Consort Dowager Zhao

Who is Consort Dowager Zhao?

Consort Dowager Zhao was the mother of Liu Bin, the second emperor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Southern Han. She was a concubine to Liu Bin's father, the founding emperor Liu Yan.

Very little is known about the future Consort Dowager Zhao's background. It is known that she was considered very beautiful and was favored by Liu Yan. In 920, she gave birth to his third son Liu Hongdu — who would effectively become his oldest son since Liu Hongdu's older brothers Liu Yaoshu and Liu Guitu would both die early. During Liu Yan's Dayou era, she would receive the imperial consort title Zhaoyi.

Liu Yan died in 942 and was succeeded by Liu Hongdu, who changed his name to Liu Bin. He honored Consort Zhao as consort dowager, but not as empress dowager. In 943, his younger brother Liu Hongxi the Prince of Jin, whom he had put in command of the government, had his associates Chen Daoxiang and Liu Sichao assassinate him, and Liu Hongxi subsequently took the throne. It is not known what occurred to Consort Dowager Zhao.