The Xi dynasty (/ʃi/; Chinese: 西朝; pinyin: Xī Cháo; Wade–Giles: Hsi¹ Chʻao²), officially the Great Xi (Chinese: 大西; pinyin: Dà Xī; lit. 'Great West'), was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty that existed during the Ming–Qing transition. The dynasty, which lasted from 1643 to 1647, was established by the peasant rebellion leader Zhang Xianzhong, by proclaiming himself the title of the "king" (王) and later the "emperor" (皇帝) of the Great Xi,[1] similar to the contemporary Shun dynasty established by another rebellion leader Li Zicheng. The Xi dynasty was based at Chengdu since 1644 with the era name "Dashun" (大顺, "Great Shun") and ruled most of Sichuan province, after Zhang Xianzhong seized the control of the province from the late Ming dynasty. The regime's brief existence was followed by the devastation and depopulation of Sichuan, though Zhang's responsibility for this is still debated.[2] The dynasty ended in 1647 after the death of Zhang Xianzhong, and its territory fell to the forces of the Southern Ming and the Manchu-led Qing dynasty.
Great Xi 大西 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1643–1647 | |||||||||||
 The Xi dynasty during the Ming-Qing transition | |||||||||||
| Status | Short-lived dynasty of China | ||||||||||
| Capital | Huangzhou (1643) Chengdu (1644–1647) | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Chinese | ||||||||||
| Religion | Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Chinese folk religion | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| King, Emperor | |||||||||||
• 1643–1647 | Zhang Xianzhong | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Proclamation as the King of the dynasty | 1643 | ||||||||||
• Proclamation as the Emperor of the dynasty | 1644 | ||||||||||
• Death of Zhang Xiangzhong and the abolishment of the dynasty | 1647 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Chinese coin, Chinese cash | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of |  People's Republic of China | ||||||||||
Emperor
edit| Personal name | Portrait | Period of reign | Era names and dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhang Xianzhong | 
|
1643–1647 |
Dashun (大顺; Dà Shùn; 'Great Shun') 1644–1647 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Cheng Gu (2019). "Chapter 6". The Hidden Land: The Garrison System And the Ming Dynasty (illustrated ed.). Routledge. ISBN 978-1000711004.
- ^ Myers, H. Ramon; Wang, Yeh-Chien (2002), Part One: The Ch'ing Empire to 1800, The Cambridge History of China, vol. 9, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 481, ISBN 978-0-521-24334-6