Huang Chao (born 835, died July 13, 884) was a famous Chinese rebel leader. He led a huge rebellion that greatly weakened the Tang dynasty. His actions changed Chinese history forever.

Before becoming a rebel, Huang Chao was a salt smuggler. He joined another rebel leader, Wang Xianzhi, in 875. After they split up, Huang Chao led his army south. In 879, he captured the important port city of Guangzhou. His army then marched north. In 881, they took the Tang capital, Chang'an. This forced the emperor, Emperor Xizong, to run away.

Huang Chao then declared himself the emperor of a new state called Qi. However, the Tang army, led by Li Keyong, defeated him in 883. Huang Chao had to leave the capital. He fled east but faced more defeats. Some of his own generals, like Zhu Wen, even surrendered to the Tang. In 884, Huang Chao was killed by his nephew, Lin Yan, in Shandong. This brought his rebellion to an end.

The Tang Dynasty and Why People Rebelled
Huang Chao's Rebellion Begins
Huang Chao as Emperor of Qi
Huang Chao's Poetry
Huang Chao's Lasting Impact
See also

The Tang Dynasty and Why People Rebelled

The Tang dynasty was a powerful empire in China. It started in 618 A.D. But by the 800s, it was getting weaker. A big rebellion called the An Lushan Rebellion had already caused problems. Even though the Tang dynasty recovered for a while, Huang Chao's rebellion truly broke its power.

After the An Lushan rebellion, local military leaders, called jiedushi, became very powerful. Their armies grew, but their discipline got worse. Many ordinary people were angry with the government. Farmers were poor, and merchants had to pay high taxes. Many people also smuggled salt because the government controlled the salt trade. These problems led to many rebellions in the mid-800s. Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao were two of the most important rebel leaders.

Huang Chao was born in Yuanqu, which is in present-day Shandong province. His family had been salt smugglers for many generations. They became very rich from this illegal trade. Huang Chao was skilled in sword fighting, riding horses, and archery. He was also good at writing and speaking. He used his wealth to gather many desperate men who joined his cause. He tried to pass the imperial exams several times to become a government official, but he failed. After that, he decided to rebel against the Tang government.

Huang Chao's Rebellion Begins

Map of Huang Chao and Wang Xianzhi's uprisings against the Tang. Yuanqu, Huang Chao's hometown, is marked "Yuanju".

During the late 860s and early 870s, China suffered from severe droughts and floods. This caused terrible famines. The Tang government did not help the people. Instead of lowering taxes, they raised them to pay for the emperor's lavish lifestyle and wars. Because of this, many people formed groups and started to fight against the Tang rule.

In 874, Wang Xianzhi, who was also a salt smuggler, started an army. By 875, he had won many battles. Huang Chao had also gathered thousands of men. He then joined forces with Wang's experienced army. At this time, Emperor Yizong had died, and his young son, Emperor Xizong, became the new ruler.

Joining and Splitting with Wang Xianzhi

In late 876, Wang Xianzhi wanted to make peace with the Tang government. He hoped to get a good position in the government. A Tang official named Wang Liao helped with the talks. Emperor Xizong offered Wang Xianzhi a job as an officer in the imperial army.

However, Huang Chao was very angry because he did not get a job offer. He told Wang Xianzhi, "We started this rebellion together. We have marched far with you. Now you are going to join the imperial army. What about our 5,000 men?" Huang Chao hit Wang Xianzhi on the head. The rebel soldiers also protested the deal. Wang Xianzhi, afraid of his own army, turned against the Tang official. He then looted Qi Prefecture. After this, the rebel army split into two groups. One group followed Wang Xianzhi, and the other followed Huang Chao.

Huang Chao's Journey Across China

Huang Chao then led his army across central China. He fought many battles against Tang forces.

In early 877, Huang Chao captured Yun Prefecture, killing the military governor. He then took Yi Prefecture.
In summer 877, he joined forces with Shang Rang, Wang Xianzhi's brother. They briefly reunited with Wang Xianzhi and surrounded the Tang general Song Wei. But another Tang general, Zhang Zimian, defeated them, and they scattered.
In winter 877, Huang Chao looted Qi and Huang Prefectures. He was defeated by the Tang general Zeng Yuanyu and fled. But he soon captured Kuangcheng and Pu Prefecture.

In early 878, Huang Chao was attacking Bo Prefecture. At the same time, Wang Xianzhi was defeated and killed by Zeng Yuanyu. Shang Rang took the rest of Wang's army and joined Huang Chao. Shang Rang offered Huang Chao the title of king. Instead, Huang Chao called himself "Generalissimo Who Charges to the Heavens." He also started a new era name, Wangba, to show he was independent from the Tang. He captured Yi and Pu Prefectures again but then lost several battles to Tang forces.

Huang Chao then tried to make a deal with the Tang. He asked to be made a military governor. Emperor Xizong offered him a general's position in the imperial guards, but with conditions Huang refused. Instead, Huang Chao attacked more prefectures. The Tang government sent troops to defend their eastern capital, Luoyang. But Huang Chao marched south instead.

Marching to the South

Huang Chao's army crossed the Yangzi River and captured several cities in the south. In fall 878, he moved northeast but was defeated many times by Tang officers Zhang Lin and Liang Zuan. Because of these losses, some of Huang's followers left him and joined the Tang army. So, Huang Chao decided to go even further south, towards the Lingnan region.

The Tang government put Wang Duo in charge of fighting Huang Chao. Huang Chao tried to make another deal with the Tang. He offered to surrender if he could become the military governor of Tianping. Emperor Xizong refused. Huang then asked to be the military governor of Lingnan East. The emperor also refused this. Instead, he offered Huang Chao a position as an imperial guard general, which Huang saw as an insult. In fall 879, Huang Chao attacked Guang Prefecture, the capital of Lingnan East. He captured it in one day and took the governor, Li Tiao, prisoner. Huang Chao ordered Li Tiao to ask the emperor for a better deal, but Li Tiao refused and was executed.

Huang Chao's army in the Lingnan region suffered from illnesses. About 30-40% of his soldiers died. His generals suggested they march back north, and Huang Chao agreed. They built rafts and traveled down the Xiang River. In winter 879, they reached Tan Prefecture, the capital of Hunan. Huang Chao attacked and captured it in a day. The Tang governor fled. Huang's general, Shang Rang, then attacked Jiangling. The Tang commander there also fled, and his own soldiers looted the city.

Huang Chao continued north, but he was defeated by Tang forces. The Tang government then put Gao Pian in charge of fighting Huang Chao. Huang's forces were still suffering from diseases and defeats. He tried to bribe Zhang Lin and make peace with Gao Pian, offering to surrender. Gao Pian, wanting all the credit, sent away other Tang troops. But as soon as these troops left, Huang Chao broke off talks and attacked Zhang Lin. In spring 880, Huang Chao decisively defeated and killed Zhang Lin. This made Gao Pian panic.

After this victory, Huang Chao captured Xuan Prefecture. In summer 880, he crossed the Yangtze River north. He surrounded Tang defense posts near Gao Pian's headquarters. Gao Pian was too scared to fight and asked the emperor for urgent help. The emperor was very disappointed. He ordered troops to block Huang Chao's advance.

Then, a mutiny happened among the imperial armies. Some soldiers rioted over lack of supplies. Their own officers turned against them and killed them. This caused other Tang troops to scatter, leaving the path open for Huang Chao. Huang Chao then crossed the Huai River north. From this point, his army stopped looting for wealth. Instead, they forced more young men to join their ranks, making their army even stronger.

Capturing Luoyang and Chang'an

In winter 880, Huang Chao marched towards Luoyang and Chang'an. He announced that he wanted to capture Emperor Xizong to make him pay for his wrongdoings. The Tang government tried to stop him at Tong Pass, a key mountain pass. But the imperial troops were poorly trained and equipped. Luoyang fell quickly. The Tang general at Tong Pass, Qi Kerang, reported that his troops were tired, hungry, and had no supplies.

Huang Chao then attacked Tong Pass. Qi Kerang's troops, hungry and exhausted, scattered and fled. Tong Pass fell. Emperor Xizong and his powerful eunuch, Tian Lingzi, abandoned Chang'an and fled towards Xichuan Circuit on January 8, 881. Later that day, Huang Chao's army entered Chang'an. The Tang general Zhang Zhifang welcomed Huang Chao into the capital. Shang Rang, Huang's general, told the people that Huang Chao loved them and urged them to continue their daily lives. However, Huang's soldiers looted the capital repeatedly. Huang Chao moved into the Tang palace. He also ordered that members of the Tang imperial family be killed.

Huang Chao as Emperor of Qi

Ruling and Fighting in Chang'an

Huang Chao moved into the Tang palace and declared himself the emperor of a new state called Qi. He made his wife, Lady Cao, empress. He also appointed several chancellors. Huang Chao initially tried to take over the Tang government. He ordered Tang officials of lower ranks to stay in their jobs if they submitted to him. Higher-ranking officials were removed. Those who refused to submit were executed. Huang Chao also tried to persuade Tang generals across the empire to join him. Many did at first, but most eventually returned their loyalty to the Tang.

The former Tang chancellor Zheng Tian, who was a military governor nearby, refused to submit. When Huang Chao sent his generals to capture Zheng's area, Zheng defeated them in spring 881. Because of Zheng's victory, Tang forces from different regions gathered around Chang'an in summer 881. The people of Chang'an also fought against Huang Chao's forces in the streets. Huang Chao withdrew from the city. But when Tang forces entered Chang'an, they started looting the city. Huang Chao's army then counterattacked and defeated them, forcing the Tang generals to retreat. Huang Chao re-entered Chang'an. He was angry at the people for helping the Tang forces.

In spring 882, Emperor Xizong, who was in Chengdu, put Wang Duo in charge of fighting Huang Chao. Tang forces began to gather around Chang'an again. Huang Chao's control shrank to just Chang'an and its immediate surroundings. Farming stopped because of the war, and a famine began. Food became very scarce for both armies. By fall 882, one of Huang Chao's generals, Zhu Wen, who was in charge of Tong Prefecture, surrendered to the Tang. By winter 882, Hua Prefecture also surrendered, leaving Huang Chao with only Chang'an.

However, the Tang forces were still not making a strong effort to recapture Chang'an. Then, a general named Li Keyong, who was from the Shatuo ethnic group, arrived. He had been a rebel against the Tang but had recently rejoined them. He offered to attack Huang Chao. In spring 883, Li Keyong and other Tang generals defeated a huge Qi army of 150,000 men. They then approached Chang'an. In summer 883, Li Keyong entered Chang'an. Huang Chao could not stop him and fled east. The Tang forces again started looting the city, so they could not chase Huang Chao. Huang Chao managed to escape east without being stopped.

Retreating East and Huang Chao's Death

Huang Chao headed towards Cai Prefecture. His general Meng Kai attacked the city and defeated its governor, Qin Zongquan. Qin Zongquan then joined Huang Chao's forces. Meng Kai then attacked Chen Prefecture but was surprised by a counterattack and killed. Huang Chao was very angry about Meng's death. He and Qin Zongquan's forces surrounded Chen Prefecture. They besieged the city for nearly 300 days but could not capture it.

Meanwhile, in spring 884, other Tang generals asked Li Keyong for help. Li Keyong marched south and joined forces with them. They attacked and defeated Huang Chao's generals. Huang Chao, scared, lifted the siege on Chen Prefecture and retreated. His camps were destroyed in a flood, so Huang Chao decided to head towards Bian Prefecture. While Zhu Wen managed to push back Huang Chao's first attacks, he asked Li Keyong for urgent help. Li Keyong caught Huang Chao as he was about to cross the Yellow River north. Li Keyong attacked and crushed Huang Chao's army. Many of Huang Chao's generals surrendered to the Tang. Li Keyong chased Huang Chao, who fled east. During the chase, Huang Chao's youngest son was captured. Li Keyong's army became tired, so he stopped the chase.

Huang Chao headed towards Yan Prefecture. A Tang officer, Li Shiyue, along with Shang Rang, fought Huang Chao at Yan Prefecture. They defeated him, destroying almost all of his remaining army. Huang Chao fled into Langhu Valley. On July 13, 884, Huang Chao's nephew, Lin Yan, killed Huang Chao, his brothers, his wife, and his children. He took their heads to surrender to the Tang. However, on his way, he was killed by other soldiers, who then took the heads to present to the Tang. Some stories say that Huang Chao died after telling Lin Yan to surrender.

A Legend of Escape

Some people believe that Lin Yan bringing the heads of Huang Chao and others was just a trick. They think it was to let the real Huang Chao escape. Langhu Valley was very far from the Tang camp. It would have taken days to travel, and in the hot summer, the faces would have been hard to recognize. Also, Huang Chao had many brothers who looked like him.

Legends from the time after the Tang dynasty say that Huang Chao became a Buddhist monk after his escape. A scholar from the Song dynasty even wrote that a mayor of Luoyang recognized Huang Chao among some monks.

Huang Chao's Poetry

Huang Chao wrote a few poems. They were often beautiful, even when they expressed anger and violence. One famous line from his poetry says:

The capital's full of golden armored soldiers (滿城盡帶黃金甲)

This line describes his preparations for rebellion with an angry spirit. This phrase was later used for the Chinese title of the 2006 film Curse of the Golden Flower. The Hongwu Emperor, who founded the Ming dynasty, also wrote a similar poem.

Huang Chao's Lasting Impact

Huang Chao was one of many rebel leaders in Chinese history. But his rebellion had a huge impact, similar to the Yellow Turban Rebellion that broke up the Eastern Han dynasty. Huang Chao's rebellion greatly weakened the Tang dynasty. It eventually led to the end of the Tang dynasty in 907. This happened when Huang Chao's former follower, Zhu Wen, took the throne from Emperor Ai. This started many decades of chaotic wars known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

Some historians believe that Huang Chao's rebellion was a turning point in Chinese history. The fighting in the capital region wiped out most of the powerful noble families who had controlled politics for centuries. After this, from the Song dynasty onwards, China's government relied more on educated people from different regions. These people rose to power by passing the imperial civil service examination system.

Huang Chao facts for kids

Contents