kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia
Dazhou (Zhang Shicheng)
Origins
Zhang Shicheng, a salt boatman from Taizhou in Jiangsu, led salt workers in revolt against Yuan Dynasty officials in 1353 and in 1354 proclaimed himself King of Great Zhou at Gaoyou. A huge Yuan army under the chancellor Toghto besieged Gaoyou, but dissolved when Toghto was dismissed.
Rule and society
Zhang moved to Pingjiang (Suzhou) in 1356 and held the wealthy delta, with its silk and rice. In 1357 he nominally submitted to the Yuan and shipped grain north by sea to the capital, but kept his own administration and in 1363 took the title King of Wu. His court attracted scholars and poets, and he taxed lightly.
Decline and legacy
Zhu Yuanzhang, having defeated Chen Han, attacked Zhang's territories from 1365 and besieged Suzhou for ten months. The city fell in 1367; Zhang was taken to Nanjing and hanged himself. Zhu founded the Ming Empire the next year and punished Suzhou with heavy taxes.
Lineage
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- Dazhou (Zhang Shicheng) was conquered by Ming Empire1367 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dazhou (Zhang Shicheng). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dazhou-zhang-shicheng
- MLA
- “Dazhou (Zhang Shicheng).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dazhou-zhang-shicheng. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Dazhou (Zhang Shicheng).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dazhou-zhang-shicheng.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dazhou (Zhang Shicheng)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dazhou-zhang-shicheng (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻