Lu (魯)Dynasty Monarchs
Personal Name (Years of Reign) Era Name (Meaning of the Era name)
Events during the monarch's reign
Qin Xian/秦賢 (1861-1880) Wucheng/武成 (Martial Accomplishment . Taken from Ch.31 of Classics of History, comparing the Emperor’s success against the Qing to Ancient Zhou’s success against the Shang tyranny. )
Qin Xian was a Junior Officer during Taiping’s ill-fated North Expedition against the Qing . After the main force has been decimated, Qin Xian established himself in Shangdong and received the title “King of Lu” from Taiping leadership. He gradually built up his own influences and became independent with the help of Confucian advisors. After an apocalyptic civil war, he managed to defeat the Qing, the Taiping as well as other rebels and warlords and unified China. He initiated reform programs but died too early to see their fruition.
Qin Siming/秦思明(1880-1925) Xingji/興繼 (Revive and Restore . As in to revive Chinese culture from its Qing Era devastation. A short for Analects of Confucius Ch.20 phrase “Revive the dead countries, Restore the discontinued lineages./興廢國、繼絕世 ” )
Xing Ji Era saw westernizing reforms in the name of restoring “true” Chinese traditions. The broad and vigorous social-political-economic reforms were funded by taking back custom taxation and land reforms.
Qin Honggang/秦宏綱 (1925-1931) Wenzheng/文政 (Cultured Rule. Or rather, “to Rule like the King Wen of Zhou”, 師文王,大國五年,小國七年,必為政於天下矣 Mencius Book4 Pt1 )
Emperor Wen Zheng’s short rule saw the growing challenge of left-wing extremism, and state incompetence to deal with them.
Qin Zelin/秦澤霖 (1931-1984) Debei/德備 (Merit and Defence. A short for “A king shall construct his moral merit internally while manage his defence power externally內修文德外治武備”, Legalist classic Wu Qi’s principle of balancing gun and butter. Wuzi Ch.1 )
His long reign saw China restoring its full control over Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as economic boom during the Third Great War era by exporting to the main belligerents. First and Last imperial marriage between China and Japan to give China the access to Japan’s huge colonial empire market.
However, anarchist and socialist revolts shook the empire hard, especially among the urban poor and in minority regions like Yunnan and Tibet, where Chinese subsidies to local religious and aristocratic elites once kept the region in peace.
Qin Xiaoci/秦孝慈 (1984- incumbent) Zhaofu/昭福 (Diligence and happiness. Short for “Diligently Serve the Lord Above, and bring forth much Happiness./ 昭事上帝,聿懷多福”Ode of Poetry.)
The first fully symbolic Emperor of China. Despite the religious Era name, it was a period of general Liberalisation, Abolishment of many restrictions of freedoms ever since Wu Cheng, Expansion of suffrage to all citizens above 21. Growing investment in newly independent countries after European and Japanese decolonization. Greater autonomy to minority regions.