Shu (kingdom)
Shu 蜀 | |||||||
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?–c. 316 BCE | |||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||
Historical era | Spring and Autumn period | ||||||
• Established | ? | ||||||
c. 1046 BCE | |||||||
• Conquered by Qin | c. 316 BCE | ||||||
|
Shu | ||
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Tâi-lô Sio̍k | | |
Old Chinese | ||
Baxter–Sagart (2014) | *[d]ok |
Shu (
This independent Shu state was conquered by the state of
In subsequent periods of Chinese history the Sichuan area continued to be referred to as Shu after this ancient state, and later states founded in the same region were also called Shu.
Sanxingdui culture
Before 316 BCE the
State of Shu (10th century BC-316 BC)
There are very few mentions of Shu in the early Chinese historical records until the 4th century BCE. Although there are possible references to a "Shu" in
Written accounts of Shu are largely a mixture of mythological stories and historical legends found in local annals and miscellaneous notes,[6] which include the Han-dynasty compilation Chronicle of the Kings of Shu and the Jin-dynasty Chronicles of Huayang.[7][8] There are a few names of semi-legendary kings and emperors, such as Cancong (meaning "silkworm-bush", claimed to be the founder of silkworm cultivation in Sichuan), Boguan ("cypress-irrigator"), Yufu ("cormorant"), and Duyu ("cuckoo"). According to Chronicles of Huayang, Cancong was the first of the legendary kings and had protruding eyes, while Duyu taught the people agriculture and transformed into a cuckoo after his death.[4][9] In 666 BCE a man from Chu called Bieling ("turtle spirit") founded the Kaiming dynasty which lasted twelve generations until the Qin conquest. Legend has it that Bieling had died in Chu and his body floated upriver to Shu, whereupon he came back to life. While at Shu, he was successful in managing a flood and Duyu then abdicated in his favor. A later account states that the Kaiming kings occupied the far south of Shu before travelling up the Min River and taking over from Duyu.[10]
Ba–Shu culture
As the
Shu under Qin and Han
Conquest by Qin in 316 BCE
About 356–338 BCE
Qin and Han rule
In 314 BCE the late Kaiming king's son was appointed Marquis Yaotong of Shu to rule in conjunction with a Qin governor. In 311 BCE an official named Chen Zhuang revolted and killed Yaotong. Sima Cuo and Zhang Yi again invaded Sichuan and killed Chen Zhuang. Another Kaiming called Hui was made Marquis. In 301 BCE he was involved in an intrigue and chose suicide when confronted with Sima Cuo's army. His son, Wan, the last Kaiming marquis, reigned from 300 until 285 BCE when he was put to death. (Some say that An Dương Vương in Vietnamese history was a member of the Kaiming family who led his people southward.)
The conquest had more than doubled Qin's territory and gave it an area safe from the other states except Chu, but the land had to be developed before its taxes could be converted into military strength. Shu was made a "jun" or
During the conquest Chu was still tied up in the east with the annexation of Yue. In 312 BCE Qin and Chu troops clashed on the upper Han River. Zhang Yi used a mixture of threat and bluff to block any interference from Chu. Later a Chu general named Zhuang Qiao pushed west and occupied the tribal territory south of the Yangtze south of Shu. In 281 BCE Sima Cuo crossed the Yangtze and cut him off from Chu. He responded by declaring himself an independent king and he and his troops gradually blended into the local population. Starting in 280 BCE or before general Bai Qi pushed down the Han River and took the Chu capital (278 BCE). In 277 BCE the Three Gorges area was taken. The effect was to create a new Qin frontier east of Sichuan.
Sichuan remained quiescent during the wars before and after the
Shu in astronomy
Shu is represented by star
See also
- Clothing in ancient Shu
- Jinsha
- Sanxingdui
- Shu embroidery
- Second Kingdom of Shu
- Third Kingdom of Shu
- Fourth Kingdom of Shu
- Tombs of boat-shaped coffins
References
- ^ Torrance, T. (March 1924). Stewart, James Livingstone (ed.). "The History of Shuh: A Free Translation of the 'Shuh Chi'". The West China Missionary News. Chengtu: West China Missions Advisory Board. p. 26. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ISBN 978-986-5650-34-6.
- ISSN 2157-9679. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 0-8248-1800-8.
- ^ Shujing Original text: 王曰:「嗟!我友邦塚君御事,司徒、司鄧、司空,亞旅、師氏,千夫長、百夫長,及庸,蜀、羌、髳、微、盧、彭、濮人。稱爾戈,比爾干,立爾矛,予其誓。」
- ISBN 7-5085-0852-1.
- ISBN 978-1-118-32578-0.
- ISBN 978-0-521-89900-0.
- ^ Chang Qu. "Book 3 (卷三)". Chronicles of Huayang (華陽國志). pp. 90–91.
- ISBN 978-0-7914-1038-7.
- ^ (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 6 月 24 日
- ^ Star Names, R.H.Allen p.376
- Steven F. Sage. 'Ancient Sichuan and the Unification of China', 1992, which this article mostly summarizes