Zhou (Zhang Shicheng)
Great Zhou 大周 | |||||||||
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| 1354–1357 | |||||||||
| Capital | Gaoyou Suzhou (from 1356) | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
• 1354–1357 | Zhang Shicheng | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1354 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1357 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | China | ||||||||
| Great Zhou | |||||||
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| Chinese | 大周 | ||||||
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Zhou, officially the Great Zhou, was a short-lived rebel state that existed in China during the Red Turban Rebellion, which took place in the final phase of the Yuan dynasty. It was established in 1354 by Zhang Shicheng, a local rebel leader in Jiangxi Province. Initially, it only controlled a small area around Gaoyou in central Jiangsu, but by 1355–1356, it had expanded its territory to include northern Zhejiang south of the Yangtze River. In 1356, Zhang relocated to Suzhou and surrendered to Yuan rule the following year, giving up his royal title.