Zhou Tai Wang

Zhou Tai Wang ( Chinese 周太王 , Pinyin Zhōu Tài Wáng - "Great King of the Zhou") is the posthumous name of Ji Dan Fu ( 姬亶父 , Jī Dǎn Fù ), also Gu Gong Danfu ( 古公亶父, 古公亶甫 , Jī Dǎn Fù ). In Chinese historiography, he is considered one of the ancestors of the Zhou dynasty . He is the eleventh generation of direct descent from Huangdi , the legendary “Yellow Emperor” and the first original ruler of China .

Legend has it that a woman named Jiang Yuan from Huangdi became pregnant when she stepped on one of his footprints. She put the son Houji down , thinking that Huangdi did not want the son. With the help of nature, however, he survived and taught the Zhou people , whose ancestor he became, agricultural techniques.

Eleven generations later, the Zhou under Zhou Tai Wang migrated south from what is now northwestern China, where they settled under the barbarians Rong and Di. They settled on the Qi Shan Mountains in the Wei River valley (today's Shaanxi Province ). The first archaeological evidence of the Zhou people was also found in this region.

The Zhou Tai Wang had three sons:

Ji Tai Bo (later name: Wu Tai Bo ) later founded the state of Wu and is the ancestor of the Wu family .
Ji Zhong Yong (姬虞仲)
Ji Ji Li (姬季歷)

The youngest son, Ji Li, had a son named Chang who had auspicious moles on his body when he was born. Zhou Taiwang therefore wanted to make Ji Li his heir to the throne; the two older sons voluntarily let Ji Li go first.

After the death of Zhou Tai Wang, Ji Li led numerous campaigns against his neighbors. He died near the capital of the Shang Empire . The grandson of Zhou Tai Wang was first arrested by the Shang, who now saw the Zhou as a danger. Shortly after his release, Chang assumed the title Wen Wang . His son overthrew the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty, which is considered the golden age in Chinese history.

Web links

Zhou Dynasty on imperialchina.org (English)

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d Edward L. Shaughnessy : Western Zhou History . In: Michael Loewe and Edward L. Shaughnessy (Eds.): The Cambridge History of Ancient China . Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0-521-47030-8 , pp. 301 .
^ Edward L. Shaughnessy: Western Zhou History . In: Michael Loewe and Edward L. Shaughnessy (Eds.): The Cambridge History of Ancient China . Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0-521-47030-8 , pp. 302 .

personal data
SURNAME	Zhou Tai Wang
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Ji Dan Fu; Gu Gong Danfu; 古公亶父; 古公亶甫; 周太王; 姬亶父
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Ancestor of the Zhou dynasty
DATE OF BIRTH	around 12th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	around 12th century BC Chr.

[Shaughnessy301-1] A ^b ^c ^d Edward L. Shaughnessy : Western Zhou History . In: Michael Loewe and Edward L. Shaughnessy (Eds.): The Cambridge History of Ancient China . Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0-521-47030-8 , pp. 301 .

[Shaughnessy302-2] Edward L. Shaughnessy: Western Zhou History . In: Michael Loewe and Edward L. Shaughnessy (Eds.): The Cambridge History of Ancient China . Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-0-521-47030-8 , pp. 302 .