Heqin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heqin (traditional Chinese: 和親; simplified Chinese: 和亲; pinyin: Héqīn; literally "peace marriage") was a term used in ancient China for an alliance by marriage. It usually referred to the Chinese Emperor marrying off a "princess" (usually a pseudo-princess or concubine whom he had never met before) to an aggressive "barbarian" chieftain or ruler. The theory was that in exchange for the marriage, the chieftain would cease all aggressive actions toward China. The best-known example of heqin involved the beauty Wang Zhaojun. The first known instance of this type of marriage occurred in 200 BC, when a pseudo-princess was offered to Xiongnu Chanyu as suggested by Lou Jin (later given the surname Liu by the Imperial Court).

Heqin was engaged in by most dynasties in Chinese history to some extent. By contrast to their contemporaries, such as the Liao, Jin, Western Xia, Yuan and the Northern Yuan dynasties, the Song and Ming dynasties did not practice such alliances.

They were used to best effect by the Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, and the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty (to Mongols, etc.):

• Han Dynasty

200 BC—140 BC: 10 instances, to Xiongnu, including two nieces of the Emperor (wengzhu).

110 BC—101 BC: 2 instances, to Wusun.

60 BC—33 BC: 2 instances, to Xiongnu.

60: 1 instance, to Xiongnu (not including marriages between Chinese warlords and Chanyu during the Civil Wars).

• Tang Dynasty

640—690: 5 instances, to Tuyuhun, and 1 instance to Tibet.

710—745: 4 instances, to Khitan, 3 instances, to Xi, and 1 instance, to Tibet.

758—821: 7 instances, to Orkhon Uyghur (including two daughters of the Chinese Emeperor, i.e. real princesses, and 3 of Tiele descent).

883: 1 occurrence, to Nanzhao (second daughter of Emperor Yizong of Tang).

[edit] References

• Cui Mingde (2005). The History of Chinese Heqin: Brief Charts of Heqin Events. Beijing: Renmin Chubanshe. pp. 648–688. ISBN 7-01-004828-2. 

[edit] See also

• Sham marriage