Cheng, King of Han

Note: In this article, to differentiate between the Han state of the Warring States period and the Han dynasty, "Hán" will be used when referring to the former while "Han" will be reserved for the latter.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Han.

Han Cheng (died 206 BC), also referred to as Cheng, King of Han in some Chinese historical texts, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Hán (韓國) of the Eighteen Kingdoms during the Chu–Han Contention, an interregnum between the Qin and Han dynasties of China.

Cheng, King of Han
Traditional Chinese	韓成
Simplified Chinese	韩成
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hán Chéng
Han Wang Cheng
Traditional Chinese	韓王成
Simplified Chinese	韩王成
Literal meaning	Cheng, King of Han
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hán Wáng Chéng

Life

Han Cheng was a descendant of the royal family of the Hán state during the Warring States period. He lived as a commoner during the Qin dynasty after his native state was conquered by the Qin state in 230 BC.

In 209 BC, when uprisings against the Qin dynasty broke out throughout China, Han Cheng joined Xiang Liang's rebel group, hoping to leverage on their military power to revive the Hán state. Along the way, he met Zhang Liang, a descendant of a bureaucratic family of the former Hán state. Zhang Liang succeeded in persuading Xiang Liang to restore the former Hán state, and Han Cheng was appointed as its ruler with Zhang Liang serving as his chancellor. Xiang Liang also provided some troops to Han Cheng and allowed him to attack the Qin garrison at Yingchuan.

After the fall of the Qin dynasty in 206 BC, Xiang Yu divided the former Qin territories into the Eighteen Kingdoms. Han Cheng was appointed as the King of Han. Months later, Xiang Yu killed Han Cheng and replaced him with Zheng Chang.

References

• Sima, Qian. Records of the Grand Historian.