Cheng, King of Han

Han Cheng (died 206 BC), also known as Han Wang Cheng in some Chinese historical texts, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Hán (韓國) of the Eighteen Kingdoms during the Chu–Han Contention, an interregnum between the Qin and Han dynasties of China.

Note: In this article, to differentiate between the Han state of the Warring States period and the Han dynasty, "Hán" will be used when referring to the former while "Han" will be reserved for the latter.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Han.
Cheng, King of Han
Traditional Chinese韓成
Simplified Chinese韩成
Han Wang Cheng
Traditional Chinese韓王成
Simplified Chinese韩王成
Literal meaningCheng, King of Han

Biography

Han Cheng was a descendant of the royal family of the Hán state of the Seven Warring States. He lived as a commoner during the Qin dynasty after his native state was conquered by the Qin state in 230 BC.

In 209 BC, when uprisings occurred throughout China to overthrow the Qin Empire, Han Cheng joined Xiang Liang's rebel force in the hope of reviving his native state. Along the way, he met Zhang Liang, a descendant of a bureaucratic family from the former Hán state. Zhang Liang succeeded in persuading Xiang Liang to restore the former Hán state and Han Cheng was appointed as its ruler with Zhang Liang serving as his chancellor. Xiang Liang also provided some troops to Han Cheng and allowed him to attack the Qin garrisons at Yingchuan (in present-day Henan).

After the fall of the Qin Empire in 206 BC, Xiang Yu divided the former Qin territories into the Eighteen Kingdoms. Han Cheng was appointed as the King of Hán (韓王). Months later, Xiang Yu had Han Cheng killed and replaced with Zheng Chang.

References
  • Sima, Qian. Records of the Grand Historian.
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