10 Facts About Zhang Shicheng

Zhang Shicheng, born Zhang Jiusi, was one of the leaders of the Red Turban Rebellion in the late Yuan dynasty of China.

Zhang Shicheng was born in what is today the city of Dafeng, Taizhou prefecture, Jiangsu Province.

Zhang Shicheng came from a family of salt shippers, and he himself started out in this trade in Northern Jiangsu, transporting both "legal" and "contraband" salt, as did his brothers Zhang Shiyi, Zhang Shide, and Zhang Shixin.

Zhang Shicheng, who was a salt shipper from Jiangsu province rebelled against the Yuan dynasty in 1353.

In 1354, Zhang Shicheng declared the establishment of the Da Zhou state and declared himself King Cheng with the era name "Tianyou".

In 1356, Zhang Shicheng seized Suzhou, the main hub of transportation and commerce of Jiangnan, and made the city his capital.

Zhang Shicheng's regime was mostly patterned on the Yuan dynasty model, but made use of some of the earlier traditional Chinese terminology as well.

Zhu refused Zhang Shicheng's offer, and in 1357, Zhang Shicheng accepted a title from the Yuan government, and agreed to start shipping grain to the Yuan capital region by sea.

Zhang Shicheng had significantly expanded his domain by 1363, when he declared himself the King of Wu, possibly following the example of his main rival, the Nanjing-based Zhu Yuanzhang, who had earlier made himself the Duke of Wu.

However, "indolent" Zhang Shicheng was apparently content to merely control the lower Yangtze region; his two attempts to attack Zhu's territories were both defeated decisively.