Heqin
From Free net encyclopedia
Heqin (Chinese: 龢親 or 和親; pinyin: hě qīn) is a term used in ancient China for a marriage alliance. The term literally means "peace marriage." It usually referred to the Chinese emperor marrying off a Han Chinese princess to an aggressive "barbarian" chieftain. The theory was that in exchange for the marriage, the chieftain would cease all aggressive actions toward China. The best-known example of heqin involved the beauty Wang Zhaojun.
Heqin was engaged by nearly all dynasties in Chinese history to some extent, but were used to the best effect by Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, and the Manchurian Qing Dynasty.