Yue (state)

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Yue ( Chinese  越 國  /  越 国 , Pinyin Yuègúo ), also Yuyue ( 於 越  /  於 越 , Yúyuè ), was a state in China that was roughly in the area of ​​today's Zhejiang at the time of the spring and autumn annals . The capital Kuaiji ( 會稽  /  会稽 , Kuàijī ) was located near today's Shaoxing .

history

The state of Yue appears for 601, 544, 538, 518 and 506 BC. BC by name in the sources. The inhabitants were fishermen in the coastal regions and sea and river shipping formed an important economic base. Even the Shang were at times worried about war with the Yue, as labeled oracle bones show. (A Yue ax stands for the character Yue.)

The list of rulers is unclear because there are three different versions (the Shiji, the Yuejueshu and the bamboo annals ), which only agree on a few points (e.g. King Goujian). The rulers of Yue invoked direct descent from the great emperor Yu the Great . Specifically, Wu Yu, a son of the sixth Xia king Shao Kang, was supposed to maintain the grave of this ancestor and thus founded Yue. Ten generations later, the country fell into disarray and an alleged descendant, Wu Ren, re-established Yue. However, the tradition about Yue is shaped by the Chinese view of history and should therefore be viewed with caution. The Yue rulers at the time of the late spring and autumn annals appear to have repeatedly harmonized with the ruling house of Chu and may have forged the line of ancestry to distance themselves from Chu, from whose ruling house they actually descended. Specifically, z. B. the Chu king Xiong Qu (approx. 887 BC) established his son Zhi Ci as Yue king.

The rival of the Kingdom of Yue was the neighboring state of Wu , which under King Fuchai (ruled 496–473 BC) expanded from the area south of the lower Yangtze to the central reaches of the Yangtze. King Fuchai's opponent was King Goujian of Yue (reigned 496–465 BC). First, Yue was defeated, Goujian was held as a slave at the Wu court and released again. He sought revenge and a minister recommended Xi Shi , one of the Four Beauties . Xi Shi was sent as a concubine to the Wu king, whereupon Fuchai forgot his official duties and was defeated and killed 18 years later. In 473 BC In any case, King Goujian of Yue conquered the neighboring state of Wu and moved the capital to Lang Ye (today in western Shandong ) in 468 BC. Christ. When the Warring States Period came, Yue was one of the most powerful states in China. That was u. a. that Yue and Wu relied on well-organized and disciplined infantry when the impractical chariots were still used in the Chinese heartland .

King Goujian is also said to have broken with the morals of his ancestors. Until then, older women married younger men and older men married younger women, and the custom brought about birth control. Goujian forbade this in order to achieve a greater number of children by choosing a suitable partner among the people.

Another martial king was Zhu Gou (Wang Weng, 449-413 BC). He inherited Mang Gu (Bu Shou, 459-449 BC, murdered), rounded off his country with the conquest of the small states of Teng, Tan, Zheng, z. T. Ju and already quarreled with Chu . Usually the wars with Chu were successful, as the direction of the rivers flow made retreats easier for Yue and difficult for Chu.

In the fourth century BC There were several changes of the throne, connected with disputes and murders in the ruling house. Furthermore, the capital was (at least temporarily) 379 BC. Moved to Wu.

Eventually, Yue became known in 334 BC. Annexed by rival Chu under his last king Jiang (ruled 355–334 BC) after Jiang had attacked the Chu king Chu Wei-wang (ruled 339–329 BC), but defeated and was killed. The annexation was either not permanent or only extended to a part of the area, because there are indications for the continued existence of Yue. For the year 312 BC It appears again in the bamboo annals: it sent goods as gifts to Wei to make an alliance. And the Chu king Kaoli-wang (r. 262–238 BC) is said to have conquered Lang Ye from Yue again. At least a disintegration of the state into groups under kings and lords who were vassals of Chu is likely. A prince founded z. B. Min-Yue and later, several chiefs and kings of the Min-Yue saw the old Yue rulers, especially King Goujian, as their ancestors.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Geographical name "Kuaiji (會稽 / 会稽)" - Chinese: [1] - Retrieved on March 11, 2016 zdic.net - Online
  2. ↑ Cf. Marcel Granet : The Chinese Civilization, p. 270

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