Yuan Huangtou

Yuan Huangtou (Chinese: 元黄头; died in 559) was the son of emperor Yuan Lang of Northern Wei dynasty of China. At that time, paramount general Gao Yang took control of the court of Northern Wei's branch successor state Eastern Wei and set the emperor as a puppet. After Gao deposed the last Eastern Wei emperor and established himself as the emperor of Northern Qi, he exterminated the imperial clan of the previous dynasty. Yuan Huangtou was imprisoned by Gao Yang and, along with other prisoners and against his will, flown via a large kite from the tower of Ye, China. The History of Northern Dynasties and Zizhi Tongjian record that all the condemned kite airmen died except for him. "Gao Yang made Yuan Huangtou and other prisoners take off from the Tower of the Phoenix attached to paper owls. Yuan Huangtou was the only one who succeeded in flying as far as the Purple Way, and there he came to earth."^[1] The Purple Way, a road, was 2.5 km from the approximately 33 metre tall Golden Phoenix Tower.

He survived this flight, but was later starved to death in prison.^[2]^[3]^[4]

References

^ Conan Alistair Ronan, 1994, The shorter science and civilisation in China: an abridgement of Joseph Needham's original text, Volume 4, Part 2, Cambridge University Press, p. 285.
^ Needham, Joseph; Ronan, Colin A. (1978). The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China: 4. Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–. ISBN 978-0-521-32995-8.
^ 世哲从弟黄头，使与诸囚自金凰台各乘纸鸱以飞，黄头独能至紫陌乃坠，仍付御史狱，毕义云饿杀之。(Rendering: Yuan Shizhe and his younger brother Yuan Huangtou with a few prisoners each launch themselves from Tower of the Golden Phoenix [in Ye, capital of the Northern Qi]. Yuan Huangtou was the only one who survived from this flight, as he glided over the city-wall and fell at Zimo [western segment of Ye] safely, but he was handed to Bi Yiyun and sentenced to death by starvation.). History of Northern Dynasties under 19.
^ （永定三年）使元黄头与诸囚自金凤台各乘纸鸱以飞，黄头独能至紫陌乃堕，仍付御史中丞毕义云饿杀之。(Rendering: [In the 3rd year of Yongding, 559], Gao Yang conducted an experiment by having Yuan Huangtou and a few prisoners each launch themselves from Tower of the Golden Phoenix [in Ye, capital of the Northern Qi]. Yuan Huangtou was the only one who survived from this flight, as he glided over the city-wall and fell at Zimo [western segment of Ye] safely, but he was handed to Bi Yiyun and sentenced to death by starvation.). Zizhi Tongjian under 167.

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[1] Conan Alistair Ronan, 1994, The shorter science and civilisation in China: an abridgement of Joseph Needham's original text, Volume 4, Part 2, Cambridge University Press, p. 285.

[NeedhamRonan1978-2] Needham, Joseph; Ronan, Colin A. (1978). The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China: 4. Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–. ISBN 978-0-521-32995-8.

[3] 世哲从弟黄头，使与诸囚自金凰台各乘纸鸱以飞，黄头独能至紫陌乃坠，仍付御史狱，毕义云饿杀之。(Rendering: Yuan Shizhe and his younger brother Yuan Huangtou with a few prisoners each launch themselves from Tower of the Golden Phoenix [in Ye, capital of the Northern Qi]. Yuan Huangtou was the only one who survived from this flight, as he glided over the city-wall and fell at Zimo [western segment of Ye] safely, but he was handed to Bi Yiyun and sentenced to death by starvation.). History of Northern Dynasties under 19.

[4] （永定三年）使元黄头与诸囚自金凤台各乘纸鸱以飞，黄头独能至紫陌乃堕，仍付御史中丞毕义云饿杀之。(Rendering: [In the 3rd year of Yongding, 559], Gao Yang conducted an experiment by having Yuan Huangtou and a few prisoners each launch themselves from Tower of the Golden Phoenix [in Ye, capital of the Northern Qi]. Yuan Huangtou was the only one who survived from this flight, as he glided over the city-wall and fell at Zimo [western segment of Ye] safely, but he was handed to Bi Yiyun and sentenced to death by starvation.). Zizhi Tongjian under 167.

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See also

References