From Pei Commoner to Han Dynasty Founder

In 195 BCE, Emperor Gaozu of Han—better known as Liu Bang—returned to his birthplace after crushing Ying Bu’s rebellion. This homecoming marked a profound moment in Chinese history, as the former village constable turned empire-builder revisited his roots after 15 years of revolution and statecraft. The journey from a minor Qin Dynasty official to founder of the 400-year Han Dynasty represented one of history’s most dramatic social ascents.

Liu’s early life in Pei County (modern Jiangsu) had been unremarkable—a middle-aged man with a reputation for heavy drinking and shirking farm work. Yet the collapse of Qin rule transformed him. His 206 BCE entry into Xianyang as “King of Han” began a rivalry with Xiang Yu that culminated in the 202 BCE Chu-Han Contention victory. Now, as emperor returning in triumph, Liu Bang confronted the psychological weight of his transformation.

The Four Acts of Homecoming

Historical records detail Liu’s 20-day stay through four symbolic gestures that blended personal nostalgia with imperial authority:

1. The Feasts of Remembrance
Liu hosted marathon banquets, summoning every childhood friend and village elder. For ten days, the imperial court dissolved into peasant revelry—a deliberate shedding of protocol where the emperor drank from coarse pottery alongside men who once mocked his idleness. When departing, Liu extended the festivities by ordering three additional days of open-air feasting, acknowledging both affection and the economic strain his retinue placed on local resources.

2. The Birth of the “Song of the Great Wind”
During wine-fueled reminiscences, Liu composed China’s most famous imperial poem. The Da Feng Ge (“大风歌”) emerged spontaneously as the emperor beat rhythm on a zhu (筑) zither:

“A great wind rises, clouds scatter and soar,
My might spans the seas, I return to my home shores,
But where are the brave men to guard the frontiers’ doors?”

The performance turned tearful—an emotional cocktail of triumph and anxiety. Unlike Tang Taizong’s later misinterpretation as pure celebration, the poem reveals Liu’s burdens: freshly suppressed rebellions (Ying Bu, Peng Yue, Han Xin), succession worries, and failing health.

3. The Tax Edicts
Demonstrating imperial largesse, Liu permanently exempted Pei County from taxation and corvée labor—an unprecedented economic privilege. When villagers petitioned extending this to neighboring Feng County (Liu’s actual birthplace), initial refusal (“They betrayed me to Yong Chi!”) softened into equal exemption after persistent appeals. These decrees created enduring administrative anomalies, with both counties enjoying special status throughout the Han era.

4. The Unfinished Reconciliation
Historical accounts emphasize Liu’s lingering bitterness toward Feng County’s past betrayal. His conditional forgiveness—extracted through communal pressure rather than genuine resolution—foreshadowed unresolved tensions between personal grudges and statecraft that would plague his final months.

Cultural Reverberations Through the Ages

The homecoming became a cultural touchstone, inspiring artworks across millennia:

– Tang Dynasty Parallels
Emperor Taizong consciously emulated Liu’s return during his 632 CE visit to Wugong, composing poetry that explicitly referenced the Da Feng Ge. The Tang court’s comparison (“同汉沛苑”) reveals how Liu’s narrative became the archetype of imperial homecomings.

– Yuan Dynasty Satire
The 14th-century satirical play Highness Returns by Sui Jingchen inverted the event through a peasant’s eyes, depicting Liu as a duplicitous debtor who “changed his name to Han Gaozu” to evade old gambling debts. This comedic deconstruction—where the emperor is recognized as the village wastrel “Third Brother Liu”—highlighted enduring folk perspectives on power and memory.

– Ming-Qing Memorialization
“Song Wind Terrace” monuments arose in Pei and Feng counties, becoming pilgrimage sites for literati. Over 300 extant poems from officials like Li Mengyang (1473–1530) engaged with Liu’s legacy, often projecting contemporary anxieties onto the Da Feng Ge’s “seeking warriors” refrain during periods of northern invasions.

The Twilight Concerns of an Emperor

Beneath the celebratory surface, Liu’s actions betrayed profound unease:

– Succession Crisis
The emperor’s tearful performance hinted at fears for his weak heir apparent Liu Ying (future Emperor Hui). Within months, he would attempt replacing Ying with favored concubine-born Liu Ruyi—a plan thwarted by the machinations of Empress Lü.

– Mortality
Wounded during the Ying Bu campaign and suffering chronic illness, Liu likely recognized his end was near (he died six months later). His refusal of medical treatment—”I won Heaven’s mandate with a three-foot sword; now Heaven calls me back”—epitomized fatalistic acceptance.

– Institutional Paranoia
The homecoming coincided with Liu’s persecution of chancellor Xiao He, whom he imprisoned on fabricated corruption charges. This completed his dismantling of founding allies—Han Xin executed, Peng Yue butchered, now even the loyal administrator humiliated. Only Zhang Liang’s retirement into Daoist seclusion spared him this purge.

Legacy: The Peasant Emperor’s Paradox

Liu Bang’s return crystallized the contradictions of his reign:

1. Meritocracy vs. Distrust
His rise proved talent could trump birth, yet systemic paranoia birthed authoritarian controls. The simultaneous tax exemptions (rewarding loyalty) and persecution of Xiao He revealed deep-seated insecurity.

2. Folk Roots as Political Theater
The raucous banquets performed “common touch” authenticity while masking power consolidation—a template future emperors would replicate when connecting with provincial bases.

3. Poetic Immortality
The Da Feng Ge transcended its context to become China’s definitive expression of victory’s solitude. Its inclusion in the Anthology of Literary Masterpieces (《文选》) ensured enduring scholarly engagement, with Qing critic Wang Fuzhi analyzing its “heroic melancholy” as the essence of imperial responsibility.

Modern assessments, informed by excavated Han bamboo slips, increasingly view Liu’s homecoming not as sentimental journey but calculated display—using nostalgia to reinforce dynastic legitimacy while quietly mourning the personal costs of power. The peasant who became emperor could return to his village, but never truly return to being Liu Ji.