The Qian family had been providing military leaders to the Tang Dynasty since 887. Qian Liu[1] (852-932) was named the Prince of Yue in 902 with the title of Prince of Wu added two years later. When the Tang Dynasty fell in 907, to be replaced by the Later Liang Dynasty in the north, Qian Liu declared himself to be the King of Wuyue.
[1] Mote, F.W. (1999). Imperial China (900-1800). Harvard University Press, 11, 15, 22-23. ISBN 0674012127.
位于西湖柳浪闻莺处的钱王祠正门
Origin of Name
The name Wuyue comes from the combination of Wu Kingdom and Yue Kingdom, two ancient kingdoms during the Spring and Autumn Period from 770 to 476 BC.
Extent of the Wuyue Territory
With its capital in Xifu, now known as Hangzhou, the kingdom included present-day Zhejiang, Shanghai, along with the southern portion of Jiangsu Province. It would also later absorb some of the northern part of Fujian in the Min Kingdom (Ten Kingdoms) when it fell in 945. The territorial extant of Wuyue roughly corresponded to the territories of the ancient Yue, but not the ancient Wu -- which led to charges by the neighboring Wu (also known as Southern Wu) that Wuyue had designs on its territory, and the name was a source of tension for years between the two states.
In the early decades of its existence, Wuyue bordered the Min Kingdom on its south and the Southern Tang Kingdom on its west and north. With the rebellion of Yin from the Min from 943 to 945, it briefly gave Wuyue a third border. However, before long, Wuyue would be completely encircled (except for the East China Sea) as both Yin and Min were absorbed by the Southern Tang
Qian Liu’s Reign
Under Qian Liu's reign, Wuyue prospered economically and freely developed its own regional culture that continues to this day. He developed the coastal kingdom's agriculture, built seawalls, expanded Hangzhou, dredged rivers and lakes, and encouraged sea transport and trade. On his death-bed he urged a benign administration of state affairs and his words were strictly followed by four succeeding kings.
Cultural Legacy
The Wuyue Kingdom cemented the cultural and economic dominance of the Wuyue region in China for centuries to come, as well as creating a lasting regional cultural tradition distinctive from the rest of China. The leaders of the kingdom were noted patrons of Buddhism, and architecture, temple decoration, and religious sculptures related to Buddhism. The cultural distinctiveness that began developing over this period persists to this day as the Wuyue region speaks a dialect called Wu (the most famous variant of which is Shanghainese), has distinctive cuisine and other cultural traits.
Infrasructure
The physical legacy of the Wuyue Kingdom was the creation of the system of canals and dikes which allowed the region to become the most agriculturally rich region of China for many centuries. As a result, shrines to Qian Liu sprang up all across the region, and many can still be found today.
Rulers
- Qian Liu (907-932)
Qian Yuanguan (932-941)
Qian Zuo (941-947)
Qian Zong (947)
Qian Chu (947-978)
Foreign Diplomacy
In 935, Wuyue established official diplomatic relations with Japan. The kingdom also took advantage of its maritime location to maintain diplomatic contacts with north China, the Khitans, and Korea.
In the reign of King Qian Chu two unfortunate and inauspicious events occurred. The first was the king’s wife bore him only a daughter Qian Ling – leaving the throne without a male successor. The second was the rise of the Song Dynasty.
In 978, in the face of certain annihilation from northern imperial Chinese troops, the last king of Wuyue, Qian Shu, pledged allegiance to the Northern Song Dynasty, saving his people from war and economic destruction. While
Qian Shu nominally remained king, Wuyue was absorbed into the Song Dynasty, effectively ending the kingdom. The last king died in 988.QianLing
Qian Ling lived a relatively unremarkable life – except as it relates to me. She married Lei, Li Ming, from Xiaoshan; and they were blessed with three sons: Li Yuan, Ming Fei, and Jiu Hai.
As time passed, the descendants of Lei, Li Yuan raised pigs, and sold pork in the village near Xiaoshan. My Great-great-grandfather Lei, Jiu Wan developed a method of curing pig udders and hides and used to make winter clothing from them, which he sold in the public markets in Shanghai.
By chance in early 1890 he received an invitation from a Chicago businessman named Albert G. Spalding – whom he had met as a customer the year before, in Shanghai. Spalding made a remarkable offer to the young businessman – inviting him to bring his “tanning” process to America to help improve the quality of the official baseball his company had been commissioned to produce, a little over a decade before.
[2]Not favoring the weather conditions in Illinois, my Great-great-grandfather instead settled with his wife and five year old son in California near a city named Benicia, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
1850, Byron, IL 1915, San Diego, CA
Spalding was appointed United States Commissioner by President William McKinley at the 1900 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Around the time of his arrival Spalding was halfway between the development of footballs for the fledgling National Football League, and basketballs for James Nesmith’s new game.
[3]I am named for my Great-grandfather, whom I knew for the first ten years of my life. He often told me stories about China, and I wished for the day when I could return to reclaim my roots. Well … here I am!!!!
http://http://www.answers.com/topic/wuyue
[1] Mote, F.W. (1999). Imperial China (900-1800). Harvard University Press, 11, 15, 22-23. ISBN 0674012127.
[2] See the PBS story “Who Made America?” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/spalding_hi.html
