CHU WEN

born 852, Yang-shan, Honan Province, China died 912, Kai-feng Pinyin Zhu Wen, also called (Wade-Giles romanization) Chu Ch'an-chung, or Chu Huang, temple name (Hou Liang) T'ai Tsu Chinese general who usurped the throne of the last emperor of the T'ang dynasty (618-907) and proclaimed himself the first emperor of the Later Liang dynasty (907-923). Originally, Chu Wen was a follower of the great T'ang rebel Huang Ch'ao (d. 884), but at an opportune time he surrendered his forces to government troops and was rewarded with the governorship of the strategic region around K'ai-feng, in central China. After the defeat of Huang Ch'ao, there ensued a struggle for control of North China between Chu Wen and the Turkish general Li K'o-yung (d. 908), who had defeated Huang Ch'ao. Chu Wen emerged victorious and forced the T'ang emperor, Chao Tsung, to move the capital from Ch'ang-an to Chu's own residence at Lo-yang. In 904 he murdered the emperor and all his sons with the exception of a boy of 13, who was placed on the throne as Ai Ti and forced to abdicate to Chu in 907. Chu then proclaimed himself first emperor of the Later Liang dynasty. Five years later he was murdered by his own eldest son, who succeeded him on the throne.