biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (ruled 8–23 AD)
|
| biography:
| Chinese minister-regent, who usurped the throne and established the Xin (Hsin) or ‘New’ dynasty. Aided by the scholar-minister Liu Xin, he nationalized land, abolished slavery (but not state slaves), extended state monopolies, and carried out many financial reforms. Mistakenly seen by 20th-c ideologues as the first Chinese Socialist, his reforms were designed to raise funds for war against the Huns. He accumulated 5 million ounces of gold. In AD 11 his 300 000-strong army attacked the Huns and annexed their land (though at this time he lost Turkestan). He was overthrown by the Red Eyebrows revolt. |
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