Liu Bingzhong

Who was Liu Bingzhong?

Liu Bingzhong, or Liu Kan was a Yuan Dynasty court adviser and architect. He was born in Ruizhou, during the Jin Dynasty. In 1233, he entered the Jin's bureaucracy. He still was an officer after the Mongol Yuan Dynasty replaced the Jin following the Mongol–Jin wars, but later he became a monk. However his teacher thought that his talent should not be buried, so he recommended Liu Bingzhong to Kublai Khan, to become his adviser. During this period, he was extolled as the Five Talented in Xintai. He was credited with occult powers which allowed him to foretell the future and so assist military operations. Liu had a paramount influence on Yuan era city designs, and he is known to have planned both the Yuan capital of Dadu and its summer capital Xanadu.

Liu Bingzhong and Yao Shu made a plan "to canvass all talented to give well-governorship suggestions". Many Confucianists, such as Xu Heng, Wang Xun, Zhang Yi, were attracted to provide ruse to Kublai Khan, who later became the founder of the Yuan Dynasty.

After the Battle of Fishing Town, Möngke Khan died and Kublai Khan succeeded his post.