1. Emperor Zhezong reigned from 1085 until his death in 1100, and was succeeded by his younger half-brother, Emperor Huizong, because his son died prematurely.
15 Facts About Emperor Zhezong
1. 2.
Emperor Zhezong ascended the throne at the age of nine under the supervision of his grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Gao.
3.
Emperor Zhezong lowered taxes, stopped negotiations with the Tangut-led Western Xia state, and resumed armed conflict which eventually forced Western Xia to enter a more peaceful stance with the Song Empire.
4.
However, Emperor Zhezong was unable to stop fighting between conservative members of his government and the more liberal members who supported Wang Anshi's reforms and in fact, the fighting intensified during Emperor Zhezong's reign.
5.
Emperor Zhezong was powerless and it was not until Grand Empress Dowager Gao's death in 1093 that the emperor was able to reinstate Wang Anshi's reforms and reduce the late Sima Guang's influence.
6.
Cheng Yi, a founder of Neo-confucianism and one of Emperor Zhezong's tutors, proposed that Li was an innate property that could provide moral guidance.
7.
In 1094, Emperor Zhezong changed the era name to Shaosheng, meaning "continuing sagacity", to signify the continuation of Shenzong's reforms.
8.
Emperor Zhezong promptly named the reformist Zhang Dun as grand chancellor.
9.
Emperor Zhezong argued that Empress Gao's conservative restoration harmed the people and the government.
10.
Emperor Zhezong preferred the sages of antiquity and rejected the Han dynasty and Tang dynasty models of governance.
11.
Emperor Zhezong did not get any better, even though he had taken many medications and so Emperor Zhezong asked his councilors to recommend physicians.
12.
Emperor Zhezong was slightly better but his appetite was gone and his belly constantly ached.
13.
Emperor Zhezong attended the banquet in honor of his son, in which he was in a very good mood and that his younger brother Zhao Ji attended.
14.
Emperor Zhezong's birthday was a great celebration but was cut short when after the birthday party, he fell ill and was vomiting all day long.
15.
Emperor Zhezong contracted laryngitis and could only speak with great effort.