Who can tell me about Emperor Xiaowen?

Name and font size: The original name was Tuoba Hong. Because he changed his Han surname to

Yuan, he was also called Yuanhong.

Years of birth and death: 466 to 499 AD

Birthplace: Pingcheng (now North of Datong, Shanxi)

Ethnicity: Xianbei

Belief: Buddhism

Specialty: Poetry

Historical evaluation

Vigorously promote the sinicization policy and promote the integration of ethnic groups.

Lifetime Achievements

Emperor Xiaowen Tuobahong was the eldest son of Emperor Xianwen Tuobahong of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the sixth monarch of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The young Tuoba Hong was raised by his grandmother and served as regent. In 490 AD, the 24-year-old Tuoba Hong began to take charge of the government, and he began to carry out drastic Chinese reforms. The first major event after Emperor Xiaowen came to power was to move the capital to Luoyang.

After Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang, he was determined to start reforms. The reason why his Sinicization reform could be implemented was first of all because he knew people well and assigned them well. He not only reused the Xianbei nobles who presided over reforms and advocated Sinicization, but also reused many talented Han people. He was well aware of the importance of winning over Han landowners in consolidating the rule of the Northern Wei Dynasty, so he always did not hold ethnic prejudice and favored Han people. He could also treat the officials who surrendered from the Southern Dynasty without suspicion and with courtesy. Emperor Xiaowen selected talents eclectically and organized a think tank for his own reforms. With the support and help of these think tanks, Emperor Xiaowen started his own reforms by reforming the old customs of Xianbei and learning the lifestyle and rules and regulations of the Han people. .

He first ordered that Xianbei nobles were prohibited from wearing Hu clothing and all wore Han clothes. Later, the Xianbei nobles were prohibited from speaking Xianbei language and all spoke Chinese instead. In 496 AD, Emperor Xiaowen ordered the surnames of Xianbei nobles to be changed. He first changed the royal surname Tuoba to Yuan, so Emperor Xiaowen Tuobahong was also called Yuanhong. More than 100 other Xianbei surnames were also changed to Han surnames. At the same time, he ordered to change the place of origin of the Xianbei people. It is stipulated that all Xianbei people who moved to Luoyang are considered Luoyang people and are not allowed to be buried in the north of the country after their death. These compulsory policies of Emperor Xiaowen were all aimed at reducing ethnic differences and ethnic barriers. Although many nobles were dissatisfied, they could only implement it.

In order to win over Han landowners and expand the basis of his rule, Emperor Xiaowen also advocated intermarriage with Han people. He himself took the lead in marrying the daughters of four Han surnames: Lu, Cui, Zheng, and Wang. He married his own daughters into Han surnames. He also married the daughters of Han landlords for his five younger brothers. This marriage relationship linked the interests of Han landowners and Xianbei nobles and strengthened the ruling power of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Moreover, the blending of bloodlines accelerated the Sinicization of Xianbei. Emperor Xiaowen also abolished the original political system of the Xianbei people and asked Wang Su to imitate the Southern Qi Dynasty to re-formulate a set of official etiquette, revise laws, reform official titles, etc.

Emperor Xiaowen also extended the Han clan system. He divided the Xianbei nobles and Han landlords into four levels according to their family status, and determined the level of official positions according to their family status. This system was still used in the Northern Dynasties, resulting in the formation of two powerful clan groups, the Guanlong clan and the Daibei clan. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that Wu Zetian revised the "Record of Surnames" and completely negated the clan system.

Emperor Xiaowen was also very interested in Han culture and art. He has received education in Han culture since he was a child. Not only can he talk about the "meaning of the Five Classics" when he can, but he has also dabbled in history, biographies, and various schools of thought. He also has a lot of research on Han poetry. Emperor Xiaowen not only reformed the living customs of Xianbei nobles, but also educated them to learn Han culture and transformed them from a deeper cultural level. Emperor Xiaowen had a clear understanding of the backwardness of his nation, was not arrogant, did not rest on his laurels, and was open-minded to learn. He actively founded schools, spread cultural knowledge, and collected and sorted out books from all over the world, thus reviving the northern culture that had declined due to the war. Under his leadership, the Xianbei people made rapid progress.

Emperor Xiaowen also made great contributions to the development of religious art in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Emperor Xiaowen's father, Emperor Xianwen, was an extremely devout Buddhist, and he himself believed in Buddhism. Therefore, Emperor Xiaowen vigorously promoted Buddhism. During his reign, Buddhism developed rapidly. The development of Buddhism promoted the development of Buddhist art. The most important Buddhist art form at that time was cave art.

The Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, one of the three largest grottoes in my country, were excavated in the year when Emperor Xiaowen officially moved the capital to Luoyang.

Through Emperor Xiaowen's reforms, the Xianbei people's economy and culture have developed rapidly. Compared with other ethnic groups that entered the Central Plains during the same period, such as Jie, Di, etc., the Xianbei people have undoubtedly the highest degree of sinicization.

Life Sketches

Tuoba Hong’s father, Emperor Xianwen, believed in Buddhism and was extremely disgusted with politics. He always wanted to transcend the world and cultivate his moral character. Therefore, in 471 AD, when Tuoba Hong was only 5 years old, Emperor Xianwen gave up the throne to him. The Tuoba family of the Northern Wei Dynasty had always quoted the old method of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, which was to "make his son the prince and kill his mother", that is, while making the son the prince, he would kill the prince's mother at the same time, in order to prevent the tragedy like Empress Lu from happening again. Tuoba Hong's biological mother was also killed in this way. Emperor Xiaowen Tuobahong was the eldest son of Emperor Xianwen Tuobahong of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the sixth monarch of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The young Tuoba Hong could only be raised by his grandmother. Therefore, during the 20 years from 471 to 490, the political power was controlled by the Empress Dowager Feng.

The Queen Mother Feng has always been wary of Tuoba Hong. Tuoba Hong is smart and precocious. The Queen Mother Feng is worried that he will be detrimental to her when he grows up, so she doesn't like him. Once, she listened to the slander and punished the young Tuoba Hong with a cane. Another time, Empress Dowager Feng locked the little emperor in single clothes in an empty room on a cold day, deprived him of food for three days, and planned to kill him. Later, Tuoba Hong retained the throne because of the dissuasion of Minister Mu Tai. Tuobahong's biological mother died when he was 3 years old, so he never knew who his biological mother was. He was filial by nature, and because he had followed Queen Mother Feng since he was a child, he had always regarded Queen Mother Feng as his biological mother. Therefore, although Empress Dowager Feng did not love him very much, Tuobahong could really be regarded as Empress Dowager Feng's grandson, and he had no complaints even if he was punished.

Fine verses passed down from generation to generation: The sun shines all over the sky, but there is only one corner on the left side of the river that does not shine. ——Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty

Chronology of famous people

In 471 AD, Tuoba Hong ascended the throne as emperor.

In 494 AD, the Northern Wei Dynasty officially moved its capital to Luoyang.

In 499 AD, he died of illness on the Southern Expedition.