20 Facts About Zhang Xianzhong

Zhang Xianzhong, courtesy name Bingwu, art name Jingxuan, was a Chinese peasant leader who led a peasant rebellion from Yan'an wei, Shaanxi during the Ming-Qing transition.

Zhang Xianzhong conquered Sichuan in 1644, and named himself king and later emperor of the Xi dynasty.

Zhang Xianzhong is commonly associated with the massacres in Sichuan that depopulated the region.

Zhang Xianzhong was described as tall in stature, had a yellow complexion and a "tiger chin", and hence was given the nickname "Yellow Tiger".

Zhang Xianzhong served in the Ming army, and while in the army he was sentenced to death for violations of military rules, but was reprieved after an intervention by a senior officer who was impressed by his appearance.

Zhang Xianzhong deserted from the army, joined the rebel forces in Mizhi County in 1630, and established himself as a rebel leader, styling himself Bada Wang.

Zhang Xianzhong was defeated at various times by the Ming forces; Zhang would surrender when it was expedient for him to do so, for example in 1631 and 1638, but would then later regroup and resume the rebellion.

Zhang Xianzhong then captured the provincial capital of Wuchang, killed the imperial prince there, and proclaimed himself "Xi Wang".

Wuchang however was recaptured by Ming forces, and for a while Zhang Xianzhong stayed at Changsha where he controlled much of Hunan and part of Jiangxi.

In 1644, Zhang Xianzhong decided to abandon Hunan and led 100,000 of his troops towards Sichuan.

Zhang Xianzhong's army converged on Chongqing from two directions and surrounded the city.

Zhang Xianzhong was said to have cut off the hands of the city's defenders and massacred a large number of people.

Zhang Xianzhong then set up court in Chengdu, which he renamed Xijing, and declared himself king of the Xi dynasty.

In Sichuan, Zhang Xianzhong attempted to set up a civil administration and initially gained considerable support.

Zhang Xianzhong then embarked on a campaign of terror, which was well under way by the middle of 1645, to stamp out the remaining resistance in Sichuan.

Zhang Xianzhong was alerted to their presence and decided to confront them with only 8 to 10 men.

Zhang Xianzhong was reported to have ordered further massacres before he abandoned Chengdu in advance of the Qing armies.

The actual number of people killed by Zhang Xianzhong is not known and is disputed.

In 2021, after several consecutive random killings in China, Zhang Xianzhong became popular as a political symbol and Internet meme on the Chinese Internet, used to refer to suicidal attackers who were desperate for society and implied an expectation of "accelerationism".

Zhang Xianzhong speculated that the criminal motive of the perpetrator of the 2024 Shenzhen stabbing probably is the "Xianzhong".