. The Han Dynasty used this era name for a total of six years.
Origin
• Han Shu · Records of Emperor Wu: "In the winter of the first year of Yuanshou, (Emperor Wu) traveled to Yong and sacrificed at the Five Altars. A white unicorn was obtained."
• Shiji · Book of Fengchan, Han Shu · Record of Suburban Sacrifices: "The officials said that it should be named after a heavenly omen, not by numbers. ... the fourth era it is called 『Shou' because a one-horned beast was obtained during a suburban hunt."
Era Name Controversy
The issue of the Yuanshou era name currently has two perspectives in academia:
The first perspective argues that the era name was later bestowed by Emperor Wu. This view is based on the records in Shiji · Book of Fangchan and Han Shu ·Record of Suburban Sacrifices: "The officials said it should be named after a heavenly sign, not by numbers. The first era was called 『Jian', the second era was called 『Guang' because of a long star, the third era called 『Shuo' because the sun and moon began anew, and the fourth era was called 『Shou' because a single-horned beast was found during a suburban hunt." Scholars such as Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty, Qian Daxin, Wang Xianqian, Zhou Shouchang of the Qing Dynasty, and modern scholar Xin Deyong support this view. Xin Deyong believes that at the time, years were recorded using numbers (one, two, three, four), and before the first year of Taichu, there was no formal adoption of era names in real life. He cites an inscription on a Han Dynasty bronze artifact reading 「Sixth year of the fourth era, January Jia Yin」 as evidence.
The second perspective argues that Emperor Wu created and used the era name upon his ascension to the throne. This view is supported by inscriptions on artifacts recorded in works such as Jin Qingguan Jinshi Ji, Xiao Jiaojing Ge Jinwen, and Tenghua Ting Jingpu, which include era names like 「Jianyuan」, 「Yuanshuo」, 「Yuanguang」, and 「Yuanshou」. These inscriptions are believed to have been recorded at the time, leading to the conclusion that the era names before Yuanding were not retroactively added. Li Chongzhi states, "The year marks on these artifacts sufficiently prove that Emperor Wu's Jianyuan, Yuanguang, etc., were not later bestowed." Zhao Yi in Ergeshilu Zaji and Wang Shumin in The Two Era Name Issues of the Han Dynasty both consider Yuanshou to be China's first era name, with previous era names being retroactively recorded. However, the current view is that Jianyuan was China's first era name. Xin Deyong argues from the perspective of inscription style, artifact production, and management systems that most of these Han Dynasty artifacts are forgeries created by later people and cannot be used to prove the use of era names at the time.
Chronology
Major Events
• In the second year of Yuanshou, General Huo Qubing led a western campaign against the Xiongnu and achieved a great victory at Jiuquan.
Births
Deaths
• Fourth year of Yuanshou, Commander-in-Chief Li Guang (committed suicide)
• Fifth year of Yuanshou, Marquis within the Pass Li Gan
• Sixth year of Yuanshou, General Huo Qubing
Notes
References
• 元狩 (Chinese)
The text above incorporates content created automatically using artifical intelligence.
Yuanshou (122 BC – 117 BC) is the fourth era name of Emperor Wu of Han. The Han Dynasty used this era name for a total of six years.