Liu Chang (Southern Han) - Misplaced Pages

Liu Chang (Chinese: 劉鋹; 942–980), originally Liu Jixing (劉繼興), was the fourth, last and youngest emperor of China's Southern Han dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, reigning from 958 until the Southern Han was annexed by the Northern Song dynasty in 971.

Life

He succeeded his father Liu Sheng because he was the eldest son. He only left eunuchs in power in his court and mandated castration for anyone who wanted to work for his court because he believed people with children could not be completely loyal. When Liu Chang became Emperor he was only a "mere youth".

Reign

Liu became Emperor when he was sixteen years old. Historical records report that Liu Chang spent so much time with his harem that he abandoned government affairs. His most favorite concubine was one young Persian girl he called Mèi Zhū (媚豬). The "History of Five dynasties and Ten Kingdoms" described the Persian woman as having copper colored skin and large eyes. It was told that she loved pearls so Liu Chang ordered fishermen to dive to find thousands of pearls for his Persian lover Mei Zhu. Many of the fishermen died. He gave her a pearl dudou, pearl crowns, pearl blouses, and pearl skirts. He also used pearls and silver to renovate his palaces.

The historical text Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms recorded that Liu Chang indulged in sex games. He had alchemists create aphrodisiacs to induce sexual desire as pregame warmup. One of his games was called "Naked in Twos" (大體雙) in which he paired young men with palace women, made them strip naked and have sex together while he and his Persian lover were carried around to watch them. Liu and Mei Zhu then decided whether the man or woman "won". If the man "defeated" the woman, both were rewarded, but if the woman won and defeated the man, Liu had the man castrated.

Liu had sex all day and night and his body was physically unable to bear it, so he started to learn Jianyang techniques (健阳法) to invigorate his "yang" male energy (Jianyang involves increasing sexual desire and delaying ejaculation and orgasm, also see Taoist sexual practices). The Historical Records of the Five Dynasties says that Liu Chang spent all his time in the harem, and that he never came out to handle governance work, leaving it to Kong Chengshu and the eunuchs to take over government business. The naked orgies he had were similar to those his uncle Liu Bin had.

Graphic descriptions of what the Persian woman and Liu Chang did together were recorded in Qingyilu written by Tao Gu. The Yanyibian (豔異編) gives the same account as the Qingyilu. They mention a hall installed in his palace called "Hou chuang jian" (候窗監) where he indulged himself with her.

The fact that Liu Chang's harem had Persian girls is seen as evidence for the existence of a Persian community in southern China during this time. There was a thriving Persian community in Guangzhou during the 10th-12th centuries. The Persians in Guangzhou were called either Bosi 波斯 (Parsi) or Pusaman (菩萨蛮 "Bussulman") meaning "Muslim" in Persian.

Liu Chang also employed women shamans. He is also known to have held the "Red Cloud Banquet", a festival for the litchi fruit.

He was the last Emperor of Southern Han as his kingdom was defeated and taken over by the Song dynasty in 972. He reigned for a total of 14 years.

Family

Known Concubines

Noble Consort Li (李貴妃)
Beautiful Lady Li (李美人)
Lu Qiongxian, Talented Lady (才人盧瓊仙)
Su Xin, Beautiful Lady (美人素馨)
Mei Zhu (媚豬)

Sons

Liu Shoujie (劉守節)
Liu Shouzheng (劉守正)
Liu Shousu (劉守素)
Liu Shoutong (劉守通)

Statues of two of Liu Chang's sons were described as looking like "barbarian devils" and they may have come from the Persian woman.

References

Xiu Ouyang; Richard L. Davis (2004). Historical records of the five dynasties (illustrated, annotated ed.). Columbia University Press. p. 544. ISBN 0-231-12826-6. Retrieved January 4, 2012. Liu Chang, originally named Jixing, had been invested Prince of Wei. . .Because court affairs were monopolized by Gong Chengshu and cohort, Liu Chang in the inner palace could play his debauched games with female attendants, including a Persian. He never again emerged to inquire of state affairs
^ Miles, Steven B. (June 2002). "Rewriting the Southern Han (917-971): The Production of Local Culture in Nineteenth-Century Guangzhou". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 62 (1). Harvard-Yenching Institute: 48–49. doi:10.2307/4126584. JSTOR 4126584.
Ouyang, Xiu (2004). "Chapter 65 Hereditary House of Southern Han". Historical Records of the Five Dynasties. Translated by Davis, Richard L. Columbia University Press. pp. 535–547. ISBN 9780231128278. JSTOR 10.7312/davi12826.53.
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This article incorporates text from Journal of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volume 24, by Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. North China Branch, Shanghai, China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. China Branch, Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society, a publication from 1890, now in the public domain in the United States.
This article incorporates text from Journal of the China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for the year ..., Volumes 24-25, by Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. China Branch, a publication from 1890, now in the public domain in the United States.