|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yue (Chinese: 越國; pinyin: yuègúo) was a state in China which existed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, in the modern province of Zhejiang. During the Spring and Autumn Period, its capital was in Guiji (会稽), near the modern city of Shaoxing. After the conquest of Wu, the kings of Yue moved their capital north, to Wu (modern Suzhou).
According to Sima Qian, its rulers claimed to be descended from Yu the Great, and the annotation to the Guoyu mention that their surname was Mi.
Contents |
Yue in History
Ancient Chinese texts do not mention Yue until the wars which opposed it to its northern neighbour, the state of Wu, in the late 6th century BC. After several decades of conflict, King Goujian of Yue managed to destroy and annex Wu in 473 BC, and Yue became one of the powerful states in the early Warring States Period.
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. 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 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 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 (州勾). The beauty Xi Shi 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 and set up the Minyue kingdom. This successor state lasted until ~150 BC, when it miscalculated an alliance with the Han Dynasty.
Minyue cities, neatly constructed from stone, have been excavated in Wuyishan City, which already contains a UNESCO natural and cultural heritage site.[1] Minyue tombs showing the Yue burial customs have recently been discovered.
See also
References &
External links
 |
This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. |
- Eric Henry: The Submerged History of Yuè (Sino-Platonic Papers 176, May 2007; PDF)
|
||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
