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Shu was an ancient state in what is now Sichuan
Sichuan

is a Province in western China proper with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, ?? , is an abbreviation of ??? , or "Four circuit #Circuits in East Asia of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from ???? , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Song...
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. Shu derived its power from the Chengdu Plain
Chengdu Plain

The Chengdu Plain is a plain in Sichuan, China. Chengdu is located on it....
, with its territory primarily in the central and western Sichuan basin
Sichuan basin

The Sichuan basin is a Depression in southwestern China. It comprises the central and eastern parts of Sichuan province, as well as Chongqing Municipality....
, as well as in the upper Han River valley
Han River (Hanshui)

The Han River in China was often referred to as H?nshui in antiquity. It is a left tributary of the Yangtze River with a length of 1532 km....
. Shu was conquered by Qin
Qin (state)

Q?n or Ch'in , was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Periods of China. It eventually grew to dominate the country and unite it in 221 BC, after which it is referred to as the Qin Dynasty....
 in 316 BC. Its capital was at Chengdu
Chengdu

Chengdu , located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan provinces of China and a sub-provincial city. Chengdu is also one of the most important economic centers and transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China....
.

is first mentioned in history as an alliance member with Zhou
Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
 in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was according to traditional sources the first Dynasties in Chinese history. They ruled in the northeastern region of the area known as "China proper", in the Yellow River valley....
, taking part in the Battle of Muye
Battle of Muye

The Battle of Muye was fought in China in 1046 BC. The battle led to the end of the Shang dynasty, and the beginning of the Zhou dynasty. According to Marxist historiography, the Zhou dynasty marks the beginning of the feudal phase of Chinese history....
. In the archaeological record, post-Muye Shu showed a culture with advanced military technology equivalent to that of the Zhou states; however, Shu military technology stagnated for the next several centuries, mirrored by its lack of mention in recorded history.

Legend states that Shu was ruled at one time by the mythical king, Duyu, and his descendants.






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Shu was an ancient state in what is now Sichuan
Sichuan

is a Province in western China proper with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, ?? , is an abbreviation of ??? , or "Four circuit #Circuits in East Asia of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from ???? , or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Song...
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. Shu derived its power from the Chengdu Plain
Chengdu Plain

The Chengdu Plain is a plain in Sichuan, China. Chengdu is located on it....
, with its territory primarily in the central and western Sichuan basin
Sichuan basin

The Sichuan basin is a Depression in southwestern China. It comprises the central and eastern parts of Sichuan province, as well as Chongqing Municipality....
, as well as in the upper Han River valley
Han River (Hanshui)

The Han River in China was often referred to as H?nshui in antiquity. It is a left tributary of the Yangtze River with a length of 1532 km....
. Shu was conquered by Qin
Qin (state)

Q?n or Ch'in , was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Periods of China. It eventually grew to dominate the country and unite it in 221 BC, after which it is referred to as the Qin Dynasty....
 in 316 BC. Its capital was at Chengdu
Chengdu

Chengdu , located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan provinces of China and a sub-provincial city. Chengdu is also one of the most important economic centers and transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China....
.

History

Shu is first mentioned in history as an alliance member with Zhou
Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
 in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was according to traditional sources the first Dynasties in Chinese history. They ruled in the northeastern region of the area known as "China proper", in the Yellow River valley....
, taking part in the Battle of Muye
Battle of Muye

The Battle of Muye was fought in China in 1046 BC. The battle led to the end of the Shang dynasty, and the beginning of the Zhou dynasty. According to Marxist historiography, the Zhou dynasty marks the beginning of the feudal phase of Chinese history....
. In the archaeological record, post-Muye Shu showed a culture with advanced military technology equivalent to that of the Zhou states; however, Shu military technology stagnated for the next several centuries, mirrored by its lack of mention in recorded history.

Legend states that Shu was ruled at one time by the mythical king, Duyu, and his descendants. Shu was later ruled by the Kaiming kings. During the later half of the Spring and Autumn Period
Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Period was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty . Its name comes from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 BC and 481 BC, which tradition associates with Confucius....
, Shu culture increasingly borrowed from Chu
Chu (state)

Chu was a monarchy in what is now central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States Period . Its ruling house had the Chinese surname mi , and clan name xiong , and originally was of the noble rank of Chinese nobility#Princehood and Peerage, roughly comparable to a viscount....
 and Ba
Ba (state)

Ba was an ancient state in eastern Sichuan, China. Its original capital was Zhi , Chongqing. Ba was conquered by Qin in 316 BCE. The modern ethnic minority Tujia people trace their origins back to the Ba people....
 cultures; for example, Shu copied the practice of boat coffin burials from Ba. The archaeological evidence also shows that Shu interacted with the cultures to the south in Yunnan
Yunnan

is a political divisions of China of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately 394,000 square kilometers ....
 and Guizhou
Guizhou

is a political divisions of China of the People's Republic of China located in the Southwest China of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang....
.

During the Warring States Period
Warring States Period

The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, covers the period from 476 BCE to the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE....
, Qin and Chu increasingly encroached on the Han river valley. Clashes with Shu inevitably began to arise; Shu fought Qin in 387 BC and Chu in 377 BC.

Conquest by Qin

Archaeological evidence shows that several gallery road
Gallery road

The gallery roads were roads through remote mountain areas of China. They consisted of wooden planks erected on holes cut into the sides of cliffs....
s from Qin to Shu were built during the Warring States Period over extremely difficult terrain, the Qinling Mountains
Qinling Mountains

The Qinling Mountains are a major mountain range located mainly in the Eastern province of Shaanxi, in China. The mountains provide a natural boundary between the North and South of the country, and support a huge variety of plant and wildlife, some of which is found nowhere else on Earth....
 and the Daba Mountains. Although legend attributes the building of the first gallery road, the Stone Cattle Road, to the last Kaiming king (being tricked by Qin), the roads were probably built by Qin to prepare for its invasion of the Sichuan basin.

Qin took advantage of a dispute between the last Kaiming king and his brother, the Marquis of Zu, to invade Shu. The Marquis of Zu had allied with Ba in attacking Shu. In response, the Kaiming king invaded Zu and sent the Marquis of Zu into exile in Qin. The Marquis of Zu then appealed to King Huiwen of Qin to invade Shu.

At this critical juncture, King Huiwen's two primary advisors, Zhang Yi
Zhang Yi (strategist)

Zhang Yi , born in Wei during the Warring States Period of China. He was an important strategist helping Qin to dissolve the unity of the other states, and hence pave the way for Qin to unify China....
 and Sima Cuo, held opposing views on invading Shu. Zhang Yi believed that Qin was close to winning control over the Central Plain
Central Plain

Central Plain may refer to:* Central Plain , or Zhongyu?n, a plain in Northern China in the lower reaches of the Yellow River which was the cradle of Chinese civilisation...
, arguing instead for an attack on Qin's traditional nemesis, Han
Han (state)

Han was a monarchy during the Warring States Period in China. Not to be confused with South Korea which shares the same name.Its territory directly blocked the passage of the state of Qin into the North China Plain, thus becoming a frequent target of Qin's military operations....
. On the other hand, Sima Cuo argued that invading Shu would greatly increase the agricultural wealth of Qin, tipping the balance of power in Qin's favor. King Huiwen agreed with Sima Cuo and sent his two advisors to lead the invasion of Shu. Qin defeated Shu and killed the last Kaiming king.

Shu under Qin rule

Qin turned Shu into a commandery and applied a strict process for integrating Shu into Qin. Qin sent officials to rule directly in Shu and actively encouraged migration of people from Qin into Shu. Although Qin tried to placate the populace by retaining the Kaiming rulers as the Marquis of Shu, Shu would rebel many times against Qin; in turn, Qin would respond by reinvading or suppressing Shu.

When King Huiwen died in 311 BC, a Qin official in Shu, Chen Zhuang, led a rebellion against Qin. Sima Cuo, Zhang Yi and Gan Mao led Qin forces into Shu and suppressed the rebellion. In 301 BC, Marquis Hui of Shu, a Kaiming descendant, rebelled. Sima Cuo led Qin forces into Shu and suppressed the rebellion. Marquis Hui's replacement, Marquis Wan, also rebelled against Qin. This time, the Qin governor in Shu, Zhang Ruo, suppressed the rebellion. After the last rebellion, the Kaiming descendants were permanently removed from actual power.

After securing its control over Shu, Qin used Shu as a place of exile, a practice later followed by the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the family known as the Liu clan who had peasant origins....
.

See also

  • An Duong Vuong
    An Duong Vuong

    An Duong Vuong is the ruling title of Th?c Ph?n , who presided over the ancient kingdom of ?u L?c as its only Th?c Dynasty monarch from 257 to 207 BCE, after defeating the state of Van Lang and uniting the two tribes of ?u Vi?t and L?c Vi?t....
  • Jinsha
    Jinsha

    Jinsha is an archaeological site in Sichuan, China. Located in the western suburbs of Chengdu, Jinsha was accidentally discovered in February 2001 during real estate construction....
  • Sanxingdui
    Sanxingdui

    Sanxingdui is the name of an archaeological site in China, now believed to be the site of an History of China city. The previously unknown Bronze Age culture was re-discovered in 1987 when archaeologists excavated remarkable Artifact , that radiocarbon dating dated as being from the 12th-11th centuries BCE....