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Zheng Jing

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Zheng Jing
鄭經
Prince of Yanping
Reign29 June 1662 – 17 March 1681
PredecessorKoxinga
SuccessorZheng Kezang (as regent)
Born(1642-10-25)25 October 1642[1]
Fujian, Ming dynasty[2]
Died17 March 1681(1681-03-17) (aged 38)[3]
Chengtian Prefecture, Kingdom of Tungning
Burial
Tomb of Zheng Chenggong (鄭成功墓; in present-day Nan'an, Quanzhou, Fujian)
SpouseTang, Princess Wen of Chao
IssueZheng Kezang, Zheng Keshuang, six other sons and six daughters
Names
Zheng Jing
(鄭經)
Era dates
Adopted the era name of the Southern Ming dynasty:
Yongli (永曆): November 1662 – 17 March 1681
Posthumous name
Prince Wen of Chao (潮文王)
HouseKoxinga
DynastyTungning
FatherKoxinga, Prince of Yanping
MotherDong You, Princess of Yanping
Zheng Jing
Hàn-jī鄭經
Pe̍h-ōe-jīTēⁿ Keng
Tâi-lôTēnn King
Pen name
Hàn-jī式天
Pe̍h-ōe-jīSek-thian
Tâi-lôSik-thian
Courtesy name
Hàn-jī賢之 / 元之
Pe̍h-ōe-jīHiân-chi / Goân-chi
Tâi-lôHiân-tsi / Guân-tsi

Zheng Jing, Prince of Yanping (Chinese: 鄭經; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tēⁿ Keng; 25 October 1642 – 17 March 1681), courtesy names Xianzhi (Chinese: 賢之; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hiân-chi) and Yuanzhi (Chinese: 元之; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Goân-chi), pseudonym Shitian (Chinese: 式天; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bú-thian), was initially a Southern Ming military general who later became the second ruler of the Tungning Kingdom of Taiwan by succeeding his father Koxinga's hereditary title of "Prince of Yanping", reigned as a dynastic monarch of the kingdom from 1662 to 1681.

Biography

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Born on 25 October 1642, he was the eldest son of Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) and a grandson of the pirate-merchant Zheng Zhilong. After the conquest of Fort Zeelandia in 1662 by his father, Zheng Jing controlled the military forces in Amoy and Quemoy on his father's behalf, but the friction between him and his father was later provoked by a domestic dispute, as he secretly had an incestuous relationship with his brother's wet nurse, with whom he had a newborn son (Zheng Kezang), despite having been married. Koxinga was ashamed and resentful by his son's behaviour and ordered Jing's execution, but this was never implemented due to the opposition by Amoy's forces and Koxinga's sudden death of malaria in June 1662. Upon the death of his father six months later, Zheng Jing contested throne as the King of Tungning with his uncle, Zheng Shixi. The civil war was end in Zheng Jing's victory after he successfully quelled the hostile forces of his uncle in Taiwan and captured Fort Zeelandia. This was followed by Zheng Shixi withdrawing his claim and his surrender to the Qing dynasty in next year.

With both the vast pirate fleet and the throne of Tungning, he intended to continue his father's plans to invade Luzon which was under Spanish rule; however, he was forced to abandon this venture when faced with the threat of a Manchu-Dutch alliance. His defeat of a combined Qing-Dutch fleet commanded by Han Banner General Ma Degong in 1664 resulted in ending the brief alliance. Ma Degong was killed in the battle by Zheng's fleet, [clarification needed]but the islands of Amoy and Quemoy fell to the Qing forces, forcing him to withdraw all his troops and resources to Taiwan.

The Dutch looted relics and killed monks after attacking a Buddhist complex at Putuoshan on the Zhoushan islands in 1665 during their war against Zheng Chenggong's son Zheng Jing.[4]

Zheng Jing's navy executed thirty four Dutch sailors and drowned eight Dutch sailors after looting, ambushing and sinking the Dutch fluyt ship Cuylenburg in 1672 on northeastern Taiwan. Only twenty one Dutch sailors escaped to Japan. The ship was going from Nagasaki to Batavia on a trade mission.[5]

For the next 19 years, he tried to provide sufficiently for the local inhabitants and reorganizing their military forces in Taiwan. He frequently exchanged ambassadors with the Kangxi Emperor from the mainland. Although he continued to fight for the cause his father died for, he had largely abandoned any pretense of restoring the Ming dynasty by the time he invaded Fujian in 1676. Zheng's forces land in Siming at the behest of Geng Jingzhong, who had joined the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, following the lead of Wu Sangui.[6] He occupied key cities in the province for a year before losing them back to the Manchus by the end of 1677. Invading Fujian once more, he led a force of 30,000 men to capture Haicheng as well as taking the provincial commander prisoner.

In 1680, Zheng Jing was forced to abandon Amoy, Quemoy and Tang-soaⁿ after losing a major naval battle to Chinese Qing admiral Shi Lang. Driven off China proper by the Manchus, he retreated to modern-day Tainan where he died on 17 March 1681. Zheng named as his successor his oldest son, Zheng Kezang; however, Zheng Kezang was quickly toppled in favor of Zheng Keshuang.

Family

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Ming Dynasty Zheng family

Parents

Consorts and issues

  • Princess Wen of Chao, of the Tang clan (潮文王妃唐氏)
  • Lady Chen, of the Chen clan (陳氏;1626-1662), personal name Zhaoniang (昭娘)
    • Zheng Kezang (鄭克𡒉;1662–1681), Crown Prince of Yanping (延平王世子), first son
  • Lady Lin, of the Lin clan (林氏)
  • Lady Li, of the Li clan (李氏)
  • Lady Lai, of the Lai clan (賴氏)
  • Lady Huang, of the Huang clan (黃氏), personal name Heniang (和娘)
    • Zheng Keshuang, Prince of Yanping (鄭克塽; 13 August 1670 – 22 September 1707), second son
  • Unknown:
    • Zhang Kebo (鄭克壆), third son
    • 5 sons and 6 daughters

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hung (1981), p. 139. (See note 1 for the source; a stone epitaph on Zheng's tomb.)
  2. ^ Hung (1981), p. 139.
  3. ^ Hung (1981), p. 265.
  4. ^ Hang, Xing (2016). Conflict and Commerce in Maritime East Asia: The Zheng Family and the Shaping of the Modern World, c.1620–1720. Cambridge University Press. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-316-45384-1.
  5. ^ Hang, Xing (2016). Conflict and Commerce in Maritime East Asia: The Zheng Family and the Shaping of the Modern World, c.1620–1720. Cambridge University Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-316-45384-1.
  6. ^ The Brilliant Reign of the Kangxi Emperor: China's Qing Dynasty

Bibliography

[edit]
Zheng Jing
Born: 25 October 1642 Died: 17 March 1681
Regnal titles
Preceded by Prince of Yanping
29 June 1662 – 17 March 1681
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning
27 November 1662 – 17 March 1681
Succeeded by