11 Facts About Jia Sidao

Jia Sidao, courtesy name Shixian, was a Chinese government official who served as chancellor of the Southern Song dynasty of China.

Jia Sidao was the younger brother of a concubine of Emperor Lizong, who had the special favor of Emperor Duzong.

Jia Sidao took part in a land nationalization program in the 1260s and was involved during the Mongol conquest, especially during the Battle of Xiangyang and the siege of Ezhou.

Jia Sidao was assassinated by a Song dynasty court-designated sheriff charged with his custody in 1275.

Jia Sidao was born in 1213, to Jia She and Lady Hu; Hu was a renounced concubine of Jia She.

Jia Sidao was a chancellor from 1260 to 1273 during the late Song dynasty of China.

Jia Sidao is best known for his intervention in the Battle of Xiangyang, where he hid the true situation from the Song court.

Jia Sidao pioneered a policy of land nationalization highly unpopular among the Confucians, who favored low taxes and a small role for the state.

In contrast, Jia Sidao's reforms offered no compensation; another of Jia Sidao's aims was to abolish the hedi policy, and reduce the amount of paper money in circulation, as under the hedi policy, with the government purchasing more grain, they had to issue more paper money, resulting in rising inflation.

Later, at the Battle of Yihu, Jia Sidao, while leading an army of 130,000, panicked and escaped the battlefield in a small boat.

Ultimately, in 1275, Jia Sidao was assassinated by a court-designated sheriff, Zheng Huchen, who had been charged with his custody.