House of Zhao

The Zhao family originated from Zhuo Commandery (涿郡; Zhuó Jùn),[1] located near present-day Zhuozhou, Hebei Province, China, and traced its roots back to the Spring and Autumn period (roughly 771–476 BCE).

Zhao Kuangyin subsequently deposed Guo Zongxun in a bloodless military coup and established the Song dynasty.

Following the founding of the dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin conquered the neighbouring states in the south and incorporated them into the fledgling empire.

Fearing a military coup such as the one he instigated to depose Guo Zongxun, and to cement civilian power, Zhao Kuangyin dismissed his generals.

However, this alliance allowed the Jurchens to learn of the Song's military weaknesses, namely a lack of capable commanders and armies primarily composed of mercenaries and poorly trained convicts.

While successful at bringing about the downfall of the Jin Empire, the alliance also exposed significant weaknesses in the Southern Song military to the Mongolians.

The outbreak of the Song loyalist Red Turban Rebellion in Henan led to a recommendation that Zhao Wanpu should be transferred somewhere else by an Imperial Censor in 1352.

Paul Pelliot and John Andrew Boyle commented on Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's chapter The Successors of Genghis Khan in his work Jami' al-tawarikh, identified references by Rashid al-Din to Zhao Xian in his book where he mentions a Chinese ruler who was an "emir" and son-in-law to the Qan (Khan) after being removed from his throne by the Mongols and he is also called "Monarch of Song", or Suju (宋主 Songzhu) in the book.

[10] Two works by Zhao Yiguang, Jiuhuan Shitu (九圜史圖) and Liuhe Mantu (六匌曼圖), which form part of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, were in a collection owned by Wang Qishu.

[11] The Zhao Imperial family survived into the Ming and Qing dynasties,[12][13][14] and on into the modern era where they have split into more than 20 different branches.

This raised the suspicion of local law officials that the families may be committing to an incestuous union until the lineage of Huang Mingguan was revealed.

[20] In modern times, the fort has become a tourist attraction, displaying artifacts from the Song Dynasty, as well as a gathering place for the descendants of the Zhao family.

The Generation poem used by the Zhao family was "若夫，元德允克、令德宜崇、師古希孟、時順光宗、良友彥士、登汝必公、不惟世子、與善之從、伯仲叔季、承嗣由同。"[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] The 42 characters were split into three groups of 14 for the offspring of Song Taizu and his two brothers.