Song Huizong (Zhao Ji)
Emperor of Song Dynasty
Biography
Zhao Ji, posthumously known as Emperor Huizong, ruled the Song Dynasty from 1100 to 1126. He was one of the most brilliant artists and patrons in Chinese history, creating the unique 'Slender Gold' calligraphy style and collecting thousands of precious paintings and antiquities. However, his artistic pursuits cost fortunes and blinded him to the rising military threat of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty. When Jin forces invaded, Huizong hastily abdicated in panic to his son, but both were captured during the humiliating Fall of Kaifeng (Jingkang Incident) in 1127. He spent his final years as a prisoner in the cold north, dying in captivity.
A famous myth surrounds his birth: it is said that shortly before Huizong was born, his father Emperor Shenzong was admiring a portrait of Li Yu, the tragic last ruler of the Southern Tang who was also a legendary poet and artist. In his dream, Li Yu visited the emperor, and soon after, Huizong was born. People believed this was a divine sign that Huizong was the reincarnation of Li Yu, destined to possess unmatched artistic genius but doomed to lose his empire in a similarly tragic way.