Life

Liu Sheng was born to Emperor Jing of Han and Consort Jia, who also had another son, Liu Pengzu the Prince of Zhao. He was given the fief of Zhongshan by his father in 154 BC, and therefore reigned in the period right after the Rebellion of the Seven States, when the political atmosphere was one of suspicion regarding the feudal states. Given this atmosphere Liu Sheng was one of the more successful feudal rulers.

In the third year of the reign of Emperor Wu, his younger brother, Liu Sheng and several other princes were invited to Chang'an to feast; at the feast Liu Sheng wept and complained of the treatment of the feudal princes by centrally appointed officials, who made use of their role as monitors to constantly trump up charges against the princes. Impressed by this petition the Emperor explicitly ordered that the unfair scrutiny of the princes should stop, and Liu Sheng became one of the most renowned of the feudal rulers of his time.

He was known to indulge in alcohol and women, and is reputed to have had some 120 sons.

Family

• Father

　• Emperor Jing of Han (9th son of)

• Mother

　• Consort Jia

• Wives:

　• Dou Wan

• Major Concubines:

　• ?

• Children

　• Liu Chang (劉昌), Prince Ai of Zhongshan (中山哀王)

　• Liu Zhen (劉貞), Marquis Ting of Zhuolu (涿鹿亭侯)

• Descendants

　• Liu Bei (161-223)

　• Liu Kun (270-318)

Mausoleum

Liu Sheng's tomb was discovered in 1968 by Wang Zhongshu at Mancheng in the Hebei Province, west of Beijing. He was buried along with his wife, Dou Wan. It was the first undisturbed Western Han tomb discovered. The two were buried in two caves inside a mountainside. Each cave contained two side rooms for storage, a rear chamber for the coffin, and a large central chamber with a tiled roof and wooden supports that has since collapsed. The tomb contained over 2,700 artifacts. In total, the following objects were excavated:

• 419 bronze artifacts

• 499 iron artifacts

• 21 gold artifacts

• 77 silver artifacts

• 78 jade artifacts

• 70 lacquered artifacts

• 6 chariots (south-facing side room)

• 571 pieces of pottery (north-facing side room)

• Silk fabric

The artifacts included gold and silver acupuncture needles, and decorative iron daggers. Two key items are the bronze incense burner, known as a boshan and Sheng's jade burial suit. The boshan resembles the sacred mountains of the Isles of the Immortals in the Eastern Sea. Han Daoists believed that the mountains were a path to everlasting life It has a deep hemispherical bowl and an elegant base with classical chinese intertwining dragons. There are wavy inlaid gold lines in the work, which likely represent the Eastern Sea. Projecting from the jagged peaks are relief figures of humans and animals. The boshan is an attribution to both Sheng's immense wealth and the skill of Han bronze casting. Both Sheng and his wife were buried with intricated jade suits that each contained over 2,000 pieces of jade.

生平

漢文帝前元十五年(前165年)，丙子歲出生，為漢景帝第九子。

漢景帝前元二年(前155年)，漢景帝封其同母兄劉彭祖為廣川王。

漢景帝前元三年(前154年)，趙王劉遂謀反後，改封劉彭祖為趙王，六月二十五日另封劉勝為中山王。

劉勝好酒色，日日寵幸後宮，兒孫共計一百二十餘人。趙王劉彭祖批評弟弟劉勝，作為藩王，不佐天子撫慰百姓，只知道奢侈荒淫。劉勝反駁，說哥哥作為王爵，卻幹一些官吏幹的事，國王就該聽音樂，御聲色，其意思是朝廷不是派親王來治國，而是享受的。

前113年二月，劉勝病卒，嫡子劉昌繼位。

家庭

后妃

• 王后：竇綰

兒子

劉勝的兒子和孫子總數一百二十多人

• 中山哀王劉昌

• 廣望節侯劉忠（－前98年）

• 將梁侯劉朝平

• 薪館侯劉未央

• 陸城侯劉貞，漢昭烈帝劉備的祖先

• 薪處侯劉嘉

• 陸地侯劉義

• 臨樂敦侯劉光（－前106年）

• 東野戴侯劉章

• 高平侯劉喜

• 廣川侯劉頗

• 乘丘節侯劉將夜（－前114年）

• 高丘哀侯劉破胡（－前116年）

• 柳宿夷侯劉蓋（－前121年）

• 戎丘侯劉讓

• 樊輿節侯劉修（－前89年）

• 曲成侯劉萬歲

• 安敦于侯劉傳富

• 安險侯劉應

• 安道侯劉恢

• 澎侯劉屈氂，漢武帝末年丞相

後裔

• 劉備

• 劉禪

• 劉琨

考古研究

1968年，在河北省保定專區滿城縣，發掘了埋葬劉勝和王妃竇氏的中山靖王墓。墓中出土劉勝金縷玉衣以及王妃竇綰的銀縷玉衣。劉勝金縷玉衣內殘存灰褐色的骨灰和牙齒的琺瑯質外殼碎片。竇綰的銀縷玉衣內留有脊骨、肋骨、盆骨以及牙齒的琺瑯質外殼。發掘作業中又發現長信宮燈、漏壺。