Fuchai of Wu
| Fuchai | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Fuchai | |
| King of Wu | |
| Reign | 495 – 473 BC |
| Predecessor | Helu |
| Successor | Monarchy abolished |
| Died | c. 473 BC |
| Issue |
|
| Father | Helu |
| Fuchai of Wu | |
|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Fuchāi Fūchā |
| Wade–Giles | Fu-ch‘ai Fu-ch‘a |
Fuchai
Life
Fuchai was the son of King
In 494 BC,
) and then surrounding the mountain.At Fan Li's suggestion, Goujian sent
In 486 BC, Fuchai's men built the
During 483 and 482 BC, Fuchai's men built the
which ran parallel to the Yellow River through densely populated districts in what is now western Shandong.In 482 BC, Fuchai successfully challenged the duke of
Goujian had decided that he would be unable to defeat Wu in a single campaign and returned home to further strengthen his army. He also took advantage of the further weakening of Wu, as Fuchai led an extravagant and dissipated life. Following Bo Pi's advice, Fuchai executed his faithful minister Wu Zixu. King Fuchai also became completely distracted from state affairs by the Yue beauty Xi Shi, who it was said had been sent to Wu specifically for this purpose by Goujian or his ministers.
In 473 BC, Goujian's forces again attacked Wu and dealt repeated defeats on the Wu forces. Fuchai again sought terms, but Fan Li's opposition steeled Goujian's resolve. In the end, Fuchai was forced to commit suicide and Wu was annexed by Yue.[8][6]
Legacy
Fuchai had at least four sons, three of whom were named You, Hong and Hui. You was his heir but was killed in the battles leading to the defeat of Wu, and Hong became the new heir. After the collapse of the state, the other three sons of Fuchai were exiled. They and their descendants took Wu as their clan name.
The story of Goujian's revenge became proverbial in China,[7] as did Xi Shi's beauty. Fuchai's wronged minister Wu Zixu has been credited as the inspiration for many of the festivities around the Dragon Boat Festival.
Family
Concubines:
Sons:
- Crown Prince You (太子友; d. 482 BC)
- Prince De (王子地)
Daughters:
- A daughter whose personal name was Ziyu (紫玉)
Ancestry
Helü (537–496 BC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Fuchai of Wu (d. 473 BC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
References
Citations
- ^ Lii, Wu-jong; Chu, Hung-hsuan (August 1986). 實用中英百科手冊 [Practical Chinese-English Encyclopedic Handbook] (in Traditional Chinese and English). Taipei: Eurasia Book Co. p. 1005.
夫差[春秋吳]
- ^ 重編國語辭典 [Revised Mandarin Dictionary]. Ministry of Education (Taiwan). 2015. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
fú chāi
- ^ 國語日報辭典 [Mandarin Daily News Dictionary] (in Traditional Chinese). Taipei: Mandarin Daily News. June 1988. p. 1014.
吳王夫差（ㄔㄚ）
- ^ a b Zhao (2015), p. 206.
- ^ Needham & al. (1971), p. 269.
- ^ Cho-Yun Hsu, "The Spring and Autumn period" in The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilisation to 221 BC, edited by Edward L. Shaughnessy and Michael Loewe(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 564.
- ^ a b The King of Yue's Revenge.(n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2013, from shanghai guide, culture and legend website, The King of Yue's Revenge
- ^ King of Wu-Fu Chai (n.d.), Culture China, archived from the original on 2012-10-10, retrieved March 28, 2013
Bibliography
- ISBN 9780521070607.
- Zhao Dingxin (2015), The Confucian-Legalist State: A New Theory of Chinese History, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780199351732.
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