Xiao Daocheng

Xiao Daocheng (427 - 482), also known as Shao Bo, nicknamed Dou Jiang, was the twenty-fourth grandson of Xiao He, the prime minister of the Western Han Dynasty. His ancestral home was Lanling County, Donghai County (now Lanling County, Shandong Province). He was the founding emperor of the Southern Qi Dynasty during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He reigned from 479 to 482.

Xiao Daocheng received education at the famous scholar Lei Ci Zong when he was young and studied "Li" and "Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals." With a deep temperament, he was familiar with classics and history. He was a general of the Southern Song Dynasty. Later, he was granted the title of King of Qi, accepted Zen as Emperor, changed the name of the country to Qi, and established the capital of Jiankang. In 482, Xiao Daocheng died at the age of 55 and was buried in Tai 'an Mausoleum (now Zhaojiawan, 25 miles north of Jiangyin, Jiangsu). After his death, the temple name was Taizu and the posthumous title was Emperor Gao.

Xiao Daocheng has been concerned about the sufferings of the people since he was a child. After he ascended the throne, he abolished many of the tyranny since Emperor Xiaowu of the Song Dynasty and issued an edict to "build Confucianism and select Confucian officials" to recruit talents. The private soldiers of the Ministry were eliminated, the number of guards with generals was limited, and the household registration was ordered to be rectified. The imperial family was prohibited from sealing mountains and occupying water to compete with the people for profits; some taxes and corvee were exempted to appease refugees. The government was more strict, and the officials and the people could have peace of life. Emperor Gao of Qi advocated frugality and opposed extravagance. He set an example by replacing all utensils made of gold and copper such as palaces and royal ceremonial ceremonies with iron, and eliminating all jade pendants and ornaments on his clothes. It is forbidden for people to use all kinds of gorgeous ornaments, gold and silver are not allowed to be made into gold and silver foils, and saddles are not allowed to be decorated with gold and silver, statues are not allowed to be cast with gold or copper, or even woven embroidered skirts, or brocade shoes are not allowed to wear. Such requirements and practices are "unprecedented in history." Before Emperor Gao of Qi died, he instructed Prince Xiao Ze: We must be vigilant about the lessons of the Jin Dynasty and the Liu Song royal family's brothers and sisters. We must do a good job in governing the country and caring for our brothers in the same family. If the country is politically stable, the economy will recover.

After Xiao Daocheng ascended the throne, in order to strengthen the defense of Jiankang City, he began to rebuild the Jiankang City Wall in 480 AD (the second year of Jianyuan) and built it with bricks. In this way, Jiankang City became a truly strong fortress, and the city wall was greatly improved. Therefore, the brick wall of Jiankang's capital city began in the Southern Qi Dynasty. Since the Jin Dynasty, the outer city of Jiankang Palace has only been surrounded by bamboo fences and has six gates. Coincidentally, someone lifted the lid of the white tiger bottle and drank wine and advised: "Jiankang's white gate is three floors closed, and the bamboo fence is not completely worn out. "Emperor Gao of Qi was moved by this and ordered the renovation of the city wall, forming a capital style with the central axis as the benchmark and the main buildings symmetrical left and right. This layout of Jiankang City became a model for the future Northern Wei Dynasty to rebuild Luoyang City.

Xiao Daocheng was a man of great achievement. He had a calm character and his joy and anger were not visible on his face. He is erudite, talented in literature, and good at cursive official calligraphy. He is a famous calligrapher in the history of China and also has certain attainments in literature. His style and style are similar to Xie Zhuang, and his literary opinions praise Lu Ji and Pan Yue of the Western Jin Dynasty. His hobbies and advocacy have a certain influence on Qi Chu's writing style. In addition to calligraphy, Xiao Daocheng is also a Go enthusiast. According to records,"Emperor Gao of Qi often played chess with General Zhou Fu of the Zhige and Chu Sizhuang in the matter, and they worked tirelessly. Xiao Daocheng also personally wrote books on Go. Two volumes of "Qi Gao Qi Tu" were published. He was the first emperor in history to write a book on Go himself.

Xiao Daocheng had little ambition, his joy and anger were not revealed in his face, and his chest had the heart of the world. He had a handsome appearance, a wide forehead and square face, a voice like a bell, a height of seven feet and five inches, and was covered with fish scales all over his body.

Xiao Daocheng, Emperor Gao of Qi, abolished tyranny and clarified politics; set up schools to cultivate talents and attach importance to etiquette; reduced taxes and exemptions to allow the people to recuperate; opposed extravagance and promoted frugality; was an emperor who promoted historical progress. Drawing on the lessons of the fall of the Song Dynasty, we should be generous and not be cruel to each other. Before he died, he asked his son Xiao Ze to continue his policy. Emperor Wu complied with his will and continued to rule the country, bringing about a relatively stable development stage in the Southern Dynasties.