Xiang Yu

Who was Xiang Yu?

Xiang Ji, style name Yu, better known as Xiang Yu, was a prominent military leader and political figure in the late Qin Dynasty. A native of Xiaxiang, Xiang Yu was granted the title of "Duke of Lu" by King Huai II of Chu in 208 BC. The following year, he led the Chu rebel forces to victory at the Battle of Julu against the Qin armies led by Zhang Han. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" and ruled a vast area of land covering parts of present-day Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangsu, with Pengcheng as his capital. He engaged Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, in a long struggle for power, known as the Chu–Han Contention, which concluded with his eventual defeat and suicide at the bank of the Wu River.