Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Biographies and Portraits

Portrait of Emperor Gaozu of the Later Zhou

original: "後周高祖" (Hou Zhou Gaozu). This refers to Guo Wei (reigned 951–954 CE), the founding emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty. Unlike the previous three dynasties of the "Five Dynasties" period, which were ruled by Shatuo Turkic elites, Guo Wei was Han Chinese. His reign is celebrated by historians for its focus on civil governance and administrative reform.

original: "郭威" (Guo Wei). The personal name of the Emperor. He rose from the ranks of the military to become a powerful general under the Later Han before founding his own dynasty.

Visual Description
This woodcut portrait follows the established iconographic tradition for founding emperors within the Sancai Tuhui The "Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms," a Ming Dynasty encyclopedia.

• The Headgear: The Emperor is shown wearing a putou; a traditional headpiece made of black gauze. It features the distinctive stiffened, wing-like flaps extending horizontally, which served as a symbol of high-ranking status and imperial dignity.
• Facial Features: He is depicted with a prominent, full beard and a steady, authoritative gaze. In traditional Chinese portraiture, these features were often stylized to suggest a "dragon-like" countenance, signifying a mandate to rule.
• The Robe: He wears a dark, round-collared robe. The clean, bold lines of the woodblock print emphasize his physical presence and the stability he brought to the central plains of China after decades of upheaval.

Historical Significance
Guo Wei's reign was short but transformative. After the chaos of the Later Han's collapse, he implemented policies to reduce the tax burden on commoners and curbed the power of local military governors. These reforms provided the economic and military foundation that his successor, Chai Rong, and later the Song Dynasty, would use to finally reunify China. He is often remembered as a "commoner's emperor" who understood the hardships of the people.