kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Chengjia

25 CE – 36 CE · capital Chengdu

The Sichuan empire of Gongsun Shu, the self-styled White Emperor, who held out against the restored Han for eleven years.

Origins

Gongsun Shu was a governor in Shu (Sichuan) under Wang Mang's Xin dynasty. As the Xin collapsed he seized the region, took the title King of Shu and in 25 proclaimed himself emperor of Chengjia, with his capital at Chengdu, the same year Liu Xiu restored the Han.

Rule and society

Protected by mountains and supplied by the fertile Chengdu plain, Chengjia attracted officials fleeing the chaos in the north. Gongsun Shu called himself the White Emperor, after the element of metal, which gave the name to Baidicheng in the Three Gorges, and issued iron coins. His rule was cautious and defensive.

Decline and legacy

Having conquered the north-west, Emperor Guangwu turned on Shu: 'having got Long, one longs for Shu.' His generals Cen Peng and Wu Han advanced up the Yangtze, and in 36 Gongsun Shu was mortally wounded outside Chengdu, which Wu Han then sacked.

Connections (1)

More states of China, Tibet and Mongolia →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chengjia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chengjia
MLA
“Chengjia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chengjia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Chengjia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chengjia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chengjia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chengjia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻