Huang Chao

Huang Chao (zh-cpw|c=黃巢|p=Huáng Cháo|w=Huang Ch'ao, d. 884) was the leader of infamous Huang Chao Rebellion (874–884) in China that seriously weakened the once mighty Tang Dynasty of China. The dynasty, which was one of the strongest in the world at the time, was dissolved into the several decades of political upheaval called Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period.

Early life

The exact date and place of Huang Chao's birth is unknown; all that is known about his youth was that he was born around today's Shandong region, and he already wrote a poem when he was only 5. With his ability of writing and knowledge, he tried to enter politics by taking civil service examination. After failing the exam, he began to doubt the justice of the society and government and entered illegal salt dealing business (the salt business was monopolized by government of China since the reign of Emperor Wu of Han), advocating anti-government movement at the same time, along with other famous salt kingpins such as Wang Xianzhi.

Background of the Rebellion

The Tang Dynasty, established in 618, had already passed its golden age and entered its long decline beginning with the An Shi Rebellion by Turkish-Sogdian general An Lushan. The power of provincial military governors ("Jiedushi") increased greatly after imperial troops crushed the An Shi rebels. The morals of these generals also decayed as their power increased, the resentment of common people against the inability of the government grew, and their grievances exploded into several rebellions during the mid-9th century. Many impoverished farmers, tax-burdened landowners and merchants, as well as many large salt smuggling operations, formed the base of the anti-government rebellions of this period. Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao were two of the important rebel leaders during this era.

Rebellion and Expansion

Around the 870s a severe drought and famine struck northern and central China, and most of the starving people joined various criminal gangs, and turned into mobs. Wang Xianzhi, based on similar region with Huang Chao, revolted against Tang rule and began to gather followers. Huang Chao also rebelled against the government, leading his gang against regular army with guerilla tactics.

The Royal Tang court of Chang'an, upon hearing the news of the rebellion, dispatched the larger troops, and at the same time, began to work on the rivalry of two gangs. The Tang government rewarded Wang Xianzhi with formal office of the imperial court, and bribed his gang. Then Wang Xianzhi turned against Huang Chao; however, Huang Chao defeated and convinced Wang again to revolt against the emperor. Then Wang Xianzhi began to fight Tang forces once again, only to be captured and excuted by the Tang government. Large numbers of Wang Xianzhi's followers sided with Huang Chao's group, almost doubling the size of the gang. Huang Chao further expanded his power by attracting thousands and millions of impoverished farmers, merchants and anarchists. His army plundered and burnt several cities, in 880 Huang Chao's forces sacked both Chang'an and Luoyang which was at the time the largest city in China.

Downfall and Death

Although Huang Chao invited many former Tang officials to his new court, because it was established by a criminal, anarchist organization it had no real idea of how to govern the nation effectively. Meanwhile, Tang Emperor Xizong, still leading the Empire from a regional base in present-day Sichuan, started the counter-attack against the rebel troops. At the same time, Shatuo Turk chieftain Li Keyong allied himself with Tang officials, sending cavalry to the aid of the Tang, and began to harass Huang Chao's new regime. Huang Chao's forces surrendered Chang'an in 881, and Huang Chao began to flee eastward. In addition, a letter written by a Korean student Choe Chi-won convinced thousands of Huang's followers to betray Huang and return to Tang Dynasty.

On the other hand, Zhu Wen, once a loyal member of Huang Chao's gang, began to have other thoughts. In 882, he deserted his old boss and joined the imperial army with his unit. Immediately, Zhu was promoted to the rank of general and he drove Huang Chao to Tai Shan; Huang Chao, realizing his cause was lost, committed suicide in 884, thus ending the rebellion.

Legacy

Even though Huang Chao was just one of many rebel leaders in Chinese history, the significance of his rebellion equals that of Taiping Rebellion or the Yellow Turbans. Although the Huang's rebellion occurred in a smaller scale than An Shi Rebellion, it led to the downfall of Tang Dynasty in 907, by Huang Chao's former follower Zhu Wen. It also gave power to Turkish chief Li Keyong, whose son defeated Zhu Wen's Later Liang Dynasty and established Later Tang, extending the civil war even further. It also has significance in the sense of agrarian protest and anarchist movement. This was also the first major rebellion sprang by criminal organization(?)

Work Referenced