Career

Chen Lin was a native of Wengyuan County, Shaoguan, Guangdong province.

Guangdong

He quelled the 1562 uprisings in Chaozhou and Yingde in Guangdong and was subsequently promoted to the Shoubei of Guangdong. Chen participated in various campaigns in Southern China against rebels and peasant uprisings thereafter. In May of the 40th year of the Wanli Emperor, the Ming court awarded Chen as tutor to the crown prince (太子太保) and allowed it to be hereditary. In the 46th year of Wanli, Chen enfeoffed his son Chen Jiuxiang (陈九相) with the title and inheritance.

Korea and Japan

Chen Lin was dispatched in 1598 to help repulse the Japanese in Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea, working with the Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin. The aid was in response to a request by the Joseon Dynasty. Chen and Yi both fought in the Battle of Noryang, which ended Hideyoshi's attempts to invade Korea. See details in Imjin War section below.

Guizhou and Miao

After campaigning in Korea, Chen was promoted and gained control of troops in Hunan and Guangdong. He led troops to quell the Miao (Hmong) uprising in Zunyi, Guizhou province. He also helped quell the Bozhou rebellion.

Imjin War

In June 1592 (20th year), in order to fight against the Japanese invasion into Chosun, Chen Lin became Heavenly General of the 7th Battalion (신기칠영연용참장，神機七營練勇參將). October that year, he was appointed as Shenshuyou Deputy General (신추우부장、神樞右副將).

In 1593 (21st year), he became Deputy commander-in-chief of anti-Japanese pirates in Jilin, Liaoning, Baoding, Shandong and other places (薊遼保定山東等處防海倭副總兵) and deputy commander-in-chief of the General Military Department of Langshouji Town (恊守薊鎮副總兵署都督僉事).

When the Japanese army stepped down a little bit, the Japanese government was fed up with the war, and on June 17 of that year, Chen was transferred from the Japanese Military Police Department to the Minister of Cooperative Federation (保定山東等處防海禦倭副總兵署都督僉事).

On September 9, 1597 (the 25th year of Wanli's reign), he was appointed as a vice-president and ordered to lead 5,000 soldiers from Guangdong Province to save Joseon.

On October 17 of the same year, Chen was officially appointed as a provincial governor (署都督僉事) because of his contribution to the suppression of the Gwangseo (廣西) Jamgye (岑溪) immigrants.

On February 23, 1598 (the 26th year of Wanli's reign), Chen Lin became the Deputy Governor-General of Japan (禦倭總兵官), authorized and appointed by the secretariat (of the central Ming government).

In 1597, King Seonjo's 30th year of King Seonjo's reign, Chen joined Joseon with 5,000 sailors and established a co-naval force with Yi Sun-sin. Yi greatly admired Chen's leadership and skill in combat. During the naval battle, Admiral Yi passed away, and Chen alongside the other Koreans helped finish off the Japanese. Chen and the Ming used guns to help win the battles and defend Korea. Chen later reported the battle and Yi's death to the Wanli Emperor. He was awarded eight trophies for his prowess in battle. After the war, Koreans and the Ming gave Chen the title Guangdong Master (廣東伯 Guangdong Bo).

of Noryang

Descendants

Chen died of natural causes, but today, his descendants are spread across Guangdong, Guangxi, and Sichuan provinces, as well as Korea.

Korean descendants

Chen Lin is the founder of one of the Korean clans, Gwangdong Jin clan, and one of his grandsons, Chen Yongsu (陳泳素), settled in Korea. In 1644, at the end of the Ming, Chen Yongsu did not wish to give allegiance to the rising Qing dynasty, so Chen fled to Joseon Korea, where the Korean people warmly welcomed and protected him as a hero's descendant. Chen settled in South Jeolla Province. Today the Gwandong Jin clan has over 300 households and more than 1200-2000 people. Some members traveled to China to celebrate the victory of Chen Lin in the Korea-Japan war.

The descendants of Chen in Korea knew their home country was China, but they did not know where exactly in China, until recent research.

Cultural portrayals

Movies and Dramas

• 《Imjin War》(《임진왜란》) MBC, 1985 ~ 1986, actor: Gug Jeong-Hwan (국정환)

• 《Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin》 KBS, 2004 ~ 2005 , actor: Kim Ha-Kyun (김하균)

• 《Jingbirok》(징비록) KBS, 2015, actor: Bae Do-hwan (배도환)

• 《Imjin War 1592》 (임진왜란 1592) KBS, 2016, Actor: Cho Hang-Hweon (조항훤)

生平

陳璘於1543年出生在韶州府翁源縣龍田鋪（今周陂龍田村）。1562年（明嘉靖四十一年），潮州、英德等地數萬平民起事，陳璘率後前往，先後平息了潮州、英德平息了暴亂，升遷為廣東守備。萬曆初年，率兵平息了廣東高要、揭陽及山人鍾月泉等叛亂，陳璘有謀略，善於統率士兵，然而任內貪黷，於是被劾罷官。1593年（萬曆二十一年），復出任副總兵駐守南澳島。

1597年（萬曆二十五年），明朝與日本豐臣政權侵朝軍隊再度開戰；翌年，陳璘率兵1.3萬，戰船550餘艘，馳援朝鮮。戰勝後，被任命為湖廣總兵。萬曆二十七年，朝廷認為陳璘帶領水師殲滅日本水軍主力，功勞最大。後又領兵萬人平息了播州（今貴州遵義）的苗族播州之亂。

1607年（萬曆三十五年）五月，病逝于湖廣總兵任內，朝廷以其軍功加以封贈。

萬曆四十年五月，朝廷追贈陳璘為太子太保，賜一子為百戶並允以世襲。萬曆四十六年五月，蔭封其子陳九相為廣東南鄉所指揮並世襲。

後人

陳璘的後人遍布廣東的羅定、雲浮、鬱南、信宜等地，並有些遷徙到廣西、四川等地。明末，其一孫陳泳素遷至朝鮮半島南部皇朝里，現繁衍有300多戶，2000多人。