劉 / 刘 is an East Asian surname. pinyin:Liú in Mandarin Chinese,Lau4 in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character 劉 originally meant 'battle axe',but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the classic text Hundred Family Surnames. Today,it is the 4th most common surname in mainland China as well as one of the most common surnames in the world.
Emperor Guangwu of Han,born Liu Xiu (劉秀),courtesy name Wenshu (文叔),was a Chinese monarch. He served as an emperor of the Han dynasty by restoring the dynasty in AD 25,thus founding the Eastern Han dynasty. He ruled over parts of China at first since his dynasty was formed through rebellion against the short-lived Xin dynasty,and through suppression and conquest of regional warlords,the whole of China proper was consolidated by the time of his death in AD 57. During his reign,Taoism was made the official religion of China,and the Chinese folk religion began to decline.
The Liang dynasty,alternatively known as the Southern Liang or Xiao Liang in historiography,was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the Southern Qi dynasty and succeeded by the Chen dynasty. The rump state of Western Liang existed until it was conquered in 587 by the Sui dynasty.
Cao Xiu,courtesy name Wenlie,was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. A distant younger relative of the warlord Cao Cao,Cao Xiu started his career in the late Eastern Han dynasty as a military officer under Cao Cao. In the early stages of the Hanzhong Campaign of 217–219,he outwitted Zhang Fei and defeated his subordinate officer Wu Lan (吳蘭). Later in his career,he became a provincial-level military commander and fought in various battles against Wei's rival state,Eastern Wu. He died in 228 shortly after the Wei defeat at the Battle of Shiting.
Lulin was one of two major agrarian rebellion movements against Wang Mang's short-lived Xin dynasty in the modern southern Henan and northern Hubei regions. These two regions banded together to pool their strengths,their collective strength eventually leading to the downfall of the Xin and a temporary reinstatement of the Han dynasty with Liu Xuan as the emperor.
Liu Yan,courtesy name Bosheng (伯升),was a Chinese general of one of the major uprisings against the Xin dynasty and its emperor,Wang Mang. Although he was militarily successful,he died early as a victim of political intrigue. His younger brother Liu Xiu,however,would eventually found the Eastern Han dynasty.
Wu Han,courtesy name Ziyan,was a Chinese military general and politician during the Eastern Han dynasty who made great contributions to Emperor Guangwu 's reestablishment of the Han dynasty and who is commonly regarded as Emperor Guangwu's best general,but who was also known for cruelty against civilians. He was also one of the 28 generals of Yuntai.
He Qi,courtesy name Gongmiao,was a military general serving under the warlords Sun Ce and Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty,and later in the state of Eastern Wu during the early Three Kingdoms period of China. He was especially noted for his extravagance and preference for equipping his troops with flashy weapons,armour and well-decorated ships. At the same time,he was also adept in dealing with the Shanyue tribes in Sun Quan's territories,having quelled several local uprisings by them over the years. His achievements secured the stability of the inner lands of Jiangdong and provided a strong foundation for the development of the Eastern Wu state. His campaigns in southern China also set a precedent for other generals serving under Sun Quan,such as Bu Zhi and LüDai. In his later years,He Qi participated in some battles against Wu's rival state,Wei,during which he seldom scored a victory.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong. The series was produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and was first aired on the network in 1994. It spanned a total of 84 episodes,each approximately 45 minutes long. One of the most expensive television series produced at the time,the project cost 170 million yuan. It was completed over four years and involved over 400,000 cast and crew members,including divisions of the People's Liberation Army from the Beijing,Nanjing and Chengdu military regions. Some of the dialogue spoken by characters was adapted directly from the novel. Extensive battle scenes,such as the battles of Guandu,Red Cliffs and Xiaoting,were also live-acted.
Three Kingdoms is a 2010 Chinese television series based on the events in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The plot is adapted from the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other stories about the Three Kingdoms period. Directed by Gao Xixi,the series had a budget of over 160 million RMB and took five years of pre-production work. Shooting of the series commenced in October 2008,and it was released in China in May 2010.
K.O. 3an Guo is a Taiwanese television series starring George Hu,Xiu,Kirsten Ren,and three out of four members of Fahrenheit as special guests,who starred in the prequels. The title is pronounced as K.O.-san-guo. It is the third installment of the Zhong Ji series;preceded by KO One and The X-Family. This series is a spoof of the 14th century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.
The Water Margin is a 1998 Chinese television series adapted from Shi Nai'an's classical 14th-century novel of the same title. It was produced by CCTV with Zhang Jizhong as producer. It was first broadcast in China in January 1998. The series also featured action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping.
The Lost Bladesman is a 2011 Hong Kong-Chinese historical war and biopic action film loosely based on the story of Guan Yu crossing five passes and slaying six generals in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Written and directed by Alan Mak and Felix Chong,the film starred Donnie Yen as Guan Yu,with Yen also serving as the film's action director.
In A.D. 60,Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han dynasty honored 28 founding generals of the dynasty,who had served his father Emperor Guangwu,by painting their portraits on the Cloud Terrace (Yuntai) of the South Palace in the capital Luoyang. They became known as the twenty-eight generals of the Cloud Terrace (雲台二十八將).
Singing All Along is a 2016 Chinese television series produced by Ruby Lin,starring Lin and Yuan Hong. Set in 1st-century imperial China,the drama is based on Li Xin's (李歆) 2007–2009 romantic novel series Xiuli Jiangshan (秀丽江山) and focuses on the relationship between Liu Xiu,a peasant-turned-Eastern Han dynasty founder,and Yin Lihua,the love of his life. Although the original novel involved time travel,the television series does not contain those parts.
The Qin Empire II:Alliance is a 2012 Chinese television series adapted from Sun Haohui's novel of the same Chinese title,which romanticises the events in China during the Warring States period primarily from the perspective of the Qin state during the reigns of King Huiwen and King Wu.
Kuimulang is a deity in traditional Chinese spiritual beliefs. He is considered to be one of the 28 Mansions,which are Chinese constellations. These constellations are the same as those studied in Western astrology. Kuimulang originated from the ancient Chinese worship of the constellations,a spiritual practice that combines Chinese mythology and astronomy.
Guo Ma was a military general of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. In 279,Guo and his colleagues rebelled in Guangzhou following the death of their superior,Xiu Yun. His rebellion later coincided with the Conquest of Wu by Jin,and was one of the last conflicts of the Three Kingdoms.
