Author：Fantastic China | 2025-03-06 | Views：20
Born with the surname Zi and the clan name Cheng, he was named Tang. A 15th-generation descendant of Emperor Ku, Shang Tang was originally the ruler of the Shang State, a vassal state of the Xia Dynasty. With the assistance of Yi Yin and Zhong Hui, he successively conquered states such as Ge, Wei and Kunwu, rising to become a dominant power of the time.
Faced with the tyranny of King Jie of Xia, Shang Tang took up the mandate of heaven and fought a decisive battle against him at Mingtiao. This ultimately led to the fall of the Xia Dynasty. Following this victory, he convened a grand assembly of 3,000 lords, where he was elected as the Son of Heaven. He established his capital in Bo City and named his dynasty Shang.
Learning from the lessons of the Xia Dynasty's downfall, Shang Tang emphasized that officials must "serve the people diligently and attend to state affairs", warning that failure to do so would result in severe punishment. He adopted a policy of "governing the people with leniency" and treated the remnants of the Xia people with compassion, allowing them to maintain their ancestral rites and conferring titles upon the descendants of Yu the Great.
During his reign, the country enjoyed relative stability, and its national strength steadily grew. Shang Tang passed away in 1587 BCE at the age of 100. He was posthumously honored with the temple name Taizu and the title Wu.