Liu Jia刘贾

Where the histories differ

Records of the Grand Historian gives Prince Jing Liu Jia a full hereditary house chapter, while History of Han demotes him to a biography and combines him with the rebel Liu Pi

• histories differLiu Jia's chapter rank and clan positioning in the official histories

  In Records of the Grand Historian, the Hereditary House of Jing and Yan gives Liu Jia the status of a feudal lord's hereditary house. The Grand Historian praises his founding contributions: "The Grand Historian says: Prince Jing was enfeoffed as a prince because, when the Han was first established and the realm was not yet united, Liu Jia, though distantly related, was made prince by strategy and pacified the region between the Yangtze and Huai rivers. Liu Ze's enfeoffment was due to the influence of the Lü clan, yet Liu Ze ultimately faced south as a ruler for three generations. Their affairs were mutually reinforcing—how magnificent!" In History of Han, the combined biography of Jing, Yan, and Wu kings abolishes the hereditary house system, demotes him to a biography, and combines him with the rebellious King of Wu, Liu Pi. The appraisal is changed to a warning: "Their affairs were mutually reinforcing—how dangerous!"