Emperor Zhenzong

Emperor Zhenzong, born Zhao Heng in 968, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty, reigning from 997 until his death in 1022. He was the son of Emperor Taizong, and his temple name means "True Ancestor".

His reign is remembered for the Treaty of Chanyuan, which ended decades of war with the Khitan Liao empire, and for the lavish Taoist ceremonies of his later years. For collectors it has a particular significance: the porcelain town of Jingdezhen takes its name from his Jingde era (1004–1007).

From Crown Prince to Emperor

Zhao Heng was a cultivated prince with a talent for calligraphy and poetry. As a boy, it is said, he liked to play at being a general, leading his "army" into battle, a game his father greatly enjoyed.

He was Taizong's third son and became heir only after his elder brothers were removed from the succession. The eldest, Zhao Yuanzuo, was deposed after a bout of mental illness, and the second, Zhao Yuanxi, died in 992. Zhao Heng was named crown prince in 995.

When Taizong died in 997, Empress Li and the eunuch Wang Ji'en plotted to put Zhao Yuanzuo on the throne instead, expecting him to be easier to control. The chancellor Lü Duan learned of the plan and outmanoeuvred them, and Zhao Heng succeeded his father as intended.

The Reign of Emperor Zhenzong

The early years of the reign were overshadowed by conflict with the Khitan Liao empire to the north, which the Song had fought repeatedly under Taizong.

In 1004 a large Liao army invaded and advanced to Chanzhou on the Yellow River, within striking distance of the capital at Kaifeng. Urged on by the chancellor Kou Zhun, Zhenzong went to the front in person. After the Liao commander was killed by a crossbow bolt, both sides agreed to negotiate.

The Treaty of Chanyuan

The treaty, concluded early in 1005, brought more than a century of peace between the two states. The Song agreed to send the Liao 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk every year. In return the border was confirmed, and the two emperors addressed each other as equals.

Later Chinese historians often criticised the agreement, since the Song had been holding their own on the battlefield and yet agreed to pay for peace. Others defended it: the payments were small compared with the cost of war, and the long peace allowed trade across the border to flourish.

The Naming of Jingdezhen

In the Jingde era the pottery town of Changnan in Jiangxi was renamed Jingdezhen, after the reign title, and by tradition began supplying porcelain to the court. Its fine white and bluish-white qingbai wares became one of the great ceramic traditions of the Song, and a Song dynasty qingbai ewer in our collection is an example of the type.

Taoism at Court

In his later years Zhenzong gave Taoism great prominence at court. In 1008 "Heavenly Texts" glorifying the ruling Zhao house were announced as having descended from heaven, and in the same year the emperor performed the feng and shan sacrifices at Mount Tai. The era name was changed to Dazhong Xiangfu to mark these events.

In the 1010s he conferred exalted titles on the Jade Emperor, raising him to the head of the Taoist pantheon, and built lavish temples to house the Heavenly Texts. He also honoured Confucius, granting him new titles after visiting Qufu.

Illness, Empress Liu and the Succession

From 1020 Zhenzong was increasingly ill and unable to deal with state business, and his consort, Empress Liu, took charge of the government from behind the throne.

He died in 1022 and was succeeded by his only surviving son, Zhao Zhen, who reigned as Emperor Renzong. Renzong was still a boy, and Empress Liu, now empress dowager, held real power until her death in 1033.