Qian Chu

Life

Qian Chu was the son of Qian Yuanguan, the Wuyue Wenmu King. He was Qian Yuanguan's ninth son, and his grandfather was Qian Liu. In the fourth year of the Tianfu era (939), he was appointed commander of the Inner Office armies. He served in Taizhou during the Jin period; the appointment is assigned to the fourth year of Kaiyun, with the Western year given as either 946 or 947.

After his elder brother Qian Zong was deposed by Hu Jinsi, Hu invited Qian Chu to succeed him; Qian Chu became king of Wuyue in the first year of Qianyou (948). The duration of his reign is given as either thirty or thirty-five years. He served Later Han and Later Zhou, assisted Later Zhou's Shizong and Song's Taizu in campaigns against Southern Tang, and also helped Taizu pacify Jiangnan.

In the second year of Qianyou, he was appointed Southeastern Military Commander, military governor of Zhenhai and Zhendong, Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Grand Preceptor, Zhongshu Ling, Grand Governor of Hangzhou and Yuezhou, Shangzhuguo, and King of Wuyue. The following year he was additionally made acting Shangshu Ling. During Later Zhou's Xiande era he was made Grand Marshal of All the Armies; in the first year of Song's Jianlong era (960), he was promoted to Supreme Grand Marshal.

In the ninth year of Kaibao (976), he attended the Song court and returned after more than a month. In the third year of Taiping Xingguo (978), he submitted a memorial surrendering to Song the thirteen prefectures of Liangzhe under his control. Song enfeoffed him as Prince of Huaihai, later making him Prince of Hannan, Prince of Nanyang, and Prince of Xu. During the Yongxi era he served as military governor of Wusheng Army; after submitting a memorial declining the title of king, he was transferred to the princedom of Deng in the first year of Duangong.

He died in Dengzhou in the eighth month of the first year of Duangong (988), at the age of sixty; the year is also given as the fourth year of Yongxi. He was posthumously granted the title Prince of Qin and the posthumous name Zhongyi, and was buried at Luoyang.

Literary and Religious Activities

Qian Chu was described as broad-minded and mild, learned, fond of poetic composition, and skilled in cursive calligraphy. After ascending the throne, he appointed the Tiantai master Deshao as state preceptor and received the bodhisattva precepts from Daoqian. In the first year of Jianlong (960), he restored Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou and invited Zhi Jue Yanshou to be the first master of its revival; he also sent envoys to Japan and Goryeo to obtain Tiantai commentaries, helping Tiantai doctrine flourish.

Works

Qian Chu wrote *Zhengben ji* (《政本集》). The ten-volume work is now lost, and Tao Gu wrote its preface. One poem by him survives in *Quan Tang shi*, while fourteen others survive in works including *Wuyue Qian shi chuanfang ji* and *Siming zunzhe jiaoxing lu*; they were later included in *Quan Tang shi waibian* and *Quan Tang shi xu shi*.