Xiao Daocheng (427-482), courtesy name Shao Bo, nicknamed Doujiang, was the 24th grandson of Xiao He, the prime minister of the Western Han Dynasty. His ancestral home is Lanling County, Donghai County (now Lanling County, Shandong Province). He was the founding emperor of Southern Qi during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and reigned from 479 to 482.
When Xiao Daocheng was young, he received education from the famous Confucian Lei Cizong and studied "Li" and "Zuo Shi Chun Qiu". He had a deep temperament and was well versed in classics and history. He was a general of the Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties. He was later named 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 fifty-five and was buried in Tai'an Mausoleum. After his death, he was given the temple name Taizu and his posthumous title Emperor Gao.
What are Xiao Daocheng's political measures?
Politics
Xiao Daocheng has been concerned about the sufferings of the people since he was a child. After he came to the throne, he abolished many tyrannies since Emperor Xiaowu of the Song Dynasty. , issued an edict to "build Confucianism and select Confucian officials" to recruit talents. The private soldiers were eliminated, the number of generals' bodyguards was limited, and household registrations were ordered to be rectified. It was forbidden for the clan to close mountains and occupy water and compete with the people for profit; it reduced some taxes and servitudes to appease the refugees, and the government became more strict, so that the officials and the people could live in peace and prosperity. Emperor Qi Gao advocated frugality and self-reliance, opposed extravagance, and set an example by replacing all gold and copper utensils such as palaces and royal ceremonial guards with iron ones, and eliminating jade pendants and ornaments on clothes. It is prohibited to use all kinds of gorgeous ornaments among the people. Gold and silver are not allowed to be made into gold and silver foil. Horse saddles cannot be decorated with gold and silver. Gold and bronze statues are not allowed to be cast. They are not even allowed to weave embroidered skirts or wear brocade shoes. Such requirements and practices are “unprecedented in history.” Before his death, Emperor Qi Gao told Prince Xiao Yu: Be wary of the lessons of fratricide in the Jin Dynasty and the Liu Song royal family, and do a good job in governing the country and caring for your brothers. If the country is politically stable, the economy will recover.
Military
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). , built with bricks. In this way, Jiankang City became a truly solid fortress and the city was greatly improved. Therefore, the brick city wall of Jiankang capital began in the Southern Qi generation. Since the Jin Dynasty, the outer city of Jiankang Palace has only been surrounded by bamboo fences and has six gates. It happened that someone opened the lid of the white tiger bottle and drank wine and said: "The bamboo fence of Jiankang's three-story White Gate is not completely penetrated." Emperor Qi Gao was moved after hearing this and ordered the city wall to be rebuilt, forming a city wall based on the central axis. , the main buildings are left and right symmetrical capital style. This layout of Jiankang City became a model for the reconstruction of Luoyang City in the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Culture
Xiao Daocheng is a man of great ability, with a calm personality and intangible expression of joy and anger. He was erudite, talented, and good at cursive calligraphy. He was a famous calligrapher in Chinese history. He also had certain attainments in literature. His style and style were similar to those of Xiezhuang, and his literary ideas were more respected by Lu Ji and Pan Yue of the Western Jin Dynasty. His hobbies and advocacy had a certain influence on Qichu's writing style. [3] In addition to calligraphy, Xiao Daocheng is also a Go enthusiast. According to records, "Emperor Qi Gao often played chess with General Zhige Zhou Fu and Chu Sizhuang in the matter, playing chess tirelessly. Xiao Daocheng also wrote a book on Go himself, and two volumes of "Qi Gao chess map" were published, which is a historical record. The first emperor to write a book on Go himself.