Wu Sangui

Biography

Wu Sangui is the most controversial figure of the Ming–Qing transition — the man whose decision to open the Great Wall to the Manchus changed the course of Chinese history. Born into a prominent military family on the Liaodong frontier, Wu rose to command the Ming's most elite army, the Guanning cavalry, guarding the fortress of Shanhai Pass — the eastern anchor of the Great Wall and the only passage between Manchuria and China. When Li Zicheng captured Beijing and the Ming fell, Wu faced an impossible choice: submit to the rebel who had reportedly seized his father and his beloved concubine Chen Yuanyuan, or ally with the Manchu enemy he had spent his career fighting. He chose the Manchus, and the combined force destroyed Li Zicheng at Shanhai Pass. Wu became the Qing's most valuable Chinese collaborator, leading armies that conquered southwestern China and receiving the title King of Pingxi and control of Yunnan. But in 1673, when the young Kangxi Emperor moved to abolish the feudatory kingdoms, Wu rebelled — this time claiming to restore the Ming dynasty he had helped destroy. His revolt engulfed half of China before it was defeated. He died of dysentery in 1678, reviled by both sides: a traitor to the Ming who opened the gate, and a traitor to the Qing who turned against them.

Key Battles