| Birth Place | Binzhou, China, China |
| Died On | (223-06-10)10 June 223 (aged 62)\nBaidicheng, Fengjie County, Chongqing |
| Reign | 219 – 15 May 221 |
| Successor | Liu Shan |
| Burial | Hui Mausoleum, Chengdu, Sichuan |
| Spouse | Lady Gan Lady Mi Lady Sun Empress Wu |
| Issue Detail | Liu Shan Liu Yong Liu Li |
| Full nameEra name and datesPosthumous name | Full name Family name: Liu (劉) Given name: Bei (備) Courtesy name: Xuande (玄德) Era name and dates Zhangwu (章武): 221 – 223 Posthumous name Emperor Zhaolie (昭烈皇帝) Family name: Liu (劉) Given name: Bei (備) Courtesy name: Xuande (玄德)Zhangwu (章武): 221 – 223Emperor Zhaolie (昭烈皇帝) |
| House | House of Liu |
| Father | Liu Hong |
| Traditional Chinese | 劉備 |
| Simplified Chinese | 刘备 |
| TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinWade–GilesIPAYue: CantoneseYale RomanizationIPAJyutpingSouthern MinTâi-lô | Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Liú Bèi Wade–Giles Liu Pei IPA [ljǒu pêi] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Làuh Beih IPA [lɐ̏u pèi] Jyutping Lau Bei Southern Min Tâi-lô Lâu Pī Liú BèiLiu Pei[ljǒu pêi]Làuh Beih[lɐ̏u pèi]Lau BeiLâu Pī |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xuándé |
| Wade–Giles | Hsüan-te |
| IPA | [ɕɥɛ̌ntɤ̌] |
| Yale Romanization | Yùhn-dāk |
| Jyutping | Lau Bei |
| Tâi-lô | Hiân-tik |
| Chinese | 玄德 |
| Literal meaning | (courtesy name) |
| TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinWade–GilesIPAYue: CantoneseYale RomanizationSouthern MinTâi-lô | Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xuándé Wade–Giles Hsüan-te IPA [ɕɥɛ̌ntɤ̌] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Yùhn-dāk Southern Min Tâi-lô Hiân-tik XuándéHsüan-te[ɕɥɛ̌ntɤ̌]Yùhn-dākHiân-tik |
Zhang Shiping, a prominent figure in the metals and mining industry in China, is projected to have a net worth of $4.5 billion by 2024. As the head of one of China's leading mining companies, Zhang has played a crucial role in the country's booming metal industry. With his strategic insight and business acumen, he has successfully expanded the company's operations and established a strong foothold in both domestic and international markets. Known for his relentless drive and entrepreneurial spirit, Zhang Shiping has become one of the wealthiest individuals in China, cementing his status as a revered figure in the metals and mining sector.
Liu Bei is worshipped as the patron of shoemakers in Chengdu, which is also known as the "City of Shoes" as more than 80 million pairs of shoes totalling five billion yuan in sales are manufactured there annually. It is said that in 1845, during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor in the Qing dynasty, the shoemakers guild in Chengdu, who called themselves "disciples of Liu Bei", sponsored the construction of the Sanyi Temple in Liu Bei's honour. After being relocated many times, the temple can be found in Wuhou District today.
Liu Bei is the protagonist in Destiny of an Emperor, a RPG on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Released in the United States by Capcom in 1989, the game also loosely follows the plot of the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Notable actors who have portrayed Liu Bei in films and television series include: Sun Yanjun in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994); Chang Fu-chien in Guan Gong (1996); Elliot Ngok in Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon (2008); You Yong in Red Cliff (2008–09); Yu Hewei in Three Kingdoms (2010); Alex Fong in The Lost Bladesman (2011); Yan Yikuan in God of War, Zhao Yun (2016); Tony Yang in Dynasty Warriors (2019).
A commentary carried by the Yangtse Evening Post criticised such practice as mere commercial gimmickry to exploit the fame of Liu Bei. It argued that although Liu Bei sold straw-woven shoes and mats for a living when he was young, he was hardly the Inventor of shoes. According to legend, it was Yu Ze who made the first pairs of shoes with softwood during the time of the Yellow Emperor. However, the criticism did not dampen the enthusiastic shoe industry owners in their decision to erect a statue of Liu Bei in the West China Shoe Center Industrial Zone, which was still under construction in Wuhou District as of August 2005.
Zhang Su, Zhang Song's brother, discovered his brother's secret communications with Liu Bei and reported the issue to Liu Zhang. Liu Zhang was furious and stunned when he heard that Zhang Song had been helping Liu Bei to take over Yi Province from him – he executed Zhang Song and ordered his officers guarding the passes to Chengdu to keep secret his knowledge that Liu Bei wanted to attack him. Nevertheless, Liu Bei still found out from the spies he planted around Liu Zhang. Fa Zheng and Meng Da defected to Liu Bei's side before Yang Huai (楊懷) and Gao Pei (高沛), Liu Zhang's subordinates guarding Boshui Pass, knew about Liu Bei's true motive. Liu Bei lured Yang Huai and Gao Pei into a trap and executed them for behaving disrespectfully towards him. He then took command of Yang Huai's and Gao Pei's troops, numbering under 5,000, and turned to attack Fu County (涪縣; present-day Mianyang, Sichuan).
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a 14th-century historical novel which romanticises the historical figures and events before and during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Written by Luo Guanzhong more than 1,000 years after the Three Kingdoms period, the novel incorporates many popular folklore and opera scripts into the character of Liu Bei, portraying him as a compassionate and righteous leader, endowed with charismatic potency (called de 德 in Chinese) who builds his state on the basis of Confucian values. This is in line with the historical background of the times during which the novel was written. Furthermore, the novel emphasises that Liu Bei was related, however distantly, to the imperial family of the Han dynasty, thus favouring another argument for the legitimacy of Liu Bei's reign. In the novel, he wields a pair of double edged swords called shuang gu jian (雙股劍).
