All Topics  
Yue (state)

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Yue (state)
 
 
  Topics Yue (state) Topic Home

Yue was a state in 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....
 which existed during 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....
 and 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....
, in the modern province of Zhejiang
Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of China of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital....
. During the Spring and Autumn Period, its capital was in Guiji, near the modern city of Shaoxing
Shaoxing

Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province of China, People's Republic of China. Lying on the south bank of the Qiantang River mouth, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west....
. After the conquest of Wu
Wu (state)

Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The state of Wu straddled the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu....
, the kings of Yue moved their capital north, to Wu (modern Suzhou
Suzhou

Suzhou is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. The city is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed Chinese garden which have contributed to its status as a great tourist attraction....
).

According to Sima Qian
Sima Qian

Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography because of his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , an overview of the history of China covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu of Han China ....
, its rulers claimed to be descended from Yu the Great
Yu the Great

Yu , often regarded with legendary status as Yu the Great , was the first ruler and founder of the Xia Dynasty. He was born the year 2059 BCE, said to be on the Year of the Tiger....
, and the annotation to the Guoyu
Guoyu (book)

The G?oyu is a classical Chinese history book that collect of historical records of numerous states from Western Zhou to 453 BC. Its author is unknown, but Zuo Qiuming, a contemporary of Confucius, is sometimes attributed....
 mention that their surname was Mi (the same as the kings of 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....
).
ent Chinese texts do not mention Yue until the wars which opposed it to its northern neighbour, the state of Wu
Wu (state)

Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The state of Wu straddled the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu....
, in the late 6th century BC.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Yue (state)'
Start a new discussion about 'Yue (state)'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Yue was a state in 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....
 which existed during 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....
 and 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....
, in the modern province of Zhejiang
Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of China of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital....
. During the Spring and Autumn Period, its capital was in Guiji, near the modern city of Shaoxing
Shaoxing

Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province of China, People's Republic of China. Lying on the south bank of the Qiantang River mouth, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west....
. After the conquest of Wu
Wu (state)

Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The state of Wu straddled the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu....
, the kings of Yue moved their capital north, to Wu (modern Suzhou
Suzhou

Suzhou is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. The city is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed Chinese garden which have contributed to its status as a great tourist attraction....
).

According to Sima Qian
Sima Qian

Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography because of his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , an overview of the history of China covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu of Han China ....
, its rulers claimed to be descended from Yu the Great
Yu the Great

Yu , often regarded with legendary status as Yu the Great , was the first ruler and founder of the Xia Dynasty. He was born the year 2059 BCE, said to be on the Year of the Tiger....
, and the annotation to the Guoyu
Guoyu (book)

The G?oyu is a classical Chinese history book that collect of historical records of numerous states from Western Zhou to 453 BC. Its author is unknown, but Zuo Qiuming, a contemporary of Confucius, is sometimes attributed....
 mention that their surname was Mi (the same as the kings of 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....
).

Yue in History

Ancient Chinese texts do not mention Yue until the wars which opposed it to its northern neighbour, the state of Wu
Wu (state)

Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The state of Wu straddled the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu....
, in the late 6th century BC. After several decades of conflict, King Goujian of Yue managed to destroy and annex Wu
Wu (state)

Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The state of Wu straddled the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu....
 in 473 BC, and Yue became one of the powerful states in the early 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....
.

In 334 BC, the State of Yue, under the rule of Wu Jiang, the sixth generation descendant of Goujian, was eventually defeated and annexed by 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....
. The second son of Wu Jiang, Ming Di, was appointed by the ruler of Chu to administer a place called Wu Cheng (present day Wu Xing county of Zhejiang
Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of China of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital....
 province), which was situated south of Ou Yang Ting (pavilion), so named because it was built on the south and yang (sunny) side of the Ou Yu Mountain, and hence was given the title of Ou Yang Ting Hou (the equivalent of Marquis). After Chu was subjugated by Qin during the period of the Warring States in 223 BC, the title was abolished by the Qin Emperor Ying Zheng. The descendants took up the surname Ou, Ouyang
Ouyang

Ouyang is one of the most common two-character Chinese compound surnames in the world. However, it is not one of the top two hundred Chinese surnames, as documented by the Language Publication Society, Beijing in 1990....
 or Ou Hou (since disappeared) in remembrance of his official title.

The state was famous for the quality of its metalworking, in particular its swords. Examples include the extremely-well preserved Sword of Goujian and sword of King Zhou Gou. The beauty Xi Shi
Xi Shi

Xi Shi was one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived during the end of Spring and Autumn Period in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue....
 was a native of the state.

Exile Government and Absorption into Han Dynasty

After the fall of Yue, the ruling family moved south to what is now northern Fujian
Fujian

is one of the Province of China on the southeast coast of People's Republic of China. Fujian borders Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south....
 and set up the Minyue kingdom. This successor state lasted until ~150 BC, when it miscalculated an alliance with 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....
.

Minyue cities, neatly constructed from stone, have been excavated in Wuyishan City, which already contains a UNESCO
UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945....
 natural and cultural heritage site. Minyue tombs showing the Yue burial customs have recently been discovered.

See also

  • Yue (people)