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174-522: The Southern Tang was founded by Li Bian in 937, when he overthrew emperor Yang Pu of Wu . He largely maintained peaceable relations with neighboring states. His son Li Jing did not follow this foreign policy, conquering the Min and Ma Chu dynasties in 945 and 951 respectively. The Later Zhou dynasty invaded the Southern Tang domain in 956 and defeated them by 958. Li Jing was forced to become

348-488: A Lixian Pavilion ( 禮賢院 ), where he collected books and discussed current events with learned guests, including Sun Sheng and Chen Jue . In 933, Song Qiqiu advised Xu Zhigao to move the Wu capital from Guangling to Jinling, and Xu thus began to build a palace complex at Jinling. He himself moved from his headquarters into a private residence, preparing to move the emperor there. However, after Zhou Zong pointed out that moving

522-502: A Qi government, he did so in early 937, including beginning to refer to his headquarters as a palace, and making Song and Xu Jie his chancellors and Zhou Zong and Zhou Tingyu ( 周廷玉 ) his chiefs of staff (內樞使, Neishushi , equivalent to other states' Shumishi ). He also changed his name to Xu Gao. Under Song's advice, he sent emissaries to Khitan Empire 's Emperor Taizong (Yelü Deguang) to establish friendly relations, to counter Later Jin , which then controlled central China. As it

696-405: A bronze sword for a dragon tail inkstone. In the 13th century Yao Mian (姚勉) wrote a poem about a dragon tail inkstone once opened by Su Shi : Its shape is round as the moon, And its tripod feet are like a toad's. It was the dragon tail inkstone from the dark jade bank. And was once appreciated by Su Shi in a snowy hall. During the late Tang dynasty Xi Nai (奚鼐) established himself as

870-493: A ceremony where they would remove mourning clothes that they had put on for Xu Wen's death; Xu Zhigao refused, claiming that Yang Pu would not let him leave the capital. Meanwhile, Zhou Zong told Zhou Tingwang to inform Xu Zhixun that he had been accused of seven major crimes and should go to the capital to defend himself. Xu Zhixun believed Zhou Tingwang, and therefore went to Guangling. Once he arrived there, Xu Zhigao detained him and did not allow him to return to Jinling, sending

1044-403: A conspiracy with Zhu and considered major reprisals. Xu Zhigao and Yan Keqiu , however, reported to him about Xu Zhixùn's acts that brought alienation – including his arrogance and lack of respect for even Yang Longyan, as his sovereign. Xu Wen, listening to them, did not carry out large scale reprisals. As all of his other sons were young, he made Xu Zhigao the junior regent with

1218-545: A daughter in marriage to Yan's son Yan Xu . In 919, Xu Wen advised Yang Longyan to claim imperial title. Yang Longyan declined, but claimed the greater title of King of Wu, thus ending connections to Tang. Xu Zhigao remained junior regent, now with the greater titles of Zuo Pushe (左僕射, one of the heads of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng )), de facto chancellor as Can Zhengshi ( 參政事 ), acting overseers of all military matters (知內外諸軍事, Zhi Neiwai Zhu Junshi ), and military prefect of Jiang. Later in

1392-524: A disaster on himself, and Run, being just across the Yangtze River from Guangling, would allow Xu Zhigao to react quickly. Xu Zhigao agreed, and took up the post thereafter. Over the years, Xu Zhigao and Xu Zhixùn developed an adversarial relationship, as Xu Zhixùn, as well as Xu Zhixún, did not truly consider Xu Zhigao a brother. However, Xu Zhijian had a good relationship with Xu Zhigao and helped to protect him. In 918, after Xu Zhixùn insulted

1566-682: A downturn of the Southern Tang economy. After forcible incorporation into the Song Empire the former southern kingdoms became the focal point of the Chinese economy. Throughout their brief period of independence they had "laid the groundwork for the great economic surge that followed." Copper mining in the north was heavily disrupted by the constant warfare of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era. In consequence bronze coins became scarce. The situation became dire in northern China. In 955

1740-412: A gathering of notable scholars that included Liu Ban (劉攽), Mei Yaochen, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi , noted its quality in poetic works. Ouyang Xiu later gifted Mei Yaochen two scrolls of Pure Heart Hall paper for calligraphy. Song painters utilized the paper for their artwork. Li Gonglin in particular only used Pure Heart Hall paper for his compositions. Among the culinary options available in the Southern Tang

1914-566: A lengthy mourning period for him, and honored him posthumously as Emperor Rui. (Due to the quickness of his death after yielding the throne, it was commonly believed that he was killed on the new emperor's orders, although definitive proof was lacking.) Meanwhile, a movement began among Xu Gao's officials to petition to have him change his surname back to Li, but he initially declined, citing that he did not want to forget Xu Wen's grace to him. In spring 939, apparently feeling justified because his younger brothers Xu Zhizheng and Xu Zhi'e had become

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2088-678: A metropolis of trade, banking, and cosmopolitanism, and was split out later as an independent municipality. Jiangnan also figures strongly in the Taiping Rebellion (1851 – 1864), a massive and deadly rebellion that attempted to set up a Christian theocracy in China; it started far to the south, in Guangdong province, swept through much of South China, and by 1853, had established Nanjing as its capital, renamed as Tianjing ( 天京 "Heavenly Capital"). The Republic of China

2262-434: A mirror, he commented, "The empire is safe, but I am getting old." Zhou Zong, hearing this, volunteered to go to Jiangdu to start hinting to Yang of the need for transition, as well as to inform this to Song. Xu agreed. However, when Song heard of this, he became intensely jealous of Zhou, and he wrote a letter to Xu, arguing that this was not the right time, and also asking that Zhou be put to death as an apology to Yang. As

2436-451: A penalty of one month of salary on himself, to show that even he himself was subject to punishment and to restore discipline. Meanwhile, over the years, Xu Zhixún, citing the fact that Xu Zhigao was not actually a biological son of Xu Wen's, repeatedly pleaded to Xu Wen to take over the junior regency. Yan Keqiu and Xu Jie also often spoke in favor of this change. Xu Wen, as Xu Zhigao was filially pious and careful, declined, and Xu Zhigao

2610-759: A prominent inkstick manufacturer in Hebei. His son Xi Chao (奚超) migrated to Shezhou to escape the continual instability of the period. There the family utilized Huangshan pine trees to produce huimo (徽墨) inksticks. The highest quality were produced by Xi Chao's son, Xi Tinggui, whose skill was recognized by Li Yu. The Southern Tang ruler bestowed his family name (Li) to the Xi family in honor of their craftsmanship. Now called Li Tinggui, his products became known as Li Tinggui mo (李廷珪墨 "Li Tinggui Ink"), while those made by his relatives were called Lishi mo (李氏墨 "Li Family Ink"). Initial Song emperors did not value Lishi mo and used it as

2784-580: A rebellion in the Later Jin territory Anyuan . Li Bian broke his policy of maintaining peaceable relations with neighboring states in a campaign that ultimately ended in Southern Tang failure. The military commissioner of Anyuan, Li Jinquan , contacted the Southern Tang with an offer to change allegiance from the Later Jin to the Southern Tang realm. Li Bian accepted the offer and sent an army northwards. Southern Tang forces met up with Li Jinquan as planned. But against Li Bian's commands its commanders ordered

2958-447: A result, Xu demoted Zhou to be the deputy military prefect of Chi Prefecture (池州, in modern Chizhou). However, when Li Jianxun and Xu Jie subsequently also encouraged Xu Zhigao to take the throne, Xu Zhigao recalled Zhou and, from that point on, began to distance himself from Song. As Xu Zhigao was apprehensive of Yang Meng still, he had others make accusations against Yang Meng for secretly making weapons and hiding fugitives. Yang Meng

3132-528: A son go but to his parents? When father is angry, I go to mother. This is what human nature is." Xu Wen became even more loving of him, and often put him in charge of family matters. (Xu Wen had six biological sons known to history – Xu Zhixùn , Xu Zhixún , Xu Zhihui ( 徐知誨 ), Xu Zhijian ( 徐知諫 ), Xu Zhizheng ( 徐知證 ), and Xu Zhi'e ( 徐知諤 ); and it appeared that at least five, if not all six, were younger than Xu Zhigao. ) When Xu Zhigao grew older, he became known for calligraphy and archery; he

3306-490: A source of paint for restoration projects. It was not until the reign of Emperor Renzong that Lishi mo and Li Tinggui mo in particular were recognized for their quality. Emperors gave them as presents to their scholars. Cai Xiang created a collection of Lishi mo made by four generations of the Li family. Emperor Shenzong rewarded the polymath Su Song with Li Tinggui mo for his scholarly pursuits. Li Tinggui's ink remained

3480-470: A trend that was however aborted. The Qing dynasty converted Nanzhili to "Jiangnan province"; in 1666 Jiangsu and Anhui were split apart as separate provinces. Jiangsu's borders have been for the most part stable since then. With the start of Western incursion into China in the 1840s, the rich and mercantile Yangtze river delta was increasingly exposed to Western influence; Shanghai , originally an unremarkable little town of Jiangsu, quickly developed into

3654-656: A unique style of landscape painting known as the Southern School, which influence artists in the Song and Yuan dynasties. Sculptures crafted with detailed pictorial reliefs became widespread and surviving examples can be found at the Qixia Temple outside Nanjing. The Hanlin Academy (翰林院) was founded in 943 and had large amounts of accomplished painters. There were only two other artistic academies in operation during

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3828-734: A vassal of the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou , cede all territory north of the Yangtze River , and relinquish his title of emperor. In 960, the Southern Tang became a vassal of the newly established Northern Song dynasty . After the Emperor Taizu of Song had defeated the Later Shu and the Southern Han , he ordered the conquest of the Southern Tang , which was completed in 975. The names and titles used by Southern Tang rulers changed several times throughout its existence. In

4002-531: A verbal confrontation in which Xu Zhixun stated, "When the deceased Prince [(i.e., Xu Wen, who carried the title of Prince of Donghai)] left this world, you, older brother, were his son. How could it be that you did not attend to his funereal matters?" Xu Zhigao responded, "You had a sword drawn, intended for me. How could I dare to go? You are a subject, so how could you have ridden on imperial wagons and worn imperial clothes?" When Xu Zhixun then questioned him about his actions, Xu Zhigao realized that Zhou Tingwang

4176-507: A well-developed irrigation system, which earned it (especially the southern half) the moniker of traditional Chinese : 水鄕 ; simplified Chinese : 水乡 ( shuǐxiāng "land of water"). The southern city of Suzhou has so many canals that it has been dubbed " Venice of the East " or the "Venice of the Orient". The Grand Canal of China cuts through Jiangsu from north to south, crossing all

4350-505: Is " 苏 " ( Sū ), the second character of its name. During the earliest Chinese dynasties, the area that is now Jiangsu was far away from the center of Chinese civilization, which was in the northwest Henan ; it was home of the Huai barbarians ( 淮夷 ), an ancient ethnic group. During the Zhou dynasty more contact was made, and eventually the state of Wu appeared in southern Jiangsu, one of

4524-587: Is also often referred to as the First Lord of Southern Tang ( 南唐先主 ). He was an adopted son and successor of the Yang Wu regent Xu Wen who usurped power from the Yang Wu emperor Yang Pu . Li Bian was born in 889 at Pengcheng (彭城, in modern Xuzhou , Jiangsu ), during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang , and might have been known as Li Pengnu in his childhood. His father was named Li Rong ( 李榮 ), who

4698-405: Is divided into thirteen prefecture-level divisions , all prefecture-level cities (including a sub-provincial city ): These prefecture-level cities are in turn subdivided into 95 county-level divisions (55 districts , 21 county-level cities , and 19 counties ). Those are in turn divided into 1,237 township-level divisions (699 towns , 19 townships , and 519 subdistricts ). At the end of

4872-601: Is extensively networked with expressways, going in all directions. The Yanhai Expressway links the coastal regions of the province, passing through Nantong , Yancheng , and Lianyungang . Historically, the province was divided by the Yangtze River into northern and southern regions. The first bridge across the river in Jiangsu, the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge , was completed in 1968 during

5046-471: Is home to one of the most extensive transportation networks in China. Nanjing Lukou International Airport ( IATA : NKG ) serves as the major airport in the province, with flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Frankfurt, Bangkok, Milan, Vancouver and Los Angeles. Other passenger airports include Sunan Shuofang International Airport , Changzhou Benniu Airport , Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport , and Nantong Xingdong Airport . Air traffic in

5220-575: Is on the Jinghu railway from Beijing to Shanghai , as well as the high speed line between the two cities: Shanghai–Nanjing intercity railway and Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway , completed in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Since the completion of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line, travel time between Beijing and Nanjing has been reduced to approximately four hours (from eleven hours previously); travel time between Nanjing and Shanghai on

5394-602: Is one of the most developed in the country. The Beijing–Shanghai Expressway (G2) enters the province from the north and passes through Huai'an, Yangzhou, Taizhou, and Wuxi on the way to Shanghai; travelling from Shanghai westbound, the G2 forks at Wuxi and continues onto Nanjing separately as G42, the Shanghai–Nanjing Expressway , which serves the widely travelled southern corridor of the province. The Ningchang Expressway links Nanjing with Changzhou . The Suzhou area

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5568-676: The Cultural Revolution . The second bridge crossing, Jiangyin Bridge , opened 30 years later at Jiangyin . As of October 2014, there were 11 cross-Yangtze bridges in the province, including the five in Nanjing, which also has two cross-river tunnels. The Jiangyin Bridge (1,385 m (4,544 ft)), Runyang Bridge (opened in 2005, connecting Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, 1,490 m (4,890 ft)), and Fourth Nanjing Bridge (opened in 2012; 1,418 m (4,652 ft)) all rank among

5742-587: The Double First-Class Construction , ranking second after Beijing . As of 2023, four major cities in Jiangsu ranked in the world's top 200 (Nanjing 6th, Suzhou 40th, Zhenjiang 166th and Wuxi 188th) cities by scientific research output , as tracked by the Nature Index . Jiangsu's name is a compound of the first elements of the names of the two cities of Jiangning (now Nanjing ) and Suzhou . The abbreviation for this province

5916-599: The Huai River cut through north Jiangsu to reach the Yellow Sea . The Huai River is a major river in central China, and it was the traditional border between North China and South China . Since 1194 A.D., the Yellow River further to the north changed its course several times, running into the Huai River in north Jiangsu each time instead of its other usual path northwards into Bohai Bay . The silting caused by

6090-686: The Hui and the Manchus . In 2021, 73.94 percent of the province lived in urban areas, while 26.06 lived in rural areas. Population: 85.05 million (urban: 62.89 million; rural: 39.421 million) Birth rate : 5.65 per 1000 Death rate : 6.77 per 1000 Sex ratio : 103.05 males per 100 females Literacy rate : 96.94% Religion in Jiangsu The predominant religions in Jiangsu are Chinese folk religions , Taoist traditions and Chinese Buddhism . According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 16.67% of

6264-775: The Jin-Song wars , and Huai River , which used to cut through north Jiangsu to reach the Yellow Sea , was the border between the north, under the Jin, and the south, under the Southern Song dynasty . The Mongols took control of China in the thirteenth century. The Ming dynasty , which was established in 1368 after driving out the Mongols who had occupied China, initially put its capital in Nanjing . Regions surrounding Nanjing, corresponding to Jiangsu and Anhui today, were designated as

6438-866: The Kuomintang government and Communist forces , based further north, mostly in Northeast China . The decisive Huaihai Campaign was fought in northern Jiangsu; it resulted in Kuomintang defeat, and the communists were soon able to cross the Yangtze River and take Nanjing. The Kuomintang fled southward and eventually ended up in Taipei , from which the Republic of China government continues to administer Taiwan , Pescadores , and its neighboring islands, though it also continues to claim (technically, at least) Nanjing as its rightful de jure capital. After

6612-537: The Lake Tai region to the south a major base of silk production in China. Jiangsu is an important producer of freshwater fish and other aquatic products. Jiangsu has coal , petroleum , and natural gas deposits, but its most significant mineral products are non-metal minerals such as halite (rock salt), sulfur , phosphorus , and marble . The city of Xuzhou is a coal hub of China. The salt mines of Huaiyin have more than 0.4 trillion tonnes of deposits, one of

6786-574: The People's Republic of China . It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing . Jiangsu is the third smallest , but the fifth most populous , with a population of 84.75 million, and the most densely populated of the 23 provinces of the People's Republic of China. Jiangsu has the highest GDP per capita and second-highest GDP of Chinese provinces, after Guangdong . Jiangsu borders Shandong in

6960-601: The Yellow River was so heavy that after its last episode of "hijacking" the Huai River ended in 1855: the Huai River was no longer able to go through its usual path into the sea. Instead it flooded, pooled up (thereby forming and enlarging Lake Hongze and Lake Gaoyou ), and flowed southwards through the Grand Canal into the Yangtze . The old path of the Huai River is now marked by a series of irrigation channels,

7134-719: The Yelü Deguang to overthrow his brother-in-law Li Congke of the Later Tang with Khitan forces. He ceded the Sixteen Prefectures , promised annual tribute, and accepted a subordinate role to Yelü Deguang. In return the Khitan ruler appointed Shi Jingtang as Emperor of the Later Jin . Throughout his reign Shi Jingtang maintained amicable relations with his overlord, despite criticism from many officials. In

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7308-533: The state of Yue , another state that had emerged to the south in modern-day Zhejiang province. Yue was in turn subjugated by the powerful state of Chu from the west in 333 BC. Eventually the state of Qin swept away all the other states, and unified China in 221 BC. Under the reign of the Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD), Jiangsu was removed from the centers of civilization in the North China Plain , and

7482-565: The " Ruler of the State of Jiangnan " ( 江南國主 ). He however used the title " Ruler of Tang " ( 唐國主 ) and " Seal of Tang " ( 唐國之印 ) for the government. Li Yu , the third and final Southern Tang monarch, initially used the title and seal of his father. He attempted to demonstrate obeisance to Emperor Taizu after the Song conquest of Southern Han . Li Yu created a more modest " Seal of Jiangnan " ( 江南國印 ) and abandoned "Ruler of Tang" in favor of "Ruler of

7656-593: The "Jiangsu CCP Party Chief ". In July 2021, the Jiangsu Intermediate Court established a labor tribunal to handle labor disputes arising from the platform economy . As of 2022, Jiangsu had a gross domestic product (GDP) of CNY¥ 12.29 trillion (US$ 1.83 trillion), the second-highest in China after Guangdong. Its GDP is greater than those of Australia and South Korea, which are the world's 12th- and 13th-largest economies respectively. In 2022, Jiangsu's GDP adjusted by purchasing power parity

7830-550: The "usurpers and thieves" in control of the Central Plains he declared he would act. After their defeat the Imperial Court would relocate to Chang'an and rebuild the dilapidated city. The restored Tang Empire would then encourage the remaining Southern states to recognize their legitimate rule and submit. Officials pushed for attacking the Later Jin. Li Bian refused to engage in a conflict at that time as he felt it

8004-649: The $ 20,000 mark. Cities like Nanjing, Suzhou , and Wuxi have GDPs per capita around twice the provincial average, making south Jiangsu one of the most prosperous regions in China. The province has an extensive irrigation system supporting its agriculture, which is based primarily on rice and wheat , followed by maize and sorghum . Main cash crops include cotton , soybeans , peanuts , rapeseed , sesame , ambary hemp , and tea . Other products include peppermint , spearmint , bamboo , medicinal herbs , apples , pears , peaches , loquats , ginkgo . Silkworms form an important part of Jiangsu's agriculture, with

8178-533: The 930s Xu Zhigao ruled as king over a sizeable territory called Qi ( 齊 ) that existed within Wu. After deposing the Yang Imperial family in 937 he adopted the title of emperor and announced the creation Great Qi ( 大齊 ). The Zizhi Tongjian referred to this state as Tang from its foundation, while the majority of historical sources, including the Old History of the Five Dynasties , New History of

8352-554: The Central Plains for the time being. Li Bian Li Bian (7 January 889 – 30 March 943), courtesy name Zhenglun , known as Xu Gao between 937 and 939 and Xu Zhigao before 937, and possibly Li Pengnu during his childhood, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Liezu of Southern Tang , was the founder and first emperor of the Chinese Southern Tang dynasty . In traditional histories, he

8526-476: The Central Plains logisitically challenging. Hino Kaisaburō has detailed the principle routes used for inland economic and diplomatic exchanges between northern and southern Chinese states. These were the Grand Canal , Gan River , and Xiang River . Control of the Grand Canal was divided between several states, therefore it was the least used route in the era. In 936 Shi Jingtang secured an alliance with

8700-428: The Central Plains, the Southern Tang were economically prosperous. This created bottlenecks for any army advancing north as long supply trains were required. The Southern Tang military utilized a combination of infantry and naval forces, while cavalry was seldom employed. However, in the open Central Plains cavalry forces held the advantage. Peter A. Lorge concluded that these circumstances made Southern Tang campaigns into

8874-425: The Central Plains. The greater agricultural productivity of the region created favorable conditions. Consistent tax revenues were secured with the growing disposable income of the populace. Interstate trading of specialized crafts like colored silks and salt reclaimed from the Huai River likewise was promoted by the Southern Tang. Agricultural practices along the lower Yangtze River had undergone major modifications in

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9048-570: The Five Dynasties , and the Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms , referred to the state as Qi. They begin to use Tang only after Xu Zhigao adopted the name Li Bian in 939. Unlike the continual unrest and rebellions of the Central Plains, Tang rule across the Yangtze and Southern China had been generally more successful. These halcyon days had become a source of nostalgia for people in

9222-491: The Later Zhou Emperor Chai Rong banned the possession of bronze utensils upon pain of death. The Southern Tang and their neighbors minted coinage from clay, iron, or lead. These coins for domestic circulation (despite having minimal value intrinsically) and to prevent the export of precious bronze coinage to neighboring states. Li Bian possibly cast a coin with the inscription Daqi Tongbao (大唐通寶) while

9396-558: The Nanzhili province (literally "southern directly governed"). Following a coup by Zhu Di (later, the Yongle Emperor ), however, the capital was moved to Beijing , far to the north, although Nanjing kept its status as the southern capital. In late Ming, Jiangnan continued to be an important center of trade in China; some historians see in the flourishing textiles industry at the time incipient industrialization and capitalism ,

9570-632: The National People's Congress in 2021, indicates the general direction and various steps towards a low-carbon transition. On a provincial level, the Jiangsu government aims to achieve an 18% carbon dioxide decrease per unit GDP and accelerate the development of a green, low-carbon economy, as indicated in the 14th five-year development. The province also plans to recover the damaged coastal regions such as Lianyugang and Yancheng , and improve resilience against rising sea level by implementing seawalls and river floodgates . Major cities: Jiangsu

9744-612: The Prince of Hongnong (later with the greater title of Prince of Wu). Xu effectively served as the regent and controlled Wu's government. Xu Zhigao was apparently given the command of the Yuancong Corps ( 元從 ). In 909, Xu Wen, believing that Jinling was a good defensible location and where the Hongnong fleet could be best stationed, took for himself the title of prefect of Sheng Prefecture (昇州, i.e., Jinling) but made Xu Zhigao

9918-524: The Song Dynasty. The foreign policy maintained by Li Bian has been described as maintaining a "martial conservatism." He recruited disaffected officials exiled from the north who found his realm to have bountiful resources. This made some of the newcomers contemplate its ability to expand territorially. The perceived need for Li Bian to prove his legitimacy through military conquest likewise motivated many Southern Tang officials. Li Bian however felt it

10092-616: The Southern Tang "the status of an independent state." Reign titles of rulers were likewise seen as unacceptable and their personal names were used exclusively. Yang Xingmi was the Jiedushi of Huainan Circuit during the final years of the Tang dynasty . Throughout a series of conflicts with neighboring officials he expanded his control over most contemporary Jiangsu and Anhui , along with parts of Jiangxi and Hubei . In 902 Emperor Zhaozong recognized Yang Xingmi's conquests and granted him

10266-503: The Southern Tang "to secure the four quarters" (經營四方) through military conquest. These typically disastrous schemes were formed by certain officials keen on creating opportunities for their own advancement. The term "Five Dynasties" was coined by Song dynasty historians and reflects the view that the successive regimes based in Bian possessed the Mandate of Heaven . Compared to regimes of

10440-401: The Southern Tang literati, a tradition that continued into the Song dynasty. The most valued dragon tail inkstone contained minerals of a golden hue and were called jinxing yan (金星硯). Emperor Zhenzong had a dragon tail inkstone among his collection, which provoked further interest in them by Song literati. Su Shi considered them second only to Phoenix beak inkstones (鳳咮硯), at point trading

10614-547: The Southern Tang, which created the most developed agricultural economy among the southern states. Rice farmers had better yields and in general had more disposable income than their predecessors. This led to more state revenue by taxes on cereal and cash crops. Li Bian pursued the economic development of his realm through a number of fiscal policies. Song Qiqiu drafted many initiatives that focused on tax reform that were implemented. According to Sima Guang these were successful, as "the lands of Huai were fully planted, sericulture

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10788-454: The State of Jiangnan", which remained used until 976 when he surrendered to the invading Song armies. Taizu gave Li Yu the humiliating title of Marquis of Disobedience (違名侯) when he arrived in Bian. Historical texts produced during the Song dynasty were named after Jiangnan, with variants of Jiangzuo ( 江左 ) and Jiangbiao ( 江俵 ) also used. By not using the formal name it claimed, authors denied

10962-402: The Wu capital Guangling and make Run Prefecture (潤州, in modern Zhenjiang , Jiangsu ) his headquarters. He left Xu Zhigao's brother Xu Zhixùn in charge at Guangling as the junior regent. However, Xu Zhixùn was arrogant and ran the government impulsively, which Xu Wen was unaware. Meanwhile, in 917, when Xu Wen went to Sheng to examine the prefecture, he was impressed by its prosperity. Under

11136-533: The Wuyue gained control of the prosperous port city Fuzhou. Chu was subjugated in 951 but much of the state was lost in a rebellion against the deeply unpopular Southern Tang administration. According to Sima Guang these initially successful campaigns against Chu and Min made Li Jing grow an "ambition for the empire." Xuan Xu recorded in the Jiangnan Lu that certain officials sent requests to the Imperial Court for

11310-558: The Zhuge brushes in popularity. Dragon tail inkstones were another literary tool produced by the Southern Tang. They were made in the vicinity of Wuyuan . Li Jing established the Inkstone Bureau (硯務) to set annual quotas of their production. Skilled craftsmen that worked for the bureau received monthly salaries. Efforts were overseen by an Inkstone Officer (硯官). Dragon tail inkstones were prized possessions and offered as gifts among

11484-415: The advice of the officer Chen Yanqian ( 陳彥謙 ), he decided to move his headquarters (in his role as the military governor of Zhenhai Circuit ( 鎮海) ) to Sheng, while moving Xu Zhigao from Sheng to serve as the military prefect of Run. Xu Zhigao did not want the Run post and requested the Xuan post, but Xu Wen refused to grant it. Song, however, pointed out to him secretly that Xu Zhixùn would soon be bringing

11658-461: The brushes. They later received praise from Song literati like Mei Yaochen and Ouyang Xiu . Zhuge brushes kept a position of prominence until the mid-Northern Song era. The quality of Zhuge brushes began to decline. Song scholars developed a new calligraphic style of writing frame-less characters (無骨字) which required more flexible brushes than those made by the Zhuge family. Competing brush producers from other areas, especially from Huizhou , overtook

11832-425: The bureaucratization of his court, taking power away from military officers. The constant turmoil of the Central Plains created a pool of experienced émigré officials that relocated to the more stable south. Li Bian was in particular interested in men versed in Confucian rituals. Ma Ling (馬令) reported that the civilian government maintained by Li Bian "was humane and attracted men from far and near." Among these recruits

12006-610: The capital was an expensive endeavor and that if he moved the capital to Jinling, he might needed to take up headquarters in Jiangdu (i.e., Guangling, now known as Jiangdu Municipality) instead. As a result, the project was cancelled, and he shortly after moved back into headquarters. Also in 933, the Wu general Jiang Yanhui ( 蔣延徽 ), trying to take advantage of a rebellion by Wu Guang ( 吳光 ) against Wu's southeastern neighbor Min , put Min's key city of Jian Prefecture (建州, in modern Nanping , Fujian ) under siege and nearly captured it. However, upon receiving reports of Jiang's campaign, Xu

12180-557: The care of the monks at Kaiyuan Temple ( 開元寺 ) at Hao. In 895, the major warlord Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou , Jiangsu ) attacked Hao and captured it. Yang's soldiers took Li Bian captive. Yang, finding Li Bian's appearance to be unusual, wanted to take him in as an adoptive son, but Yang's oldest son Yang Wo disliked Li Bian. Yang therefore gave Li Bian to his officer Xu Wen , and Xu took Li Bian as an adoptive son and renamed him Xu Zhigao. As Xu Wen's wife Lady Li had

12354-438: The ceremony, leave Xu Zhixùn there to be junior regent. However, he then fell ill, so he sent Xu Zhixùn to Guangling with his petition for Yang Pu to take imperial title and to take over for Xu Zhigao. Hearing this, Xu Zhigao drafted a petition to Yang Pu, where he would resign his offices and requested to be made the military governor of Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern Nanchang , Jiangxi ). However, while Xu Zhixùn

12528-564: The chancellors, Li Decheng , also advocating the same, Xu Gao converted the inner city of Run Prefecture into Danyang Palace and had Li Decheng move Yang Pu there; the entire Yang imperial clan was then moved into Danyang Palace as well and placed under heavy guard . Meanwhile, the officials were submitting many petitions asking for names of places that had characters of "Wu" or "Yang" be changed. At Xu Jie's suggestion that such matters should not become pressing matters, Xu Gao did not act on them. Around new year 939, Yang Pu died. Xu Gao declared

12702-511: The child, and so Yang decided to give the child to his lieutenant Xu Wen . The child was given the name Xu Zhigao. Using the threat of Wu-Yueh raids as an excuse, Xu Wen turned Chiang-nan into his base of operations. This in time would morph into the Kingdom of Qi. While Xu Wen assumed a position of power over the Yang family, he likely did not depose them due to unfavorable circumstances rather than

12876-535: The communist takeover, Beijing (formerly Peiping) was made capital of the People's Republic, and Nanjing was demoted to be the provincial capital of Jiangsu. The economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping initially focused on the south coast of China, in Guangdong province, which soon left Jiangsu behind; starting from the 1990s they were applied more evenly to the rest of China. Suzhou and Wuxi , two southern cities of Jiangsu in close proximity to neighboring Shanghai , have since become particularly prosperous, being among

13050-429: The discipline officer of Sheng as well as the deputy commander of the fleet, stationing at Sheng to be in charge of it. In 912, after a campaign in which Xu Wen destroyed one of the most ardent resisters to his regency, Li Yu ( 李遇 ) the governor of Xuan Prefecture (宣州, in modern Xuancheng , Anhui ), Xu Zhigao, for his participation in the campaign as the deputy commander to the general in charge, Chai Zaiyong ( 柴再用 ),

13224-523: The eastern outskirts of Suzhou, Singapore has built the Suzhou Industrial Park , a flagship of Sino- Singaporean cooperation and the only industrial park in China that is in its entirety the investment of a single foreign country. Jiangsu contains over 100 different economic and technological development zones devoted to different types of investments. The majority of Jiangsu residents are ethnic Han Chinese . Other minorities include

13398-683: The east–west river systems. Jiangsu also borders the Yellow Sea . The Yangtze River , the longest river of China, cuts through the province in the south and reaches the East China Sea , which divides the region into two parts: more urban, prosperous south and more poorer, rural north, and these two parts has a tense division. Mount Huaguo , near the city of Lianyungang , is the highest point in Jiangsu, at an altitude of 625 meters (2,051 ft) above sea level . Large lakes in Jiangsu include Lake Tai (the largest), Lake Hongze , Lake Gaoyou , Lake Luoma , and Lake Yangcheng . Before 1194 A.D.,

13572-578: The far north. Seasonal changes are clear-cut, with temperatures at an average of −1 to 4 °C (30 to 39 °F) in January and 26 to 29 °C (79 to 84 °F) in July. Rain falls frequently between spring and summer ( meiyu ), typhoons with rainstorms occur in late summer and early autumn. As with the rest of the coast, tornados are possible. The annual average rainfall is 800 to 1,200 millimeters (31 to 47 in), concentrated mostly in summer during

13746-625: The fastest high-speed trains takes just over an hour. As of 2022, all major cities in Jiangsu have been connected by high-speed lines, including: Shanghai-Nanjing intercity railway since 2010, Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway since 2011, Nanjing–Hangzhou high-speed railway since 2013, Nanjing–Anqing intercity railway since 2015, Lianyungang–Zhenjiang high-speed railway since 2020, Xuzhou–Yancheng high-speed railway since 2019, Yancheng–Nantong high-speed railway since 2020, Shanghai–Suzhou–Nantong railway since 2020, and Lianyungang–Xuzhou high-speed railway since 2021. Jiangsu's road network

13920-574: The final years of the Tang dynasty. Irrigation and water management systems were more complex than in previous years. Intensive cultivation of rice was conducted in lowlands and adjacent reclaimed areas from waterways. Silk production developed into a regional cottage industry as farmers planted mulberry trees alongside their cereal crop. Meanwhile, in nearby piedmont areas agriculturalists became specialized in growing tea or textile plants like hemp (麻) or ramie (苧). These practices were in efflorescence during

14094-471: The form of a subject) thanking him, but continued to use the formality of a subject. Yang Pu's crown prince Yang Lian , who was Xu Gao's son-in-law, was created a duke. Meanwhile, Xu created his wife Song Fujin empress, and Xu Jingtong the Prince of Wu, as well as a number of other honorific titles  – including Shangshu Ling ( 尚書令 ), which in Tang times had only been held by Emperor Taizong of Tang  – making him apparently

14268-399: The general Zhu Jin and tried to expel Zhu from the Wu central government, Zhu assassinated him and then, when corned by Xu Wen's close associate Zhai Qian ( 翟虔 ), committed suicide. Xu Zhigao, upon hearing of the disturbance at Guangling, took his troops, crossed the Yangtze, and pacified the city. After Xu Wen subsequently arrived, he suspected many other generals and officials of being in

14442-554: The general Chai Zaiyong ( 柴再用 ) the military governor of Wuchang, drawing Xu Zhixun's ire. Given Xu Zhixun's military strength, Xu Zhigao feared him, but Xu Zhixun's arrogance alienated his younger brothers, particularly both Xu Zhihui and Xu Zhijian; Xu Zhihui secretly reported Xu Zhixun's actions to Xu Zhigao, while Xu Zhijian, at Guangling, participated in Xu Zhigao's machinations against Xu Zhixun. Xu Jie, who had previously supported Xu Zhixun, also realized that Xu Zhixun lacked

14616-404: The generals Li Chengyu ( 李承裕 ) and Duan Chugong ( 段處恭 ) to aid Li Jinquan, but with instructions not to pillage and to, with haste, escort Li Jinquan back to Southern Tang territory safely. However, in violation of Li Bian's instructions, Li Chengyu seized Li Jinquan's wealth and tried to defend the city, and subsequently engaged and was defeated by the Later Jin general Ma Quanjie ( 馬全節 ). Duan

14790-541: The geopolitical position of the Southern Tang. He felt if the Southern Tang were to invade Wuyue, then the Later Jin would surely launch a counter-attack to protect their vassal. While the Min Kingdom was much easier to conquer, it was also likely to be a financial burden and source of disorder. Both states were much more useful as buffers against the North than areas of expansion. If a propitious opportunity arose to strike

14964-424: The greatest collections of deposits in China. Jiangsu is historically oriented toward light industries such as textiles and food industry . Since 1949, Jiangsu has developed heavy industries such as chemical industry and construction materials . Jiangsu's important industries include machinery, electronic, chemicals, and automobile. The government has worked hard to promote the solar industry and hoped by 2012

15138-604: The heir. (Xu Jingtong was soon renamed Xu Jing.) His uneasy relationship with his longtime friend Song Qiqiu continued, as although he made Song a chancellor, he did not give Song actual authorities, causing Song to be apprehensive. Believing that Xu Gao might be displeased that he had opposed the dynastic transition, he proposed moving Yang Pu to a more distant location and that a divorce be ordered between Yang Lian and Xu Gao's daughter (now titled Princess Yongxing ). Xu Gao rejected both proposals. However, in spring 938, with Yang Pu insisting moving out of his old palace and one of

15312-452: The honorable title of Emperor Gaoshang Sixuan Honggu Rang. Your palace, imperial train, and clothing will all remain the same. Your ancestral temples, insignia, and clothing colors will also remain the same as they were in the Wu days. Yang Pu, finding it untenable for the Southern Tang emperor to still be claiming to be his subject, wrote a letter back declining this humility. The Southern Tang emperor wrote another submission (i.e., still in

15486-425: The imperial physician had to summon Li Jing to his presence to attend to him. He stated to Li Jing, "I took these medications made of gold and rocks to try to lengthen my lifespan, but instead they harmed me. You should be cautious of this." He died that night. Li Jing initially did not announce his death and only had an edict issued in his name, making Li Jing regent, but soon thereafter announced his death and took

15660-539: The influx of migrants from the north. Jiankang remained as the capital for four successive Southern dynasties and became the largest commercial and cultural center in China. After the Sui dynasty united the country in 581, the political center of the country shifted back to the north, but the Grand Canal was built through Jiangsu to link the Central Plains with the prosperous Yangtze Delta. The Tang dynasty (618–907) relied on southern Jiangsu for annual deliveries of grain. It

15834-564: The initiation of economic reforms in 1990, Jiangsu has become a focal point for economic development. It is widely regarded as one of China's most developed provinces, when measured by its Human Development Index (HDI). Its 2021 nominal GDP per capita reached RMB 137,300 (US$ 21,287), becoming the first province in China to reach the $ 20,000 mark. Jiangsu is home to many of the world's leading exporters of electronic equipment, chemicals and textiles. It has also been China's largest recipient of foreign direct investment since 2006. In 2022, its GDP

16008-476: The kingdom of Qi as having 10 of the 25 prefectures then under Wu control. Yang Pu awarded Xu Zhigao the title of King of Qi (齊王) in March of 937. In May he dropped the ranking character 'zhi' from his given name to distinguish from his adopted brothers and was now known as Xu Gao. In October of the same year Yang Pu surrendered the state seal to him, ending Yang rule of Wu On 11 November 937 Xu Gao formally ascended

16182-404: The lack of will to do so. In 927 Xu Zhigao inherited Xu Wen's position of power behind the Wu monarchy and laid out the groundwork for his seizure of the throne. He feared that the majority of the bureaucracy still supported the imperial Yang family. The Crown Prince Yang Lian was arranged to marry one of his daughters. In September 935 Yang Pu and Xu Zhigao settled on the territorial extent of

16356-545: The largest army of the state, and he, wielding that authority, contended for decision-making with Xu Zhigao, who tried to curb Xu Zhixun's military power. For example, in 929, when Xu Zhixun's father-in-law, the general Li Jian ( 李簡 ) the military governor of Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan , Hubei ) died, Xu Zhixun took 2,000 of Li Jian's soldiers and kept them under his command, while recommending Li Jian's son Li Yanzhong ( 李彥忠 ) to succeed Li Jian. Xu Zhigao, however, ignoring Xu Zhixun's recommendations, made

16530-541: The lead petitioners, he approved the petition. When the officials subsequently offered an honorific imperial title to him, he rejected it, stating, "An honorific title is false beauty, and it is not in accordance with ancient traditions." The Song dynasty historian Sima Guang commented that subsequently, his successors (son Li Jing and grandson Li Yu ) also declined such honorifics, and in this area of governance, as well as preventing relatives from wielding improper power and interference by eunuchs into governance, none of

16704-526: The looting Anlu . Afterwards, the Southern Tang army began to return home. Later Jin forces eventually caught up to the sluggish Southern Tang army and decisively defeated them in Mahuang Valley. The disobedience of his commanders upset Li Bian greatly. In a letter to Shi Jingtang, he claimed his generals were uncontrollable, as they were keen on career advancement through combat, and pressed for amicable relations. Thus, ended Southern Tang pretensions to

16878-464: The many hundreds of states that existed across northern and central China at that time. Near the end of the Spring and Autumn period , Wu became a great power under King Helu of Wu , and defeated in 484 BC the state of Qi , a major power in the north in modern-day Shandong province , and contest for the position of overlord over all states of China. The state of Wu was subjugated in 473 BC by

17052-484: The middle of the 11th century the Four Treasures were appreciated by Song literati who amassed private collections of them. While Song literati noted the quality of writing instruments, they did not perceive the Southern Tang regime itself as exceptional. Brushes produced by the Zhuge family of Xuanzhou were popular among the Southern Tang. Li Congqian (李從謙) of the imperial family in particular greatly cherished

17226-487: The military governor of Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern Nanchang , Jiangxi ). As Li Bian himself, while serving as regent of Wu, had often revised laws to try to improve Tang laws, he ordered the judges and the executive bureau to reorganize the laws into a 30-volume work entitled, the Laws of Shengyuan ( Shengyuan being his era name ). In fall 942, he ordered that those laws be officially promulgated. Over

17400-587: The most significant of which is the North Jiangsu Main Irrigation Canal ( traditional Chinese : 蘇北灌溉總渠 ; simplified Chinese : 苏北灌溉总渠 ), which channels a small amount of the water of the Huai River alongside south of its old path into the sea. Most of Jiangsu has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa or Cwa in the Köppen climate classification ), beginning to transition into a humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa ) in

17574-506: The name of Li Bian. He additionally authorized a genealogy that claimed descent from the Tang Imperial family. Records vary about whom his supposed Tang progenitor was. Johannes L. Kurz concluded that the more reliable sources state his ancestor was either son or a younger brother of Xuanzong . On 2 May 939 Li Bian performed the traditional sacrifices to Heaven. Jingnan and Wuyue sent ambassadors praising this event. Li Bian encouraged

17748-585: The north, Anhui to the west, and Zhejiang and Shanghai to the south. Jiangsu has a coastline of over 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) along the Yellow Sea , and the Yangtze River passes through the southern part of the province. Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, Jiangsu has been a national economic and commercial center, partly due to the construction of the Grand Canal . Cities such as Nanjing , Suzhou , Wuxi , Changzhou , and Shanghai (separated from Jiangsu in 1927) are all major Chinese economic hubs. Since

17922-543: The occupying Japanese for the next three months would come to be known as the Rape of Nanjing , after which it became the seat of the collaborationist government of East China under Wang Jingwei , and most of Jiangsu remained under Japanese occupation until the end of the war in 1945. After the war, Nanjing was once again the capital of the Republic of China, though now the Chinese Civil War had broken out between

18096-529: The officer Ke Hou ( 柯厚 ) to lead the Jinling forces back to Guangling, thus consolidating the command under Xu Zhigao himself. Xu Zhixun was kept at Guangling to take the office of army commander (統軍, Tongjun ), still carrying the title of military governor of Zhenhai Circuit. (The command of Ningguo Circuit went to Xu Zhigao.) It was said that it was only after this point that Xu Zhigao had true, unchallenged authority over Wu's governance. The brothers then had

18270-477: The official paper for royal proclamations. Only privileged officials were given any for use in creating government documents. Pure Heart Hall paper retained its importance throughout the Southern Tang, it was so prized that it was not sold in marketplaces. After the Song defeated the Southern Tang a multitude of imitation Pure Heart Hall papers appeared as the process for creating genuine articles had become lost. Song literati began to value Pure Heart Hall paper after

18444-466: The official titles of deputy commander of the Huainan army, deputy commander of the infantry and cavalry, general overseer of the headquarters, and military prefect of Jiang Prefecture (江州, in modern Jiujiang , Jiangxi ), with Xu Zhijian taking over his post as military prefect of Run. It was said that Xu Zhigao governed opposite to how Xu Zhixùn did – he treated Yang Longyan with respect,

18618-418: The order, however, he went to see Xu Wen. At the meeting, he pointed out that at that time, Wu's nominal ally and fellow rival to Later Liang, Jin , was winning victory after victory over Later Liang, and that Jin's prince Li Cunxu appeared to be posturing to claim the imperial title himself and claim lawful succession from the Tang emperors. Yan argued that, with that being the case, Wu's political structure

18792-479: The other Xu ancestors were only posthumously honored as princes or dukes, while their wives were honored as ladies. Instead of the usual dynastic transitions, where the new emperor would create the old emperor a noble title, Xu Gao submitted a petition (i.e., still acting as if he were a subject) to Yang Pu, stating: Your old subject Xu Gao, who has received your gracious yielding of the throne [(禪讓, Shanrang )], respectfully bows to you, Emperor, and presents you with

18966-432: The other states of the time could be compared to Southern Tang. Xu Gao took the name of Li Bian, and effectively claimed to be the legitimate successor to the Tang throne and that he was a descendant of Li Ke the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang . He honored his biological father Li Rong, as well as three other ancestors, as emperors, and their wives as empresses. Xu Wen continued to be honored posthumously as emperor, and

19140-407: The palace and had her remarried. Also over the years, Li Bian had been taking alchemists' medicines, believing that they would allow him to have long life, but the medicines were in fact making his temper flare frequently and health deteriorate. By spring 943, he was quite ill, but pretended to be not ill and continued to be presiding over imperial gatherings. On March 30, 943, he was so ill that

19314-479: The period. Those employed by the institution held hierarchical titles that denoted rank. The lowest ranked were likely apprentices to established artists. The Emperors of Southern Tang took part in the administration of the Hanlin Academy and oversaw the hiring of new painters. Wu Daozi and Zhou Fang were among the stylistic standards for Southern Tang painters. As successful artists took on apprenticeships

19488-417: The populace, which caused a rapid depreciation of the newer coins. Kaiyuan Tongbao (開元通寶) coins that were created during the Tang dynasty remained in circulation. Li Yu later minted coins with the same inscription in clerical and seal scripts . The Southern Tang were the first in Chinese history to issue vault protector coins , which served as numismatic charms . They were hung on red silk and tassels in

19662-587: The populated Suzhou area is often diverted to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport , to which Suzhou is conveniently connected to via bus services and by expressway. Xuzhou Guanyin International Airport , Yancheng Nanyang International Airport , and Lianyungang Baitabu Airport serve as hubs in northern Jiangsu. The southern part of the province, namely the Shanghai-Nanjing corridor, has very high-frequency rail services. Jiangsu

19836-430: The population believes and is involved in cults of ancestors , while 2.64% of the population identifies as Christian. The reports didn't give figures for other types of religion; 80.69% of the population may be either irreligious or involved in worship of nature deities , Buddhism, Confucianism , Taoism, folk religious sects , and small minorities of Muslims . In 2010, there were 130,757 Muslims in Jiangsu. Jiangsu

20010-982: The proper abilities to lead, and instead turned his allegiance to Xu Zhigao. Meanwhile, Xu Zhixun was not curbing his actions properly; for example, when Wuyue's king Qian Liu sent Xu Zhixun gifts of vessels and saddles adorn with dragons and phoenixes – which only the sovereign could use – Xu Zhixun used them, making no attempts to avoid making them into a display. His close associate Zhou Tingwang ( 周廷望 ) persuaded him to let Zhou take large amounts of wealth to Guangling to try to use them to bribe other high level officials to turn from Xu Zhigao and toward him, but when Zhou arrived at Guangling, Zhou secretly pledged allegiance to Xu Zhigao through Xu Zhigao's associate Zhou Zong, and informed Xu Zhixun's actions to Xu Zhigao – but then, when he returned to Jinling, also informed Xu Zhigao's actions to Xu Zhixun, trying to play both sides. Later in 929, Xu Zhixun tried to summon Xu Zhigao to Jinling to attend

20184-559: The proper reputation to be a chancellor, declined and retired for some time, before returning to the government. In 931, Xu Zhigao himself was made the military governor of Zhenhai and Ningguo, with headquarters at Jinling, while Xu Jingtong was made Situ (司徒, one of the Three Excellencies ), Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi , and acting overseer of all military matters. Wang Lingmou and Song were made chancellors to assist Li Jingtong. Once he settled in at Jinling, Xu Zhigao build

20358-465: The realm. During the reign of Li Jing he authorized several military ventures that according to He Jainming incurred heavy financial burdens that inhibited further economic development of the Southern Tang realm. Tributes were paid to the Later Zhou once they defeated the Southern Tang in 958. After the Song dynasty was established in 960 these payments became exorbitant. Tribute to the Song incurred

20532-438: The same surname and felt attached to Xu Zhigao, she cared for him well. It was said that Xu Zhigao served his father with greater filial piety than Xu Wen's other (biological) sons. One time, when he offended Xu Wen, Xu Wen caned him and chased him out of the house. However, when Xu Wen came home at night, Xu Zhigao was waiting at the door for him. Xu Wen asked, "Why are you still here?" Xu Zhigao wept and responded, "Where can

20706-502: The same time, Min's emperor Wang Xi and his brother Wang Yanzheng , who controlled Jian Prefecture, were embroiled in a civil war. Li Bian sent the official Shang Quangong ( 尚全恭 ) to Min on a diplomatic mission to try to help end the Min civil war. Under Shang's mediation, the Wang brothers swore an oath of peace, but in reality continued to hate each other. In 942, at Song's request, Song

20880-424: The solar industry would be worth 100 billion RMB. Jiangsu's economy growth has directly benefited from the reform Chinese's policies, and its growth trajectory reflects that of many other coastal provinces, such as Zhejiang and Shandong. The economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping have greatly benefited southern cities, especially Suzhou and Wuxi , which outstrip the provincial capital, Nanjing , in total output. In

21054-429: The south. This respect paid to the deposed dynasty became a useful political tool for Li Bian. The Later Tang were overthrown in late 936, which opened the way for Li Bian to claim it. In February 939 Li Bian renamed his realm to Great Tang ( 大唐 ). Taking on the name of Tang increased his status. Such a move could be easily construed to mean "the potential unification of [Chinese] territories under one ruler." Li Jing

21228-734: The southeast monsoon . Due to its flat terrain, low altitude, and dense population, Jiangsu is one of the most vulnerable regions in China to climate change and its ensuing sea level rise . According to the data collected by the Center of Climate Change in Jiangsu from 1961 to 2007, on average, the province experiences an temperature increase between 0.16 and 0.45 Celsius per 10 years and total precipitation change between -28.7 and 37.09 mm per 10 years. Extreme weather have become stronger and more common. Jiangsu's agriculture , ecosystem , water resource , transportation, and coastline are all negatively impacted. The speed of sea level rise exceeds

21402-828: The spirit hall of the Imperial Treasury for offerings to the gods of the Chinese pantheon , especially the Chinese God of Wealth . The majority of Southern Tang court painters with surviving documentation were natives of Jiangnan . It is likely that the area had a potent artistic tradition before the formation of the Southern Tang. While most subjects were inherited, Southern Tang painters developed relatively new genres such as "landscape, ink bamboo, and flower-and-bird painting." Additionally they developed artwork focused on marine life. Their Tang predecessors apparently did not paint fish. Dong Yuan and his students developed

21576-413: The standard to which other inksticks were compared until the reign of Emperor Huizong . An important paper medium for the Southern Tang was Pure Heart Hall paper. During the Tang dynasty generations of Jiangnan craftsmen developed their skills and artistic talent in creating paper. These trends were used by their successors in the Southern Tang to create Pure Heart Hall paper. This distinctive paper became

21750-467: The state still had its original name of Qi. During the reign of Li Jing several cash coins were created of different commercial value. Datang Tongbao (大唐通寶) and Tangguo Tongbao (唐國通寶) coins maintained the same inscription, size, and weight but used different fonts of Chinese calligraphy Yongtong Quanhuo (永通泉貨) coins were initially valued at 10 copper coins but counterfeits were widely circulated leading to distrust of them. Copper coins were still preferred by

21924-552: The styles and genres popular with the Southern Tang court were likely transmitted to many artists outside the Hanlin Academy. In 975 the Song conquered the Southern Tang. Talented painters and poets were subsequently hired and brought to the Song capital. The Four Treasures of the Study of the Southern Tang or Nan Tang Wenfang Sibao (南唐文房四寶) focused on brushes made by the Zhuge family, dragon tail inkstones (龙尾砚), inksticks crafted by Li Tinggui (李廷珪), and Pure Heart Hall paper (澄心堂紙). By

22098-469: The summer of 938 Song Qiqiu proposed for the assassination of a Khitan dignitary that was visiting the Southern Tang court when they returned north through Later Jin territory. He felt that the murder could provoke a war between the Later Jin and the Khitans. While successful in killing the envoy, the harmonious relations between the Later Jin and Khitan continued. In 940 the Southern Tang supported backed

22272-482: The ten longest suspension bridges in the world. The Sutong Bridge , opened in 2008, connecting Nantong and Changshu, has one of the longest cable-stayed bridge spans in the world, at 1,088 m (3,570 ft). As of December 2022, Jiangsu has six cities that have operational subway systems, together with an extra city ( Huai'an ) currently under construction. These six cities are Nanjing , Suzhou , Wuxi , Changzhou , Xuzhou and Nantong . The Nanjing Metro

22446-613: The throne, ending Wu, and starting his new state. (The Zizhi Tongjian referred to his state as Tang (historically known as Southern Tang at this juncture, although other sources, including the Old History of the Five Dynasties , New History of the Five Dynasties , and the Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms , referred to his state as Qi at this point, and only changed to Tang after Xu Gao subsequently changed back to his birth name of Li (see below). ) Xu Gao posthumously honored his adoptive father Xu Wen as an emperor, and his adoptive mother Lady Li as an empress, although

22620-415: The throne. While the kingdom Xianzhu founded did not succeed in reuniting the Chinese realm, it played an important part in the consolidation of politics with the absorption of Min and Chu . It also became one of the leading centers of learning, along with Chengdu of the Later Shu and Hangzhou of Wuyue . Parents: Wives Jiangsu Jiangsu is an eastern coastal province of

22794-478: The throne. Xu Gao took inspiration from Tang governance and established two capitals. Jingling was already his seat of power and became the principal location of the court. The old Wu capital of Guangling meanwhile maintained some significance as the secondary capital. His reign according to Robert Krompart represented the initial rebuilding "of the social, economic, administrative, and religious forces that produce stability in China." On 12 March 939 Xu Gao took on

22968-484: The title of deputy supreme commander of all circuits (諸道副都統, Zhudao Fu Dutong , with Xu Wen having been supreme commander before, and that post now left open) and military governor of Ningguo (寧國, headquartered at Xuan Prefecture) and Zhenhai Circuits, which Xu Wen had been; he also took the greater honorary chancellor title of Shizhong ( 侍中 ). Even though Xu Zhigao remained in control of Wu's imperial government, Xu Zhixun, at Jinling (i.e., Sheng Prefecture), controlled

23142-464: The title of the Prince of Wu (吳王). He ruled for three more years and died in 905. Yang Wo succeeded his father as the Prince of Wu. In 907 the last Tang Emperor was evicted from power by Zhu Quanzhong , who declared the Later Liang dynasty . Yang Wo did not recognize this regime change as legitimate and continued to use the Tang era name of 'Tianyou'. Without a reigning Tang emperor, however, he

23316-403: The top 10 cities in China in terms of gross domestic product and outstripping the provincial capital of Nanjing. The income disparity between northern and southern Jiangsu however remains large. Jiangsu is flat, with plains covering 68 percent of its total area (water covers another 18 percent). Most of the province stands not more than 50 meters (160 ft) above sea level . Jiangsu also has

23490-440: The world's average by a large margin. Specifically, a ranking on climate change risk of global regions released in early 2023 by The Cross Dependency Initiative (XDI) puts Jiangsu as the most vulnerable of the entire world. Jiangsu is at more risk due to its extensive industrial, trade, residential, and commercial development . In response to climate disturbance across the country, the fourteenth five-year plan , endorsed by

23664-670: The year 2021, the total population was 85.05 million. The politics of Jiangsu is structured in a one party (Communist) government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China. The Governor of Jiangsu is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Jiangsu. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Jiangsu Chinese Communist Party Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed

23838-414: The year, when Wu forces, under Xu Wen, repelled a major attack by Wu's southeastern neighbor Wuyue , Xu Zhigao suggested a surprise attack on Wuyue's Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern Suzhou , Jiangsu ), but Xu Wen, citing the desire for peace between the two states, declined. In 921, after Yang Longyan, at Xu Wen's advice, offered sacrifices to heaven and earth to show him more as a full sovereign, Xu Zhigao

24012-630: The years, Li Bian had been tempted to make Li Jingda, whom he considered decisive and capable, his heir, and Song had also often praised Li Jingda's abilities. However, as Li Jing was older, he eventually decided against making Li Jingda his heir. Meanwhile, his youngest son Li Jingti ( 李景逷 ) was born of his favorite concubine Consort Zhong, and once, when Li Bian was angry with Li Jing for being occupied with musical instruments, Consort Zhong tried to persuade him to divert succession from Li Jing and making Li Jingti his heir. Finding Consort Zhong's suggestion highly inappropriate, he expelled Consort Zhong out of

24186-410: Was Han Xizai , who rose in prominence during the reign of Li Jing. The question of succession arose near the end of Li Bian's reign. He preferred his second son Li Jingda. However, his oldest son Li Jing was eventually picked as his heir. In 943 Li Bian died and Li Jing succeeded his father. The Southern Tang and its neighbors were relatively prosperous compared to regimes successively in control of

24360-463: Was $ 3.04 trillion, making it the 3rd-largest of any country subdivision globally, behind California and Guangdong. Jiangsu's economy in PPP also was just behind that of Italy with a GDP PPP of $ $ 3.05 trillion, the 12th largest in the world . Jiangsu is very wealthy among the provinces of China. Its 2022 nominal GDP per capita reached ¥144,390 (US$ 21,467), becoming the first province in China to reach

24534-412: Was a pastry called yunying chao (雲英麨). It was often given as a gift during celebrations. Yunying chao was made from ground melon and a medley of flower bulbs and corms : lilies (百合), lotus (蓮), arrowhead (慈姑), fox nuts (雞頭), taro (芋), and two kinds of water chestnuts, 荸薺 and 菱 . The mixture was steamed, sweetened with honey and then sliced into pieces. The dish continued to be made during

24708-531: Was a senior general under Yang Xingmi, would support him. However, Zhou Ben's son Zhou Hongzuo ( 周弘祚 ) refused to let Zhou Ben receive Yang Meng, and instead had Yang Meng arrested. Xu Gao, claiming that it was Yang Pu's order, had Yang Meng put to death. By this point, the Wu generals and officials were all signing petitions for Xu Gao to take the throne – including the old and ill Wang Lingmou, who died shortly after doing so. Song, however, continued to refuse to sign. In winter 937, Xu Gao accepted

24882-633: Was administered under two zhou (provinces): Xu Province in the north, and Yang Province in the south. During the Three Kingdoms period, southern Jiangsu became the base of the Eastern Wu (222 to 280), whose capital, Jianye (later renamed to Jiankang), is modern Nanjing . When nomadic invasions overran northern China in the 4th century, the imperial court of the Jin dynasty moved to Jiankang. Cities in southern and central Jiangsu swelled with

25056-515: Was allowed to exercise his authority as chancellor, and further was given the authority to oversee the executive bureau, while Li Jingsui oversaw the legislative (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng ) and examination (門下省, Menxia Sheng ) bureaus, with Li Jing further reviewing all three bureaus. Soon, however, there was an incident when Song's close associate Xia Changtu ( 夏昌圖 ) embezzled governmental funds, but Song spared him from death. Li Bian, in anger, ordered Xia's death, and Song, in fear, claimed to be ill, and

25230-503: Was also intelligent and handsome. Yang Xingmi often told Xu Wen, "Xu Zhigao is capable. None of the older officers' sons can be compared to him." In 908 – by which time Tang had fallen and the Huainan territory was now an independent state ruled by Yang Wo under the title of Prince of Hongnong after Yang Xingmi's death – Xu Wen and another officer, Zhang Hao , assassinated Yang Wo. Shortly after, Xu killed Zhang, and made Yang Wo's younger brother Yang Longyan

25404-455: Was also supported by Xu Wen's principal concubine Lady Chen, who stated to Xu Wen, "Xu Zhigao is someone whom you raised in our home since you were not yet prominent. How is it that you would abandon him now that you are honored?" However, as Yan and others repeatedly spoke of this, Xu Wen eventually changed his mind. In late 927, he planned to go to Guangling to request that Yang Pu take imperial title and take Xu Zhixùn with him, and then, after

25578-516: Was apprehensive of the fact that Jiang was a son-in-law of Yang Xingmi's and had a particularly friendly relationship with Yang Pu's brother Yang Meng the Prince of Linchuan – who was resentful of the Xu family's hold on power – and that he thus might, if he captured Jian, use it as a base to support Yang Meng against Xu. Xu thus sent an order for Jiang to withdraw, which Jiang did, with substantial losses when his retreating army

25752-414: Was attacked by Min forces. During the years, Xu had considered having Yang Pu pass the throne to him and for himself to be emperor instead, but as Yang Pu was virtuous, he was concerned that the people might be displeased at a transition, and therefore, as Song advised, was to wait until Yang Pu's passing and a new emperor's enthroning. However, one day, as he was plucking his white facial hair in front of

25926-400: Was becoming apparent that Xu Gao was getting ready to take the throne from Yang Pu, Yang Meng decided to try to make a final attempt to prevent the transition. In fall 937, he assassinated Wang Hong ( 王宏 ), the commander of the soldiers that Xu Gao put in charge of guarding him. He headed for Desheng Circuit (德勝, headquartered in modern Hefei), hoping that its military governor Zhou Ben , who

26100-400: Was defeated in 958 by Later Zhou Emperor Chai Rong . The Southern Tang were forced to cede their territories north of the Yangtze and become a vassal of the Later Zhou. Li Jing additionally had to renounce claims to emperorship. The rump state was centered on Jiangnan , which was used by both the Later Zhou and the Song to refer to the Southern Tang. Later Zhou correspondence called Li Jing

26274-477: Was demoted to the title of Duke of Liang, and put under house arrest at He Prefecture (和州, in modern Hefei , Anhui ). Late in 934, Xu recalled Song to his headquarters and made Song his assistant, as well as Sikong (司空, one of the Three Excellencies) but did not give him real authority from then on. He also recalled Xu Jingtong back from Jiangdu to serve as his deputy; a younger son, Xu Jingqian ,

26448-489: Was during the Song dynasty (960–1279), which saw the development of a wealthy mercantile class and emergent market economy in China, that Jiangnan (southern Jiangsu, Shanghai , and adjacent areas) emerged as a center of trade . From then onwards, major cities like Suzhou or Yangzhou , would be synonymous with opulence and luxury in China. Today the region remains one of the richest parts of China. The Jurchen Jin dynasty gained control of North China in 1127 during

26622-545: Was embezzling horses, Xu Zhigao replaced him with Wang Ren ( 王稔 ) and demoted him to the post of prefect of Rao Prefecture (饒州, in modern Shangrao , Jiangxi ). He wanted to further have Zhong interrogated, but Xu Wen, pointing out that Zhong was a close ally during the time when he killed Zhang Hao and stating that he would have died at Zhang's hands without Zhong, refused. He further had Xu Zhigao's son Xu Jingtong marry Zhong Taizhang's daughter , to make peace between Xu Zhigao and Zhong. In 926, Xu Zhigao's chancellor title

26796-455: Was established in 1912, and China was soon torn apart by warlords. Jiangsu changed hands several times, but in April 1927, Chiang Kai-shek established a government at Nanjing ; he was soon able to bring most of China under his control. This was however interrupted by the second Sino-Japanese War , which began full-scale in 1937; on December 13, 1937, Nanjing fell, and the combined atrocities of

26970-406: Was frugal, and was respectful to the other officials. He also lowered the tax burden on the people. He continued to employ Song as a chief strategist. Later in the year, when Yan was repeatedly trying to persuade Xu Wen to replace Xu Zhigao with Xu Zhixún, Xu Zhigao tried to remove Yan from the scene by making him the prefect of Chu Prefecture (楚州, in modern Huai'an , Jiangsu ). When Yan received

27144-399: Was given 10 prefectures in which Xu had exclusive authority. In spring 936, he began to establish a Generalissimo headquarters with six ministries, as well as a directorate of salt and iron monopolies, modeling after an imperial government. He also made Li Jingtong deputy generalissimo, and Song and Xu Jie his assistants. After Yang Pu issued an edict in late 936 authorizing him to establish

27318-456: Was granted the greater chancellor title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi ( 同中書門下平章事 ), and was also promoted to be the governor of Jiang. Also, Jiang Prefecture was converted to a new Fenghua Circuit ( 奉化 ), and Xu Zhigao was made its military governor, even as he remained at Guangling as junior regent. In 923, after there were accusations that Zhong Taizhang ( 鍾泰章 ) the military prefect of Shou Prefecture (壽州, in modern Lu'an , Anhui )

27492-522: Was in effect an independent ruler. In 921 Yang Longyan proclaimed his own reign title. His brother Yang Pu continued this trend of asserting ideological independence from the Kaifeng-based regimes by claiming the title of Emperor in 927. This irrevocably ended diplomatic contact with the Later Tang . During a campaign in 895 an orphaned child was captured, whom Yang Xingmi initially took into his household. However, his oldest son Yang Wo disliked

27666-413: Was inopportune: "As a child I grew up in the army and saw the profound damage soldiers did to the people. I cannot bear to hear words about this again. When I leave other people alone and in peace, then my people will be in peace as well. Why do you ask me to start a war then!" Unlike his father Li Jing pursued territorial expansion against neighboring states. In 945 the Min Kingdom was conquered, although

27840-483: Was killed in battle, while Li Chengyu was executed by Ma. Some 4,000 Southern Tang soldiers were lost. This caused Li Bian to be saddened for days and blaming himself for not giving even harsher warnings to Li Chengyu. When Later Jin's emperor Shi Jingtang subsequently tried to return the 570 Southern Tang captives to Southern Tang, Li Bian refused to accept them, citing, in a letter to Shi, that they violated his orders. They remained at Later Jin subsequently. Around

28014-417: Was made the greater title of Shizhong ( 侍中 ). In 927, seeing that there was a plague of officers who were not paying proper attention to protocol, he intentionally intruded into the residence of Yang Longyan's younger brother and successor as King of Wu, Yang Pu . He immediately withdrew and apologized, and had himself indicted. When Yang Pu issued an edict declining to punish him, he nevertheless imposed

28188-520: Was made the junior regent in Xu Jingtong's stead. (Xu Jingqian would fall ill in 936 and be replaced by his younger brother Xu Jingsui , and eventually die before Xu Zhigao became emperor. ) In late 935, Yang Pu created Xu Zhigao the Prince of Qi, and gave him the additional titles of Taishi ( 太師 ) and Generalissimo (大元帥, Da Yuanshuai ). (Yang Pu's edict also conferred additional honorific titles, but Xu declined those.) The Principality of Qi

28362-532: Was more than CNY¥ 12.29 trillion (US$ 1.83 trillion in nominal), which is the sixth-highest of all administrative divisions . If it were a country, it would be the twelfth-largest economy as of 2022 as well as the 19th most populous . Jiangsu is also one of the leading provinces in research and education in China. As of 2022, Jiangsu hosts 168 institutions of higher education , ranking first of all Chinese provinces. Jiangsu has many highly ranked educational institutions, with 16 number of universities listed in

28536-522: Was only subordinate to Emperors Gaozu and Taizong in the imperial temples, with all three designated as ancestors whose temples would not be destroyed. Later in the year, he wanted to create Li Jing, now with the title of Prince of Qi, crown prince, but Li Jing declined, and he bestowed additional titles on Li Jing. In 940, Li Jinquan , Later Jin's military governor of Anyuan Circuit (安遠, headquartered in modern Xiaogan , Hubei ), rebelled against Later Jin, and sought aid from Southern Tang. Li Bian sent

28710-482: Was opened in April 2012. As of October, 2022, it currently has five operational lines: Line 1 , Line 2 , Line 3 , Line 4 and Line 5 . It also has four other lines under construction ( Line 6 , Line 7 , Line 8 , Line S1 ) and 11 lines under planning (Lines 9 , 10 , 11 through 16, Line 18, Line 20, Line S4 , Line S5 ). Currently under construction lines are expected to be operational by 2024 and planned lines are expected to be operational by 2035. The Wuxi Metro

28884-519: Was opened in September 2005. It was the sixth city in mainland China that opened up a metro system. As of December 2019 the city currently has 11 metro lines ( Line 1 , Line 2 , Line 3 , Line 4 , Line 10 , Line S1 , Line S3 , Line S6 , Line S7 , Line S8 and Line S9 ), with several extra ones (i.e. Line 5 ) under construction. The Suzhou Rail Transit , also known as the Suzhou Metro,

29058-414: Was playing both sides, so had Zhou Tingwang executed. In 930, Xu Zhigao prepared to himself have his headquarters set up at Jinling, and he had Xu Jingtong commissioned the minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu ) and Can Zhengshi , preparing to have Xu Jingtong take over his responsibilities at Guangling. He also wanted to have Song Qiqiu made a chancellor, but Song, knowing that he did not yet have

29232-463: Was promoted to be the prefect of Sheng. It was said that he governed Sheng well, selecting honest administrators, and gathered learned people around him. It was at this time that he became impressed with a strategist, Song Qiqiu , and made Song his assistant. Song, Wang Lingmou , and Wang Hong ( 王翃 ) became his chief advisors, while officers Ma Renyu ( 馬仁裕 ), Zhou Zong , and Cao Cong ( 曹淙 ) became close associates. In 915, Xu Wen decided to leave

29406-417: Was relieved of his executive bureau responsibilities. On a subsequent occasion when Song, at his invitation, came to dinner, they got into an argument, but Li Bian subsequently wrote a letter to Song, stating, "Our impatient nature is something you knew well, Zisong [(Song's courtesy name ). How can it be that we were dear to each other in youth and hateful to each other in old age?" He subsequently made Song

29580-603: Was said to be careful and kind. Li Rong favored spending time with Buddhist monks and often visited their residences, such that he became known as Philosopher Li ( 李道者 ). His mother was a Lady Liu, who was probably Li Rong's wife. In 893, Li Rong died. At that time, the Pengcheng region was engulfed in warfare. Li Rong's older brother Li Qiu ( 李球 ) took Li Bian and Lady Liu and fled to Hao Prefecture (濠州, in modern Chuzhou , Anhui ). Shortly after, Lady Liu died. Li Qiu, apparently unable to care for Li Bian, left Li Bian in

29754-504: Was sensible to foster friendly relations with the other southern states. He dispatched ambassadors to the neighboring states of Jingnan , Min, Southern Han, and Wuyue on 21 November 937 to announce his assumption of the throne. By spring of the following year all four states had sent their own envoys to congratulate Li Bian on becoming emperor. Thus began interactions between the Southern Tang and their neighboring and often competing states. In 941 Li Bian held meetings with his officials about

29928-455: Was still on the way, Xu Wen died, and Xu Zhixùn immediately returned to Jinling, so Xu Zhigao never actually resigned and remained in his office. Shortly after Xu Wen's death, Yang Pu, per Xu Wen's final recommendations, took imperial title. Meanwhile, Xu Wen's titles were split between Xu Zhigao and Xu Zhixun, with Xu Zhigao assuming Xu Wen's title as overseer of all military matters (都督中外總軍事, Dudu Zhongwai Zongjunshi ), while Xu Zhixun took on

30102-445: Was untenable since it, like Jin, had been claiming its desire to reestablish Tang. Yan instead suggested that Xu Wen advise Yang Longyan to claim imperial title as well and restructure the Wu political structure to cut off connections to Tang. Xu Wen agreed, and he kept Yan at Guangling to prepare for ceremonies for such a break with Tang. Xu Zhigao, seeing that he could not eliminate Yan, instead decided to make peace with Yan by giving

30276-536: Was widespread, and the [Southern Tang] state grew rich and strong." Mulberry trees (桑樹) were planted in large numbers in the Huai and Yangtze River basins. In May 939 farmers that had cultivated 3,000 or more in the past three years were given fifty bolts of silk from Li Bian's treasury. Payment of 20,000 copper cash was awarded to those that reclaimed at least 80 mu (≈1,040 acres) of land. All new fields they cultivated were not taxed for 5 years. These measures have been credited with increasing agricultural production across

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