Ruzi Ying

Who was Ruzi Ying?

Emperor Ruzi of Han, commonly known as "the infant Ying" and with the personal name of Liu Ying, was the last emperor of the Chinese Western Han Dynasty from AD 6 to AD 9. After Emperor Ai of Han and Emperor Ping died without heirs, Wang Mang chose the youngest of the available successors in order to maintain his power in the government. The child Ying was soon deposed by Wang Mang who declared the Xin Dynasty in place of the Han. During Xin Dynasty, Ying was under effective house arrest—so much so that as an adult, he did not even know the names of common animals. Before and after the Xin Dynasty was overthrown in 23 AD, many ambitious people claiming to be restoring the Han dynasty. In 25, a rebellion against the temporary Emperor Gengshi used the former Emperor Ruzi as a focus, and when the rebellion was defeated, he was killed. He is often viewed as an innocent child who was the victim of tragic circumstances.