China: Emperor Xuanzu (Zhao Hongyi, 899-956), father of the first two Song emperors Taizu and Taizong, honoured posthumously as founding ancestor of the Song Dynasty. Hanging scroll painting, Song Dynasty (960-1279). Zhao Hongyi (899-956), posthumously honoured as Emperor Xuanzu, was the father of Song Emperors Taizu (r. 960-976) and Taizong (976-997). He was a military general during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, serving under Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang. He was said to be a skilled horse archer.

---

Zhao Hongyi (899-956), posthumously honoured as Emperor Xuanzu, was the father of Song Emperors Taizu (r. 960-976) and Taizong (976-997). The Song Dynasty (960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960) and preceded the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), which conquered the Song in 1279. Its conventional division into the Northern Song (960–1127) and Southern Song (1127–1279) periods marks the conquest of northern China by the Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) in 1127. It also distinguishes the subsequent shift of the Song's capital city from Bianjing (modern Kaifeng) in the north to Lin'an (modern Hangzhou) in the south.

---

Size: 4000px × 4630px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 960-1279, art, arts, asia, asian, china, chinese, crown, dynasties, dynasty, east, emperor, founder, general, hanging, heaven, historical, history, hongyi, image, images, imperial, king, kingdoms, leader, mandate, military, monarch, monarchy, northern, painting, period, pictures, portrait, royal, royalty, ruler, rulers, scroll, song, tang, ten, xuanzu, zhao