only carried it out; what achievement was there in this for me?"[35]

Emperor Gaozong was also a notable poet and had significant influence on other Chinese poets. Among his surviving works is the Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain.

In 1161, the ruler of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Liang, wishing to unify China under his regime, declared war on the Song in the Battle of Tangdao and the Battle of Caishi. The Jin lost the war. An important consequence of this was to remove Song's status as a vassal state, although it still had to pay tribute. Wanyan Liang was assassinated shortly afterwards, when many Jin officers rebelled as a result of the Jin defeat.

As Retired Emperor Edit

In 1162, after reigning for more than 35 years, Emperor Gaozong abdicated. Because his only son, Zhao Fu, had died of illness around the age of two, Emperor Gaozong passed the throne to his adopted son and distant cousin Zhao Shen, who then became Emperor Xiaozong. Emperor Gaozong's handling of the Battle of Caishi with Wanyan Liang may also have contributed to his decision to retire. In retirement he assumed the title of Taishang Huang ("Retired Emperor") and retained some power until his death in 1187.

His death saddened Emperor Xiaozong and caused him to abdicate only two years after Gaozong's death.

Sister Song's Fish Soup Edit

 
Sister Song's Fish Soup (宋嫂魚羹)

In 1180, Gaozong, when cruising on the West Lake, came across an elderly woman known as Fifth Sister Song, who escaped to Hangzhou after the Jurchens occupied the former capital and made her living by running a diner near the lake. After Gaozong tried one bowl from her, he offered her gold and silk after enjoying it. This event made her soup dish famous in the Southern Song capital; it then named Sister Song's Fish Soup (宋嫂魚羹) and she became a wealthy culinarian. It remains a traditional dish in the Zhejiang cuisine.[36]

Family Edit

Consorts and Issue:

  • Empress Xianjie, of the Xing clan (憲節皇后 邢氏; 1106–1139), personal name Bingyi (秉懿)
  • Empress Xiansheng, of the Wu clan (憲聖皇后 吳氏; 1115–1197)
  • Noble Consort, of the Zhang clan (张贵妃, d.1190)
  • Worthy Consort, of the Zhang clan (張賢妃 張氏, d. 22 March 1147)[37]
  • Worthy Consort, of the Liu clan (劉賢妃 劉氏, d. 1187)
  • Worthy Consort, of the Pan clan (賢妃 潘氏; d. 1148)
    • Zhao Fu, Crown Prince Yuanyi (元懿皇太子 趙旉; 1127–1129), first son
  • Lady of Graceful Ceremony, of the Liu clan (劉婉儀 劉氏)
  • Beauty, of the Feng clan (美人 冯氏)
  • Unknown
    • First Princess Kang (康大宗姬; 1124–1127), personal name Fuyou (佛佑), first daughter
    • Second Princess Kang (康二宗姬; b. 1124), personal name Shenyou (神佑), second daughter
    • Third Princess Kang (康三宗姬; b. 1125)
    • Fourth Princess Kang (康四宗姬; b. 1126)
    • Fifth Princess Kang (康五宗姬; b. 1126)

Ancestry Edit

Zhao Yunrang (995–1059)
Emperor Yingzong of Song (1032–1067)
Lady Ren
Emperor Shenzong of Song (1048–1085)
Gao Zunfu
Empress Xuanren (1032–1093)
Lady Cao
Emperor Huizong of Song (1082–1135)
Chen Jirong
Chen Shougui
Empress Qinci (1058–1089)
Emperor Gaozong of Song (1107–1187)
Wei Shunchen
Wei Zihua
Lady Duan
Wei Anli
Lady Du
Empress Xianren (1080–1159)
Lady Song

See also Edit

  1. Chinese emperors family tree (middle)
  2. List of emperors of the Song dynasty
  3. Architecture of the Song dynasty
  4. Culture of the Song dynasty
  5. Economy of the Song dynasty
  6. History of the Song dynasty
  7. Society of the Song dynasty
  8. Technology of the Song dynasty
  9. Yue Fei
  10. Jin–Song Wars
  11. Tang Clan

References Edit

  1. ^ a b Tao 2009, p. 647.
  2. ^ Mote 1999, p. 291.
  3. ^ Franke 1994, p. 230; Mote 1999, p. 197.
  4. ^ Chen, Yuan (2014). "Legitimation Discourse and the Theory of the Five Elements in Imperial China". Journal of Song-Yuan Studies. 44 (1): 325–364. doi:10.1353/sys.2014.0000. ISSN 2154-6665. S2CID 147099574.
  5. ^ a b c Tao 2009, p. 658.
  6. ^ Tao 2009, p. 649.
  7. ^ Mah, Adeline (2009). China: Land of Dragon and Emperors. New York: Random House, Inc. pp. 108–116. ISBN 9780385737487.
  8. ^ Mote 1999, p. 293; Tao 2009, p. 650.
  9. ^ Tao 2009, p. 650.
  10. ^ Mote 1999, p. 293.
  11. ^ Mote, Frederick W. (2003). Imperial China: 900–1800. Harvard University Press. pp. 292–3. ISBN 978-0-674-01212-7.
  12. ^ Tao 2009, p. 652.
  13. ^ Tao 2009, p. 654.
  14. ^ Mote 1999, p. 298.
  15. ^ a b c Tao 2009, p. 655.
  16. ^ Mah, Adeline (2009). China: Land of Dragon and Emperors. New York: Random House, Inc. pp. 108–116. ISBN 9780385737487.
  17. ^ Mote 1999, p. 298 (date of return to Hangzhou); Tao 2009, p. 696 (renamed Lin'an).
  18. ^ Lily Xiao Hong Lee, Sue Wiles: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 - 1644
  19. ^ a b c Franke 1994, p. 230.
  20. ^ Tao 2009, p. 674.
  21. ^ Franke 1994, p. 232.
  22. ^ a b Tao 2009, p. 675.
  23. ^ a b c d Tao 2009, p. 677.
  24. ^ Toqto'a and Alutu (1346), liezhuan di er houfei xia
  25. ^ Tao 2009, p. 662.
  26. ^ Mote 1999, pp. 197 (150 years) and 461 (major Song city).
  27. ^ Tao 2009, p. 679.
  28. ^ Peter Allan Lorge (2005). War, politics and society in early modern China, 900–1795. Taylor & Francis. p. 55. ISBN 0-415-31690-1. Retrieved March 2, 2012. He therefore initially brought the belligerent Li Gang back into government to reassure the officials and generals of his intent to resist the Jurchen and perhaps recapture the north, and then sacked Li and brought in officials more concerned with Gaozong's personal authority. The military situation began to change, however, as Song loyalist forces became more coordinated and competent generals emerged to deal the Jurchen several defeats. Jurchen armies also began to run into the usual operational problems that diminished the power of steppe armies on extended campaigns. Even in economically-developed areas, an army that lived off the land could not return through the same place it had just looted. As Jurchen soldiers became more encumbered with loot, they became less mobile and less interested in further campaigning, though they might be more willing to return in the future. Southern China was also much less favorable for cavalry than northern China, and the Jurchen had to cross not only numerous small rivers and canals but also the Huai and Yangzi rivers.
  29. ^ Qian, Cai. General Yue Fei. Trans. Honorable Sir T.L. Yang. Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd. (1995) ISBN 978-962-04-1279-0
  30. ^ Franke 1994, p. 235.
  31. ^ Hymes 2000, p. 34.
  32. ^ Beckwith 2009, p. 175.
  33. ^ Ebrey, PatriciaCam (1996). China. New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 138–150. ISBN 052166991X.
  34. ^ Franke 1994, p. 234.
  35. ^ Tao 2009, pp. 688–689.
  36. ^ Zhang, Enlai (2008). Chinese Cuisine - Recipe and Their Stories (3rd ed.). Beijing, China: Foreign Language Press. pp. 88–89. ISBN 9787119028248.
  37. ^ Adoptive mother of Song Xiaozong.

Works cited Edit

  • Beckwith, Christopher I. (2009). Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-13589-2.
  • Franke, Herbert (1994). "The Chin dynasty". In Denis Twitchett; John King Fairbank (eds.). The Cambridge History of China: Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 710–1368. Cambridge University Press. pp. 215–320. ISBN 978-0-521-24331-5.
  • Hymes, Robert (2000). "China, Political History". In John Stewart Bowman (ed.). Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture. Columbia University Press. pp. 3–78. ISBN 978-0-231-11004-4.
  • Mote, Frederick W. (1999). Imperial China: 900–1800. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-44515-5.
  • Tao, Jing-Shen (2009). "The Move to the South and the Reign of Kao-tsung". In Paul Jakov Smith; Denis C. Twitchett (eds.). The Cambridge History of China: Volume 5, The Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors, 907-1279. Cambridge University Press. pp. 556–643. ISBN 978-0-521-81248-1.
Emperor Gaozong of Song
Born: 12 June 1107 Died: 9 November 1187
Regnal titles
Preceded by Emperor of the Song Dynasty
1127–1162
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Emperor Huizong
Retired Emperor of China
1162–1187
Vacant
Title next held by
Emperor Xiaozong

emperor, gaozong, song, confused, with, emperor, gaozong, tang, emperor, gaozong, qing, this, chinese, name, family, name, zhao, june, 1107, november, 1187, personal, name, zhao, courtesy, name, deji, tenth, emperor, chinese, song, dynasty, first, southern, so. Not to be confused with Emperor Gaozong of Tang or Emperor Gaozong of Qing In this Chinese name the family name is Zhao Emperor Gaozong of Song 12 June 1107 9 November 1187 personal name Zhao Gou courtesy name Deji was the tenth emperor of the Chinese Song dynasty and the first of the Southern Song dynasty ruling between 1127 and 1162 and retaining power as retired emperor from 1162 until his death in 1187 The ninth son of Emperor Huizong and a younger half brother of Emperor Qinzong Zhao Gou was not present in the capital of Bianjing when it fell to the Jurchen led Jin dynasty in 1127 during the beginning of the Jin Song Wars Narrowly avoiding capture by Jin forces he escaped first to Yangzhou and then Lin an assuming the throne and reestablishing the Song court Despite initial setbacks including Jin invasions and a brief deposition in 1129 Emperor Gaozong consolidated his political position and presided over the continued military conflict with Jin Prior to 1141 military commanders including Han Shizhong and Yue Fei reconquered portions of the Central Plains while chancellors like Lu Yihao Zhao Ding Zhang Jun and Qin Hui managed the civil bureaucracy Emperor Gaozong of Song 宋高宗Palace portrait on a hanging scroll kept in the National Palace Museum Taipei TaiwanEmperor of the Song dynastyReign12 June 1127 26 March 1129Coronation12 June 1127PredecessorEmperor QinzongSuccessorZhao FuReign20 April 1129 24 July 1162PredecessorZhao FuSuccessorEmperor XiaozongRetired Emperor of the Song dynastyReign24 July 1162 9 November 1187BornZhao Gou12 June 1107Bianliang Northern Song present day Kaifeng Henan China Died9 November 1187 1187 11 09 aged 80 Lin an Southern Song present day Hangzhou Zhejiang China BurialYongsi Mausoleum 永思陵 in present day Shaoxing Zhejiang ConsortsEmpress Xianjie died 1139 wbr Empress Xiansheng before 1187 wbr IssueZhao FuSecond Princess KangThird Princess KangFourth Princess KangFifth Princess KangEra datesJianyan 建炎 1127 1130 Shaoxing 紹興 1131 1162 Posthumous nameEmperor Shouming Zhongxing Quangong Zhide Shengshen Wuwen Zhaoren Xianxiao 受命中興全功至德聖神武文昭仁憲孝皇帝 conferred in 1191 Temple nameGaozong 高宗 HouseZhaoDynastySong Southern Song FatherEmperor HuizongMotherEmpress XianrenSignatureEmperor Gaozong of SongChinese宋高宗Literal meaning High Ancestor of the Song TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinSong GaozōngZhao GouTraditional Chinese趙構Simplified Chinese赵构TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinZhao GouDeji courtesy name Chinese德基TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinDejiIn 1141 Gaozong collaborated with Qin to pursue a peace settlement with Jin Although the resulting Treaty of Shaoxing ceded the Central Plains and formally established Song as a Jin tributary it ensured two decades of uninterrupted peace allowing the Southern Song state to achieve internal stability and open a lucrative trade with Jin Furthermore it served to preclude the return of Emperor Qinzong who remained in captivity in Jin and whose release could have jeopardized Gaozong s claim to the throne Gaozong and Qin then secured court control over the military forcing Han Shizhong and the general Zhang Jun into retirement and executing Yue Fei on trumped up charges Despite his successes as emperor Gaozong s treatment of Yue who was remembered as a national folk hero tainted his reputation in both traditional historiography and popular memory Gaozong s only biological son Zhao Fu died in childhood In 1160 he adopted his distant relative Zhao Yuan and elevated him to crown prince in 1162 shortly before abdicating in his favor Despite his abdication Gaozong retained de facto control of state affairs as retired emperor continuing to oversee the dynasty until dying of natural causes in 1187 at the age of 80 Contents 1 Early life 2 Reign 2 1 Enthronement 2 2 Mutiny and first abdication 2 3 Invasion of Da Qi 2 4 Steps towards Peace 2 5 Treaty of Shaoxing 3 As Retired Emperor 3 1 Sister Song s Fish Soup 4 Family 5 Ancestry 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Works citedEarly life EditFurther information Jingkang Incident Emperor Gaozong was the ninth son of Emperor Huizong and a younger half brother of Emperor Qinzong His mother whose maiden family name was Wei 韋 was a concubine of Emperor Huizong She was honoured as Empress Xianren 顯仁皇后 1080 1159 after his ascension to the throne Emperor Gaozong was originally a prince named Zhao Gou during the reigns of his father and brother After Emperor Huizong abdicated his older brother Emperor Qinzong became emperor During this time the capital of Bianjing was under siege by the Jurchens He was ordered to the Jurchen camp to negotiate peace by Qinzong in an effort to end the siege early but Zhao Gou was held for ransom He later came back after being ransomed due to the Jurchens doubts of his identity After his brother and father and the capital of Bianjing were captured by forces of the Jurchen led Jin Empire in the Jingkang Incident in 1127 along with majority of the imperial clan members due to his predecessors incompetence and the imperial court s corruption he escaped to Southern China due to being in Cizhou for a diplomatic mission and therefore not in Bianjing 1 In order to escape Zhao Gou had to move province to province in order to escape the Jin troops The Jurchens tried to lure him back to Bianjing where they could finally capture him but did not succeed 2 Zhao Gou finally arrived in the Song Southern Capital at Jiankang the first of many temporary capitals 3 Reign EditEnthronement Edit nbsp Quatrain on the Heavenly Mountain calligraphy by Emperor Gaozong After proving himself to be a more competent administrator than his predecessors he won support from imperial court s remnants of his ascension to the throne he reestablished the Song Empire historically known as the Southern Song dynasty and was proclaimed as Emperor Gaozong with the era name Jianyan in Jiankang present Nanjing which at the time was a temporary residence for the remnants of the Song The new reign name Jianyan 建炎 literally meaning Establishing the Fire suggests the Southern Song s continuation to the Northern Song Fire was the dynastic element of the Song as decided in the early years of the dynasty 4 He would later move to Yingtianfu 應天府 modern Shangqiu due to the historical significance to Emperor Taizu of Song 1 From 1127 to 1129 the Song sent thirteen embassies to the Jin to discuss peace terms and to negotiate the release of Gaozong s mother and Huizong but the Jin court ignored them 5 The Da Chu a puppet state established by the Jin Empire was abolished in 1127 when Zhang Bangchang and the regent of Da Chu the former Empress Meng submitted to Emperor Gaozong who then ordered Zhang s execution under pressure from Li Gang Emperor Gaozong s early reign was filled with Jurchen raids and attacks on his realm This can be traced to Zhang s execution and the submission of Da Chuto Song which ultimately caused the Jin to renew their attacks and quickly conquer Northern China 6 Initially he employed military leaders such as Li Gang Zong Ze Yue Fei Han Shizhong and Yu Yunwen to lead the Song forces to hold off the Jurchens as well as to improve his public image through his declaration to restore the Song Empire to its former glory However when one of Li Gang s guerrilla forces the Red Scarf Army scored a major victory against the Jin troops and almost captured their commander in chief the emperor dismissed the minister on a trumped up charge implying that he did not want to win this battle because if Song won Emperor Qinzong might be restored 7 Owing to the vulnerability of Yingtianfu Emperor Gaozong moved to Yangzhou in late 1127 or early 1128 8 However Yangzhou proved to be no safe haven for the Song either as barely a year later the Jurchens advanced to the point were they were threatening to capture Yangzhou When the Jurchens advanced to the Huai River the court was partially evacuated to Lin an modern Hangzhou in 1129 9 Days later Gaozong narrowly escaped on horseback just a few hours ahead of Jurchen vanguard troops 10 11 Mutiny and first abdication Edit nbsp Seated portrait of Emperor Gaozong On March 26 1129 Gaozong lost his throne to a mutiny that was instigated by the palace guards led by Miao Fu 苗傅 and Liu Zhengyan 劉正彥 They were unsatisfied with Gaozong s decision to appoint their adversary Wang Yuan to an important imperial post hence would outrank them Banding together with at least ten thousand palace guards under the pretense that Wang and the court eunuchs were plotting Miao and Liu mutinied and murdered Wang They then forced Gaozong to abdicate in favor of his two year old son Zhao Fu The plot came to an abrupt end less than a month later on April 20 1129 when Miao and Liu were defeated by Gaozong s loyal army led by Han Shizhong and were both executed for treason Gaozong s son later died from illness after an unofficial reign of three months After being restored to the throne Gaozong himself was pursued by Jin forces and was not in full control of southern China until the late 1130s The mutiny would cause Emperor Gaozong to move his capital to Jiankang 12 In 1130 Wuzhu a Jurchen general crossed the Yangtze southwest of Jiankang and then captured the city 13 Wuzhu set out from Jiankang and advanced rapidly to try to capture Gaozong 14 The Jin seized Hangzhou on January 22 and then Shaoxing further south on February 4 where Emperor Gaozong was almost captured by Wuzhu at Mingzhou near Lin an but Zhang Jun another general who briefly halted the Jin advance giving Emperor Gaozong the chance to flee the city by ship 15 Soon the Jurchens gave up the pursuit and retreated north 15 After they plundered the undefended cities of Hangzhou and Suzhou they finally started to face resistance from Song armies led by Yue Fei and Han Shizhong 15 In 1130 during the Battle of Huangtiandang when fleeing to the south he had the newly appointed commander in chief Yue Fei who was only 27 years old at the time to help with the defense and Yue scored a major victory against the Jin armies neared Nanjing After the Song forces defeated the Jin they stayed north of the Yangzi River and Emperor Gaozong declared the city of Lin an as the dynasty s new temporary capital replacing Kaifeng in 1133 16 17 Having no surviving sons of his own he adopted two boys in 1133 one of them became the foster son of the future Empress Wu in 1140 and the other one in 1142 18 Invasion of Da Qi Edit Reluctant to let the war drag on the Jin decided to create Da Qi the Great Qi in 1130 their second attempt at a puppet state in Northern China 19 The Jurchens believed that this state nominally ruled by someone of Han Chinese descent would be able to attract the allegiance of disaffected members of the insurgency The Jurchens also suffered from a shortage of skilled manpower and controlling the entirety of northern China was not administratively feasible 19 In the final months of 1129 Liu Yu 劉豫 1073 1143 won the favor of the Jin Emperor Taizong Da Qi 19 had more autonomy than the previous Da Chu 5 although Liu Yu was obligated to obey the orders of the Jurchen generals 5 With Jin support Da Qi invaded the Song in November 1133 Li Cheng a Song turncoat who had joined the Qi led the campaign They initially had success as Xiangyang and nearby prefectures fell to his army The capture of Xiangyang on the Han River gave the Jurchens a passage into the central valley of the Yangtze River 20 However their southward push was halted by the general Yue Fei 21 In 1134 Yue Fei defeated Li and retook Xiangyang and its surrounding prefectures But later that year Qi and Jin initiated a new offensive further east along the Huai River For the first time Emperor Gaozong issued an edict officially condemning Da Qi The armies of Qi and Jin won a series of victories in the Huai Valley but were repelled by Han Shizhong near Yangzhou and by Yue Fei at Luzhou 廬州 modern Hefei 22 In 1135 the Jin Emperor Taizong died This caused the Da Qi to suddenly withdraw giving the Song time to regroup 22 The Da Qi lost a battle at Outang 藕塘 in modern Anhui against a Song army led by Yang Qizhong 楊沂中 The victory boosted Song morale and the military commissioner Zhang Jun convinced Emperor Gaozong to begin plans for a counterattack Emperor Gaozong initially agreed but he quickly abandoned the counteroffensive when an officer named Li Qiong 酈瓊 killed his superior official and defected to the Jin with tens of thousands of soldiers Steps towards Peace Edit nbsp nbsp Emperor Xizong left and the Chancellor Qin Hui middle and Emperor Gaozong right all took steps to ratify peace Meanwhile Emperor Xizong inherited the Jin throne from Taizong and pushed for peace 23 He and his generals were disappointed with Liu Yu s military failures and believed that Liu was secretly conspiring with Yue Fei 23 These conditions caused the Jin to officially abolish Da Qi in late 1137 and the Jin and Song began negotiations towards peace 23 When Emperor Gaozong was eventually told of the death of Huizong and Empress Zheng in 1137 he reportedly reacted quite severely ordering an extended period of mourning 24 In 1138 Gaozong officially declared Lin an the capital of the dynasty but the label of temporary capital would still be in place 25 Despite this Lin an would remain the capital of the Southern Song for the next 150 years growing into a major commercial and cultural center 26 Gaozong promoted Qin Hui in 1138 and put him in charge of deliberations with the Jin 23 Yue Fei Han Shizhong and a large number of officials at court criticized the peace overtures 27 Aided by his control of the Censorate Qin purged his enemies and continued negotiations Treaty of Shaoxing Edit Further information Treaty of Shaoxing nbsp Left Emperor Gaozong supported negotiating a peace treaty with the Jurchens the Treaty of Shaoxing ratified on October 11 1142 After years of fighting and significant military success Emperor Gaozong settled on a pacifist stance 28 One of the major reasons behind this was that Emperor Gaozong and the chancellor Qin Hui did not want the Song army to defeat the Jurchens and destroy the Jin Dynasty as this might result in Gaozong s half brother the last emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty Emperor Qinzong who was living in Jin imposed exile in Manchuria being recalled to the throne If this happened Gaozong would lose power At the time Yue Fei and Han Shizhong were preparing to attack Kaifeng and recapture it Fearing that a victory at Kaifeng might cause the Jurchens to release Emperor Qinzong Emperor Gaozong followed their advice sending 12 orders back in the form of 12 gold plaques to Yue Fei recalling him to the capital There Yue Fei said in tears Thirty years of effort now is wasted Emperor Gaozong also recalled every soldier under threats to kill their families After Yue Fei s return to the capital Emperor Gaozong and Qin Hui imprisoned him on a trumped up charge under groundless Chinese 莫須有 pinyin mo xu yǒu and had him put to death 29 Han Shizhong was also dismissed from his military duties On October 11 1142 the Song and Jin empires signed the Treaty of Shaoxing which recognised the Jurchens claims to the former Song territories they had already conquered This meant that Emperor Gaozong had to give up all land north of the Huai River in exchange for peace between the two empires Aside from two incidents this peace would last for seventy years 30 31 The Song also had to pay a yearly tribute of 250 000 taels of silver and 250 000 packs of silk to the Jin 32 The negotiation allowed the emperor s mother and other selected members of the imperial clan including a woman claimed to be his half sister Princess Roufu Zhao Duofu whom he later sentenced to death under suspicion of impersonating an imperial princess to return to Song Empress Wei was then named Empress Dowager in Southern Song However the treaty designated the Song as the insignificant state while the Jin was recognized as the superior state People would later blame the emperor for Yue Fei s death and vilify him as a hypocritical tyrant who sought to solidify power at the expense of greater danger to Song However although the treaty s terms resulted in Song becoming a vassal state to the Jin it saved Song s economy since the dynasty s founding the regime had lost more capital on military defenses than on annual payments to their neighbors about three quarters of state revenue Thus even if Gaozong wanted to recover the lost territories he could not afford it financially the cost of rebuilding the Song s northern territories would have risked bankrupting the south In addition with the southern part of China remaining under Song control the transport of goods became more cost effective by boat via the streams and camels criss crossing the region It also eliminated obstacles to trades allowing traders to import goods between Song and Jin territories 33 34 Qin Hui in a reply to Gaozong s gratitude for the success of the peace negotiations told the emperor that the decision to make peace was entirely Your Majesty s Your servant only carried it out what achievement was there in this for me 35 Emperor Gaozong was also a notable poet and had significant influence on other Chinese poets Among his surviving works is the Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain In 1161 the ruler of the Jin Dynasty Wanyan Liang wishing to unify China under his regime declared war on the Song in the Battle of Tangdao and the Battle of Caishi The Jin lost the war An important consequence of this was to remove Song s status as a vassal state although it still had to pay tribute Wanyan Liang was assassinated shortly afterwards when many Jin officers rebelled as a result of the Jin defeat As Retired Emperor EditIn 1162 after reigning for more than 35 years Emperor Gaozong abdicated Because his only son Zhao Fu had died of illness around the age of two Emperor Gaozong passed the throne to his adopted son and distant cousin Zhao Shen who then became Emperor Xiaozong Emperor Gaozong s handling of the Battle of Caishi with Wanyan Liang may also have contributed to his decision to retire In retirement he assumed the title of Taishang Huang Retired Emperor and retained some power until his death in 1187 His death saddened Emperor Xiaozong and caused him to abdicate only two years after Gaozong s death Sister Song s Fish Soup Edit nbsp Sister Song s Fish Soup 宋嫂魚羹 In 1180 Gaozong when cruising on the West Lake came across an elderly woman known as Fifth Sister Song who escaped to Hangzhou after the Jurchens occupied the former capital and made her living by running a diner near the lake After Gaozong tried one bowl from her he offered her gold and silk after enjoying it This event made her soup dish famous in the Southern Song capital it then named Sister Song s Fish Soup 宋嫂魚羹 and she became a wealthy culinarian It remains a traditional dish in the Zhejiang cuisine 36 Family EditConsorts and Issue Empress Xianjie of the Xing clan 憲節皇后 邢氏 1106 1139 personal name Bingyi 秉懿 Empress Xiansheng of the Wu clan 憲聖皇后 吳氏 1115 1197 Noble Consort of the Zhang clan 张贵妃 d 1190 Worthy Consort of the Zhang clan 張賢妃 張氏 d 22 March 1147 37 Worthy Consort of the Liu clan 劉賢妃 劉氏 d 1187 Worthy Consort of the Pan clan 賢妃 潘氏 d 1148 Zhao Fu Crown Prince Yuanyi 元懿皇太子 趙旉 1127 1129 first son Lady of Graceful Ceremony of the Liu clan 劉婉儀 劉氏 Beauty of the Feng clan 美人 冯氏 Unknown First Princess Kang 康大宗姬 1124 1127 personal name Fuyou 佛佑 first daughter Second Princess Kang 康二宗姬 b 1124 personal name Shenyou 神佑 second daughter Third Princess Kang 康三宗姬 b 1125 Fourth Princess Kang 康四宗姬 b 1126 Fifth Princess Kang 康五宗姬 b 1126 Ancestry EditZhao Yunrang 995 1059 Emperor Yingzong of Song 1032 1067 Lady RenEmperor Shenzong of Song 1048 1085 Gao ZunfuEmpress Xuanren 1032 1093 Lady CaoEmperor Huizong of Song 1082 1135 Chen JirongChen ShouguiEmpress Qinci 1058 1089 Emperor Gaozong of Song 1107 1187 Wei ShunchenWei ZihuaLady DuanWei AnliLady DuEmpress Xianren 1080 1159 Lady SongSee also EditChinese emperors family tree middle List of emperors of the Song dynasty Architecture of the Song dynasty Culture of the Song dynasty Economy of the Song dynasty History of the Song dynasty Society of the Song dynasty Technology of the Song dynasty Yue Fei Jin Song Wars Tang ClanReferences Edit a b Tao 2009 p 647 Mote 1999 p 291 Franke 1994 p 230 Mote 1999 p 197 Chen Yuan 2014 Legitimation Discourse and the Theory of the Five Elements in Imperial China Journal of Song Yuan Studies 44 1 325 364 doi 10 1353 sys 2014 0000 ISSN 2154 6665 S2CID 147099574 a b c Tao 2009 p 658 Tao 2009 p 649 Mah Adeline 2009 China Land of Dragon and Emperors New York Random House Inc pp 108 116 ISBN 9780385737487 Mote 1999 p 293 Tao 2009 p 650 Tao 2009 p 650 Mote 1999 p 293 Mote Frederick W 2003 Imperial China 900 1800 Harvard University Press pp 292 3 ISBN 978 0 674 01212 7 Tao 2009 p 652 Tao 2009 p 654 Mote 1999 p 298 a b c Tao 2009 p 655 Mah Adeline 2009 China Land of Dragon and Emperors New York Random House Inc pp 108 116 ISBN 9780385737487 Mote 1999 p 298 date of return to Hangzhou Tao 2009 p 696 renamed Lin an Lily Xiao Hong Lee Sue Wiles Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women Volume II Tang Through Ming 618 1644 a b c Franke 1994 p 230 Tao 2009 p 674 Franke 1994 p 232 a b Tao 2009 p 675 a b c d Tao 2009 p 677 Toqto a and Alutu 1346 liezhuan di er houfei xia Tao 2009 p 662 Mote 1999 pp 197 150 years and 461 major Song city Tao 2009 p 679 Peter Allan Lorge 2005 War politics and society in early modern China 900 1795 Taylor amp Francis p 55 ISBN 0 415 31690 1 Retrieved March 2 2012 He therefore initially brought the belligerent Li Gang back into government to reassure the officials and generals of his intent to resist the Jurchen and perhaps recapture the north and then sacked Li and brought in officials more concerned with Gaozong s personal authority The military situation began to change however as Song loyalist forces became more coordinated and competent generals emerged to deal the Jurchen several defeats Jurchen armies also began to run into the usual operational problems that diminished the power of steppe armies on extended campaigns Even in economically developed areas an army that lived off the land could not return through the same place it had just looted As Jurchen soldiers became more encumbered with loot they became less mobile and less interested in further campaigning though they might be more willing to return in the future Southern China was also much less favorable for cavalry than northern China and the Jurchen had to cross not only numerous small rivers and canals but also the Huai and Yangzi rivers Qian Cai General Yue Fei Trans Honorable Sir T L Yang Joint Publishing H K Co Ltd 1995 ISBN 978 962 04 1279 0 Franke 1994 p 235 Hymes 2000 p 34 Beckwith 2009 p 175 Ebrey PatriciaCam 1996 China New York Cambridge University Press pp 138 150 ISBN 052166991X Franke 1994 p 234 Tao 2009 pp 688 689 Zhang Enlai 2008 Chinese Cuisine Recipe and Their Stories 3rd ed Beijing China Foreign Language Press pp 88 89 ISBN 9787119028248 Adoptive mother of Song Xiaozong Works cited Edit Beckwith Christopher I 2009 Empires of the Silk Road A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present Princeton University Press ISBN 978 0 691 13589 2 Franke Herbert 1994 The Chin dynasty In Denis Twitchett John King Fairbank eds The Cambridge History of China Volume 6 Alien Regimes and Border States 710 1368 Cambridge University Press pp 215 320 ISBN 978 0 521 24331 5 Hymes Robert 2000 China Political History In John Stewart Bowman ed Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture Columbia University Press pp 3 78 ISBN 978 0 231 11004 4 Mote Frederick W 1999 Imperial China 900 1800 Harvard University Press ISBN 0 674 44515 5 Tao Jing Shen 2009 The Move to the South and the Reign of Kao tsung In Paul Jakov Smith Denis C Twitchett eds The Cambridge History of China Volume 5 The Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors 907 1279 Cambridge University Press pp 556 643 ISBN 978 0 521 81248 1 Emperor Gaozong of SongHouse of ZhaoBorn 12 June 1107 Died 9 November 1187Regnal titlesPreceded byEmperor Qinzong Emperor of the Song Dynasty1127 1162 Succeeded byEmperor XiaozongHonorary titlesVacantTitle last held byEmperor Huizong Retired Emperor of China1162 1187 VacantTitle next held byEmperor Xiaozong Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Emperor Gaozong of Song amp oldid 1177884074, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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