-The Xia dynasty was done, so now the Shang dynasty was kicked off!
-Lord Tang was now King Tan (or Da Yi) of the Shang dynasty!
-The dawn of the Shang dynasty is estimated to be at c. 1675 BC, but who the fuck knows.
-The capital was moved from (Henan (I guess?) to modern-day Anyang, Henan Province.
-Also, apparently the way capitals worked back then was that there were usually two- one was the "political" capital (where the king/emperor lived) and the other was the "ancestral" capital (where the dynasty traced its roots and where all their relics were and shit).
-Anyway, King Tang had inherited a pretty fucked up kingdom, which had been suffering as a result of the natural disasters caused by the divine "powers that be" being pissed off at King Jie's madness.
-So, King Tang pledged to his ancestors and the gods that he would love a life of purity and righteousness, and then he began to work hard to improve his kingdom.
-Thus, the drought and other natural disasters ended, and their was much rejoicing amongst the masses.
-King Tang died c. 1650 BC, but it's unclear as to what exactly went down after this (or if this even happened at all, to be honest).
-It's possible that he was succeeded by his eldest son, Tai Ding (AKA Da Ding), but the Records of the Grand Historian say that Da Ding died when he was young and before the death of King Tang, and that King Tang was proceeded by his own younger brother Wai Bing (AKA Bu Bing).
-However, the oracle bones (a primary source!) say that Tai Ding was indeed the second king and that he was then succeeded by his own son, Tai Jia (AKA Da Jia or Zhi), upon his death.
-Anyway, so whatever happened, Tai Jia is now king.
-The Records of the Grand Historian say that he was actually the 4th king (after succeeding his uncles Wai Bing and Zhong Ren (AKA Zi Yong); obviously who the fuck knows what was actually going on at this time.
-Tai Jia ended up being a shitty ruler, as he was a tyrant and hedonist.
-In order to save the dynasty, advisor Yi Yin (AKA Yi Zhi, or A Heng; the same dude who served as adviser to Lord Tang (AKA King Tang or Dai) seized power.
-Yi Yin then had King Tai Jia arrested and exiled to Yanshi County (modern-day Luoyang, Henan Province). He then ruled as regent for a few years until he allowed for King Tai Jia to come back.
-King Tai Jia then proved to everyone that he'd really changed for the good and learned his lesson, and winds up being a really good ruler after this!
-The Bamboo Annals, however, say that Yi Yin seized power in a violent coup until King Tai Jia was able to wrest power from him 7 years later in a violent counter-coup, with Yi Yin ending up being killed. So who knows, but experts think this version seems more unlikely.
-Also, because of these different versions, it's extremely difficult/impossible to have a clear idea of WTF was really going on or who succeeded who during this time.
-Anyway, so according to the oracle bones, when King Tai Jia died the throne went to his younger brother, Bu Bing (King Tai Jia's son was too young, I guess).
-King Bu Bing only ruled for a couple years before kicking the bucket.
-Next up was (depending on who you ask) King Tai Geng (AKA Da Geng), son of King Tai Jia. However, the Records of the Grand Historian claim that the next king was actually another of King Tai Geng's sons, Wo Ding (AKA Xun or Qiang Ding), but he isn't mentioned in the oracle bones...
-King Tai Geng either ruled for 5 or 25 years before croaking.
-Next up was King Xiao Jia, brother of King Tai Geng. He reigned for 17 years.
-Next up was (once again, depending on which version) King Da Wu (AKA Tai Wu), brother of King Xiao Jia, or King Yong Ji (AKA Lu Ji), another brother of King Xiao Jia.
-It was recorded that King Da Wu ruled for 75 years!
-Also during this time the Shang dynasty had increasing contact with the "Western Barbarians" (known as the Xirong (AKA just "Rong" or Hsi-jung)); the Shang described these savages as having red hair, green eyes, and other weird shit).
-Next up after this was King Zhong Ding (nephew of King Yong Ji), and he moved the capital to Ao (modern-day Zhengzhou, Henan Province).
-Fun fact: at some point, the Shang dynasty clashed with some horde known as the "Blue Barbarians", whoever the fuck they were.
-King Zhong Ding ruled for 10 years or so.
-Next was King Wai Ren (AKA Bu Ren), younger brother of King Zhong Ding.
-During this time, 2 of the Shang's vassal states (Pei and Xian) rebelled.
-These rebellions continued until after King Wai Ren died (ruled for 15 years).
-Next was King Jian Jia (AKA He Dan Jia), son of King Wai Ren.
-During this time the Shang dynasty clashed with the mysterious Blue Barbarians again, and King Jiang Jia spent a lot of time quelling the rebellions.
-King Jian Jia ruled for 9 years before dying.
-The next king was King Jian Jia's son, King Zu Yi.
-Moved the capital around a bunch, ruled for 19 years.
-Next was King Zu Yi's son, King Zu Xin. He ruled for 16 years.
-Next up was King Zu Xin's younger brother, King Wo Jia (AKA Qiang Jia).
-He ruled for 20-25 years.
-Next up was King Zu Xin's son, King Zu Ding, ruling for 32 years.
-Next up was his cousin, King Nan Geng. He ruled for 29 years.
-Next up was King Zu Ding's son, King Yang Jia (AKA Xiang Jia). Ruled for 7-17 years.
-Next up was King Yang Jia's younger bro, King Pan Geng (AKA Xun).
-Notable for moving the capital to Yin (modern-day Anyang, Henan Province), where it would remain the capital for the rest of the Shang dynasty period.
-Ruled for 28 years.
-Next up was King Pan Geng's younger bro, King Xiao Xin. He ruled for 3 years.
-Next up was King Xiao Xin's younger bro, King Xiao Yi, who ruled for 10 years.
-Next up was King Xiao Yi's son, King Wu Ding, who would rule for 59 years (c. 1250-1192 BC).
-We actually know surprisingly a lot about this dude since we have primary sources and other shit (like tombs and artifacts) that clearly demonstrate that he existed at some point.
-He was considered to be one of the best of the Shang dynasty kings, with many advancements in technology and science during this time.
-Had as many as 60 concubines/wives at his palace, given to him from neighboring tribes and states in order to secure alliances.
-The Shang dynasty population at this point was about 13.5 million people!
-Another important point is that we know a lot about King Wu Ding because we found that the tomb of his favorite concubine, Fu Hao (AKA Lady Hao, Mu Xin, or Lady Fu Hao) who herself was a badass. She was buried with a bunch of weapons and shit!
-Fu Hao was a genius at social manipulation, so she quickly rose through the ranks of the concubines to eventually come to dominate the others and gain the attention (and ear) of the king.
-She was eventually appointed to be the high priestess in charge of conducting the bone rituals and ceremonies and shit. Additionally, she was even given a position as army commander (!) and led the Shang armies during wars of expansion! This included battles with hordes such as the Yi (or Lo) people (ancestors of the Tibetans and others), the Qiang people (unclear who they are really), and the state of Ba.
-Also during this time, the Shang began to fight with barbarians to the north and west, such as the Guifang (possibly proto-Huns), Di (proto-Tibetans), and Quiang people.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Shang Dynasty - Part I - Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Oracle Bones
-Of course, during the time of the Xia dynasty, there were other civilizations which surrounded the Yellow River Valley, but we don't know much about them (or the Xia dynasty (if it even existed) for that matter).
-We don't actually know when the Shang dynasty started.
-Major sources for the history of the Shang dynasty come from the same sources used for the Xia dynasty, in addition to Liu Xin (c. 50 BC - 23 AD) (AKA Liu Xiu or Zijun), a scholar of the Western Han dynasty.
-Another problem of dates and chronology is that the Chinese government-sponsored "Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project" (1996-2000) has been accused of being corrupted by nationalism, ethnocentrism, and propaganda, but this of course has also been disputed.
-Also, this dynasty has 2 names- "Shang" (obviously) and "Yin" (especially in Japan and Korea (은), which apparently comes from the name of one of the capital cities (Yin, modern-day Anyang, Henan Province).
-It was from the Shang dynasty that Gojoseon got a lot of its technology (the Shang referred to Gojoseon simply as the "Eastern Barbarians").
-Unfortunately, it's really difficult to verify anything during this time until we get to the Zhou dynasty, in which shit starts to become more clear.
-A lot of what we know about the Shang dynasty comes from recent archaeological discoveries (20th century), much of which were from what the Chinese called "dragon bones" or "oracle bones" ("jiagu"), which were (and still are!) being used Chinese pyromancy.
-These bones were often just the remains of ancient ox or turtles, but they had a bunch of writing on them, so once scholars (most notably Wang Yirong (1845-1900), Director of the Chinese Imperial Academy ("Guozijian") in Beijing, realized what these bones actually were, they freaked out about how these priceless pieces of archaeology were being ground up and used for magic and traditional medicine.
-A lot of them were traced back to Henan Province and the Yellow River Valley.
-Thanks to the oracle bones, we can safely assume that they were primarily an agricultural and hunting people (and possibly the same as the Xia dynasty civilization).
-Lots of warfare, but also evidence of religion and currency as well.
-Also built buildings and walls via a process known as "rammed earth" (which is still used today, and is found in the archaeology of every civilization).
-Wooden structures also built during this time as well.
-Also evidence of slavery, ritual burials, and other shit.
-We don't actually know when the Shang dynasty started.
-Major sources for the history of the Shang dynasty come from the same sources used for the Xia dynasty, in addition to Liu Xin (c. 50 BC - 23 AD) (AKA Liu Xiu or Zijun), a scholar of the Western Han dynasty.
-Another problem of dates and chronology is that the Chinese government-sponsored "Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project" (1996-2000) has been accused of being corrupted by nationalism, ethnocentrism, and propaganda, but this of course has also been disputed.
-Also, this dynasty has 2 names- "Shang" (obviously) and "Yin" (especially in Japan and Korea (은), which apparently comes from the name of one of the capital cities (Yin, modern-day Anyang, Henan Province).
-It was from the Shang dynasty that Gojoseon got a lot of its technology (the Shang referred to Gojoseon simply as the "Eastern Barbarians").
-Unfortunately, it's really difficult to verify anything during this time until we get to the Zhou dynasty, in which shit starts to become more clear.
-A lot of what we know about the Shang dynasty comes from recent archaeological discoveries (20th century), much of which were from what the Chinese called "dragon bones" or "oracle bones" ("jiagu"), which were (and still are!) being used Chinese pyromancy.
-These bones were often just the remains of ancient ox or turtles, but they had a bunch of writing on them, so once scholars (most notably Wang Yirong (1845-1900), Director of the Chinese Imperial Academy ("Guozijian") in Beijing, realized what these bones actually were, they freaked out about how these priceless pieces of archaeology were being ground up and used for magic and traditional medicine.
-A lot of them were traced back to Henan Province and the Yellow River Valley.
-Thanks to the oracle bones, we can safely assume that they were primarily an agricultural and hunting people (and possibly the same as the Xia dynasty civilization).
-Lots of warfare, but also evidence of religion and currency as well.
-Also built buildings and walls via a process known as "rammed earth" (which is still used today, and is found in the archaeology of every civilization).
-Wooden structures also built during this time as well.
-Also evidence of slavery, ritual burials, and other shit.
Xia Dynasty - Part III - The Fall of the House of Xia
-Most of our sources on the Xia Dynasty come from the Bamboo Annals ("Zhushu Jinian") / Ji Tomb Annals ("Ji Zhong Jinian") (written in 300 BC), the Book of Documents ("Shujing") / Classic of History ("Shangju") (compiled by Confucius between 550-480 BC (we think)), and the Records of the Grand Historian ("Shiji") (written c. 140-86 BC).
-Because these works were written so long after the Xia dynasty, we don't have much info to go off of in terms of knowing much about this time, or even if the Xia dynasty existed at all!
-We're lucky to have these sources, as there was an attempt to eradicate all copies of them by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of (unified) China.
-Anyway, so King Shao Kang was dead, and King Zhu was his heir.
-The capital at this time was Yuan (modern-day Jiyuan, Henan Province).
-Eventually, King Zhu moved the capital to Laoqiu (modern-day Kaifeng, Henan Province).
-Apparently, the capital moved around a lot during the Xia dynasty, and at least 13 different cities: Daxia (Xia Xian/Xia County, Shanxi Province); Song (Luoyang, Henan Province); Yangcheng (Zhengzhou, Henan Province); Yangzhai (Xuchang, Henan Province); Chu (?); Qiongshi (Luoyang, Henan Province); Zhen/Zhenxun (Zhengzhou, Henan Province); Diqiu (Puyang, Henan Province); Yuan (Jiyuan, Henan Province); Laoqiu (Kaifeng, Henan Province); Xihe (Anyang, Henan Province); Zhen (Zhengzhou, Henan Province); and Henan (?).
-Also invaded some place called "Sanshou".
-King Zhu died, replaced by his son, King Huai (AKA Hui or Fen).
-We don't really know much about this dude other than that he ruled for a long time (26-44 years).
-King Huai died, replaced by his son, King Mang (AKA Wang or Huang).
-Nothing cool happened here that we know of except that it was noted that he gave a bunch of jade to his men when he was enthroned, perhaps hinting at the growing decadence of the court.
-King Mang died, replaced by his son King Xie- fought some barbarians, acquired more vassal states.
-King Xie died, replaced by his son, King Bu Jiang.
-King Bu Jiang was allegedly really smart.
-Fought a war with the city/state of Jiuyuan (modern-day Baotou, Inner Mongolia) and continued to expand the empire.
-Ruled for almost 60 years!
-King Bu Jiang died, replaced by his brother, King Jiong.
-Ruled for 18-21 years.
-King Jiong died, replaced by his son, King Jin.
-After 21 years, King Jin died, replaced by his son, King Kong Jia.
-King Kong Jia only cared about drinking alcohol, hunting, and sex!
-He was also really superstitious.
-This was around the time that the Xia dynasty really began to fall into decline as its local lords began to grow too powerful.
-King Kong Jia died, replaced by his son, King Gao.
-King Gao died after ruling for 11 years, replaced by his son, King Fa.
-During this time was allegedly the first ever recorded earthquake (at Mount Tai, Shandong Province) in the history of the Xia dynasty, an ill omen indeed...
-King Fa died, replaced by his son, the dreaded King Jie (also known as Lu Gui) (c. 1728 BC).
-At this time the Xia capital was at Zhenxun (modern-day Zhengzhou, Henan Province).
-King Jie kicked off his reign with the construction of something called a "tilt palace", which took 7 years, thousands of slaves, and huge amounts of money (which of course required a huge increase in taxes).
-King Jie also was frequently accompanied by the psychopath concubine Mo Xi (AKA Mei Xi), who was completely depraved and fucked up.
-Famously, she convinced King Jie to have a lake of wine constructed, and then they got a boat and sailed around in the wine while hosting and participating in a giant orgy, after which Mo Xi ordered 3000 slaves to drink the lake dry. Of course, all of the slaves died attempting to do this, and Mo Xi famously laughed as all of this was happening.
-King Jie was also insane about his meals, and if the ingredients were fucked up the people responsible were decapitated!
-He also loved drinking a special kind of pure alcohol wine.
-During these drinking sessions he would get on top of someone's back and ride around on them like a horse. If they couldn't do this, he would have them executed, no matter their status in the court.
-Meanwhile, the ill omens continued, including meteor showers, earthquakes, auspicious positions of the stars, etc.
-He also began to engage in various wars with neighboring lands.
-Moved the capital from Zhenxun to Henan (?).
-When waging war in the southwest (near the Min Mountains of Sichuan and Gansu Provinces, respectively), King Jie took two of the local lords' daughters as his own wives, naming them Zhao and Hua, and kicked Mo Xi to the curb!
-Meanwhile, in the east, the mighty Shang state was on the rise!
-Shang was a tribute state dominated by the Xia dynasty, and at this time its lord was a dude named Tang (AKA Cheng Tang or Da Yi).
-Lord Tang had had enough of King Jie's bullshit! He summoned 40 other local lords to support his cause, citing King Jie's extreme cruelty and natural disasters as evidence that the heavens no longer favored King Jie.
-In order to weaken the Xia dynasty, Lord Tang began picking fights with various other vassal states that were important tributary states in terms of military contributions to the Xia dynasty.
-This tactic was meant to "divide and onquer", slowly weakening the overall army of the Xia dynasty.
-These states included Wen, Kunwu, Jingbo, Mixu, Wei, and Gu.
-As King Jie's reign continued, more disasters, bizarre weather, and crop failure ensued.
-Some scholars believe that these events coincided with the Minoan eruption (which occurred some time between 1642-1540 BC and was also a possible major cause for the decline and fall of the Minoan civilization).
-Finally, after also heeding the advice of his close adviser, Yi Yin (AKA Yi Zhi, or A Heng), Lord Tang decided to invade the Xia dynasty and strike at King Jie directly.
-Lord Tang's troops were completely worn out from fighting so much, so he decided to give a famous speech (known as "Tang's Speech") to rouse their spirits.
-The speech seemed to work, and the armies then clashed at a site named Mingtiao (present day Yuncheng, Shanxi Province).
-It is estimated that the Shang army had about 6000 infantry, but the Xia army was significantly smaller and unwilling to fight.
-Of course, the battle did not last long, as Xia morale was so low, and soon most of the Xia army surrendered.
-Thus, after the battle King Jie was on the run! He fled to another city, but was soon captured by Lord Tang and exiled (unclear as to where).
-Lord Tang then mopped up any resistance armies, eliminated any political loyalists in the capital, and then enslaved the majority of the Xia population to serve his own people.
-Thus, c. 1600 BC (estimations vary wildly), the Xia dynasty fell and Lord Tang became King Tang (or Da Yi) of the Shang dynasty!
-Religion during this time was a mix of shamanism, ancestor worship, and ritual sacrifice.
-The Shang dynasty king would eventually take on the role of "high priest" for the various religious ceremonies.
-This was the middle of the Chinese bronze age (c. 3000-1700 BC), so while they used bronze weapons and shit, they also used jade weapons for ceremonial purposes because they believed that jade had mystical properties and symbolism.
-Bronze weapons:
-Spears (known as the "King of Weapons", ran from 9-21 feet long!).
-Swords (single-edged blades)
-Bows and arrows
-Polearms (such as the "ge" ("dagger-axe") used to swing (and miss) but then decapitate the foe from behind!
-The Shang dynasty also had chariots, but they used them mostly for transportation, not warfare.
-Soldiers were conscripted from their vassal lords who were in charge of supplying (and equipping) the troops from their lands.
-Usually an army was between 5000-13,000 men.
-Because these works were written so long after the Xia dynasty, we don't have much info to go off of in terms of knowing much about this time, or even if the Xia dynasty existed at all!
-We're lucky to have these sources, as there was an attempt to eradicate all copies of them by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of (unified) China.
-Anyway, so King Shao Kang was dead, and King Zhu was his heir.
-The capital at this time was Yuan (modern-day Jiyuan, Henan Province).
-Eventually, King Zhu moved the capital to Laoqiu (modern-day Kaifeng, Henan Province).
-Apparently, the capital moved around a lot during the Xia dynasty, and at least 13 different cities: Daxia (Xia Xian/Xia County, Shanxi Province); Song (Luoyang, Henan Province); Yangcheng (Zhengzhou, Henan Province); Yangzhai (Xuchang, Henan Province); Chu (?); Qiongshi (Luoyang, Henan Province); Zhen/Zhenxun (Zhengzhou, Henan Province); Diqiu (Puyang, Henan Province); Yuan (Jiyuan, Henan Province); Laoqiu (Kaifeng, Henan Province); Xihe (Anyang, Henan Province); Zhen (Zhengzhou, Henan Province); and Henan (?).
-Also invaded some place called "Sanshou".
-King Zhu died, replaced by his son, King Huai (AKA Hui or Fen).
-We don't really know much about this dude other than that he ruled for a long time (26-44 years).
-King Huai died, replaced by his son, King Mang (AKA Wang or Huang).
-Nothing cool happened here that we know of except that it was noted that he gave a bunch of jade to his men when he was enthroned, perhaps hinting at the growing decadence of the court.
-King Mang died, replaced by his son King Xie- fought some barbarians, acquired more vassal states.
-King Xie died, replaced by his son, King Bu Jiang.
-King Bu Jiang was allegedly really smart.
-Fought a war with the city/state of Jiuyuan (modern-day Baotou, Inner Mongolia) and continued to expand the empire.
-Ruled for almost 60 years!
-King Bu Jiang died, replaced by his brother, King Jiong.
-Ruled for 18-21 years.
-King Jiong died, replaced by his son, King Jin.
-After 21 years, King Jin died, replaced by his son, King Kong Jia.
-King Kong Jia only cared about drinking alcohol, hunting, and sex!
-He was also really superstitious.
-This was around the time that the Xia dynasty really began to fall into decline as its local lords began to grow too powerful.
-King Kong Jia died, replaced by his son, King Gao.
-King Gao died after ruling for 11 years, replaced by his son, King Fa.
-During this time was allegedly the first ever recorded earthquake (at Mount Tai, Shandong Province) in the history of the Xia dynasty, an ill omen indeed...
-King Fa died, replaced by his son, the dreaded King Jie (also known as Lu Gui) (c. 1728 BC).
-At this time the Xia capital was at Zhenxun (modern-day Zhengzhou, Henan Province).
-King Jie kicked off his reign with the construction of something called a "tilt palace", which took 7 years, thousands of slaves, and huge amounts of money (which of course required a huge increase in taxes).
-King Jie also was frequently accompanied by the psychopath concubine Mo Xi (AKA Mei Xi), who was completely depraved and fucked up.
-Famously, she convinced King Jie to have a lake of wine constructed, and then they got a boat and sailed around in the wine while hosting and participating in a giant orgy, after which Mo Xi ordered 3000 slaves to drink the lake dry. Of course, all of the slaves died attempting to do this, and Mo Xi famously laughed as all of this was happening.
-King Jie was also insane about his meals, and if the ingredients were fucked up the people responsible were decapitated!
-He also loved drinking a special kind of pure alcohol wine.
-During these drinking sessions he would get on top of someone's back and ride around on them like a horse. If they couldn't do this, he would have them executed, no matter their status in the court.
-Meanwhile, the ill omens continued, including meteor showers, earthquakes, auspicious positions of the stars, etc.
-He also began to engage in various wars with neighboring lands.
-Moved the capital from Zhenxun to Henan (?).
-When waging war in the southwest (near the Min Mountains of Sichuan and Gansu Provinces, respectively), King Jie took two of the local lords' daughters as his own wives, naming them Zhao and Hua, and kicked Mo Xi to the curb!
-Meanwhile, in the east, the mighty Shang state was on the rise!
-Shang was a tribute state dominated by the Xia dynasty, and at this time its lord was a dude named Tang (AKA Cheng Tang or Da Yi).
-Lord Tang had had enough of King Jie's bullshit! He summoned 40 other local lords to support his cause, citing King Jie's extreme cruelty and natural disasters as evidence that the heavens no longer favored King Jie.
-In order to weaken the Xia dynasty, Lord Tang began picking fights with various other vassal states that were important tributary states in terms of military contributions to the Xia dynasty.
-This tactic was meant to "divide and onquer", slowly weakening the overall army of the Xia dynasty.
-These states included Wen, Kunwu, Jingbo, Mixu, Wei, and Gu.
-As King Jie's reign continued, more disasters, bizarre weather, and crop failure ensued.
-Some scholars believe that these events coincided with the Minoan eruption (which occurred some time between 1642-1540 BC and was also a possible major cause for the decline and fall of the Minoan civilization).
-Finally, after also heeding the advice of his close adviser, Yi Yin (AKA Yi Zhi, or A Heng), Lord Tang decided to invade the Xia dynasty and strike at King Jie directly.
-Lord Tang's troops were completely worn out from fighting so much, so he decided to give a famous speech (known as "Tang's Speech") to rouse their spirits.
-The speech seemed to work, and the armies then clashed at a site named Mingtiao (present day Yuncheng, Shanxi Province).
-It is estimated that the Shang army had about 6000 infantry, but the Xia army was significantly smaller and unwilling to fight.
-Of course, the battle did not last long, as Xia morale was so low, and soon most of the Xia army surrendered.
-Thus, after the battle King Jie was on the run! He fled to another city, but was soon captured by Lord Tang and exiled (unclear as to where).
-Lord Tang then mopped up any resistance armies, eliminated any political loyalists in the capital, and then enslaved the majority of the Xia population to serve his own people.
-Thus, c. 1600 BC (estimations vary wildly), the Xia dynasty fell and Lord Tang became King Tang (or Da Yi) of the Shang dynasty!
-Religion during this time was a mix of shamanism, ancestor worship, and ritual sacrifice.
-The Shang dynasty king would eventually take on the role of "high priest" for the various religious ceremonies.
-This was the middle of the Chinese bronze age (c. 3000-1700 BC), so while they used bronze weapons and shit, they also used jade weapons for ceremonial purposes because they believed that jade had mystical properties and symbolism.
-Bronze weapons:
-Spears (known as the "King of Weapons", ran from 9-21 feet long!).
-Swords (single-edged blades)
-Bows and arrows
-Polearms (such as the "ge" ("dagger-axe") used to swing (and miss) but then decapitate the foe from behind!
-The Shang dynasty also had chariots, but they used them mostly for transportation, not warfare.
-Soldiers were conscripted from their vassal lords who were in charge of supplying (and equipping) the troops from their lands.
-Usually an army was between 5000-13,000 men.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Xia Dynasty - Part II - Revenge of the Xia!
-Prince Shao Kang was born c. mid-2000s BC.
-Grew up in relative anonymity and safety while in exile, but was educated by his grandfather (on his mother's side) and mother about who he really was and how the Xia dynasty was his birthright.
-Was instructed in history, literature, tactics, administration, and warfare.
-However, eventually General Han Zhou found out about Shao Kang's survival, and so he sent his 2 sons, Han Jiao and Han Yi, to lead an army to kill Shao Kang (these 2 had also led the army that was responsible for the death and defeat of King Xiang).
-Of course, Shao Kang was still a teenager and not very powerful (no army or followers), so when he received news of an army coming to kill him he fled north.
-In the north of the kingdom he found safety with a tribal warlord who disliked Han Zhuo; this warlord also realized that if he could help enthrone Shao Kang, this would greatly benefit him in the future.
-Thus, the warlord married his daughter to Shao Kang and gave him a "li" (roughly 25 square miles of land) to manage as his own. This "land grant" system was possible because the region was so vast and, at this time, underpopulated, so it was common for royal family or sons of warlords to manage and populate as their own "mini-kingdoms" opr domains which were under the umbrella of the main parent kingdom or tribe.
-Meanwhile, a government minister who also despised the tyrannical rule of Han Zhuo had secretly been saving money and weapons in preparation for overthrowing the military dictator, so when he heard about Shao Kang's survival and land grant in the north he raised an army and fled to join his banner.
-Also, many hated living under Han Zhuo due to his insane taxation policy which forced the masses to live in poverty, so many also fled to join Shao Kang's forces and live in his domain instead.
-Fearing for his life now, Han Zhuo decided to attack Shao Kang before he could get any stronger, and so he sent his 2 sons again to lead the armies.
-However, to Han Jiao and Han Yi's surprise, Shao Kang's army was actually more powerful than expected, and they ended up losing when they finally clashed!
-Both brothers were captured and then executed after the battle.
-Shao Kang then led his army to march on the capital, where the people actually threw open the gates for his army!
-Realizing that all was lost, Han Zhuo committed suicide and Shao Kang was enthroned as the next king of the Xia dynasty.
-Upon Shao Kang's enthronement (c. 2007 BC), he held a huge ceremony with lots of tribute from surrounding lands, and he venerated his ancestors well.
-This ancestor worship became quite popular among the common folk, and became a sort of official religion among the people of this region at the time.
-Also, being able to worship ancestors in elaborate ceremonies was seen a symbol of status and prestige, and people who were too weak, lazy, or uncivilized to do this were not worthy of respect in the eyes of the Xia dynasty.
-The rest of Shao Kang's reign seemed to be relatively peaceful.
-He also set up an administration system so that his men would be rewarded for their loyalty by being given a tract of land to govern, and this land would then be passed down to a son upon death, and so on.
-He also worked hard to repair the dams and dykes so that they wouldn't fall into disrepair.
-c. 1985 BC- Shao Kang dies; replaced by his son, King Zhu.
-Grew up in relative anonymity and safety while in exile, but was educated by his grandfather (on his mother's side) and mother about who he really was and how the Xia dynasty was his birthright.
-Was instructed in history, literature, tactics, administration, and warfare.
-However, eventually General Han Zhou found out about Shao Kang's survival, and so he sent his 2 sons, Han Jiao and Han Yi, to lead an army to kill Shao Kang (these 2 had also led the army that was responsible for the death and defeat of King Xiang).
-Of course, Shao Kang was still a teenager and not very powerful (no army or followers), so when he received news of an army coming to kill him he fled north.
-In the north of the kingdom he found safety with a tribal warlord who disliked Han Zhuo; this warlord also realized that if he could help enthrone Shao Kang, this would greatly benefit him in the future.
-Thus, the warlord married his daughter to Shao Kang and gave him a "li" (roughly 25 square miles of land) to manage as his own. This "land grant" system was possible because the region was so vast and, at this time, underpopulated, so it was common for royal family or sons of warlords to manage and populate as their own "mini-kingdoms" opr domains which were under the umbrella of the main parent kingdom or tribe.
-Meanwhile, a government minister who also despised the tyrannical rule of Han Zhuo had secretly been saving money and weapons in preparation for overthrowing the military dictator, so when he heard about Shao Kang's survival and land grant in the north he raised an army and fled to join his banner.
-Also, many hated living under Han Zhuo due to his insane taxation policy which forced the masses to live in poverty, so many also fled to join Shao Kang's forces and live in his domain instead.
-Fearing for his life now, Han Zhuo decided to attack Shao Kang before he could get any stronger, and so he sent his 2 sons again to lead the armies.
-However, to Han Jiao and Han Yi's surprise, Shao Kang's army was actually more powerful than expected, and they ended up losing when they finally clashed!
-Both brothers were captured and then executed after the battle.
-Shao Kang then led his army to march on the capital, where the people actually threw open the gates for his army!
-Realizing that all was lost, Han Zhuo committed suicide and Shao Kang was enthroned as the next king of the Xia dynasty.
-Upon Shao Kang's enthronement (c. 2007 BC), he held a huge ceremony with lots of tribute from surrounding lands, and he venerated his ancestors well.
-This ancestor worship became quite popular among the common folk, and became a sort of official religion among the people of this region at the time.
-Also, being able to worship ancestors in elaborate ceremonies was seen a symbol of status and prestige, and people who were too weak, lazy, or uncivilized to do this were not worthy of respect in the eyes of the Xia dynasty.
-The rest of Shao Kang's reign seemed to be relatively peaceful.
-He also set up an administration system so that his men would be rewarded for their loyalty by being given a tract of land to govern, and this land would then be passed down to a son upon death, and so on.
-He also worked hard to repair the dams and dykes so that they wouldn't fall into disrepair.
-c. 1985 BC- Shao Kang dies; replaced by his son, King Zhu.
Xia Dynasty - Part I - The Xia, China's First Dynasty
-We're not actually sure if the Xia dynasty really existed or if it's just a myth, but there is certainly archaeological evidence to suggest that this region of China around the Yellow River did indeed have civilization (such as urban centers, bronze tools/weapons, tombs, and even palaces).
-According to the archaeological narrative (strictly scientific), this civilization is called the Erlitou culture.
-It may actually be the mythical Xia that the historical records refer to, but it's difficult to say for sure.
-Believed to have existed anywhere from 2200-1500 BC.
-The historicity or the traditional historical chronology of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties is also seriously questioned nowadays.
-Most likely these were more or less different versions of the same overall culture and civilizations that just overlapped with each other.
-A lot of our info about this time comes from the "Shiji" (Records of the Grand Historian), compiled by Sima Qian, a government official and historian during the Han dynasty (lived c. 94 BC).
-Anyway, so according to traditional Chinese lore, Yu the Great was the first king of the Xia dynasty. However, at this point in the narrative he still the heir under King Shun.
-According to legend, Yu worked tirelessly to improve the infrastructure of the land (even at the expense of spending time with his family).
-As a result of this, however, the civilization was thriving.
-During this time, King Shun sent Yu to lead an army and attack the "Sanmiao" people (one of the variations on the word "miao" which was used by the Han dynasty to refer to "barbaric" non-Han people to the south (possibly related to modern-day Hmong and their relatives) who had been raiding while the region was preoccupied with the flooding.
-Because of his brilliant leadership, Yu was able to drive the Sianmiao out of the region and back south. It was around this time that Yu finally accepted King Shun's nomination as heir.
-Around 2200 BC, Yu became king and this officially kicked off the Xia dynasty.
-King Yu's order of business was reorganizing the provinces (also called "zhou"): (from 12 to 9: Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu, Liang, and Yong).
-The capital of the kingdom was Yangcheng (modern-day Zhengzhou, Henan Province).
-King Yu also implemented a taxation system of copper, tin, and bronze.
-According to legend, King Yu used the bronze to create nine tripod cauldrons ("ding vessels") for magical rituals and ceremonies.
-Anyway, King Yu eventually got old, so he knew it was time for him to name an heir.
-According to legend, King Yu wanted a couple other dudes who worked as government officials to replace him as ruler, but for unclear reasons his son, Qi, became the next king.
-One version says that Yu had been such a great ruler that the common folk clamored for his son to rule, believing that the greatness was surely hereditary, so Qi was enthroned.
-However, another version says that Qi took power for himself by force.
-c. 2159 BC- King Qi is enthroned.
-This succession was important because it would mark an end of China's meritocratic succession of dynastic leaders for the next 4000 years!
-Not everyone was happy with Qi's enthronement- Qi apparently had to fight a battle or two with some dissenters and their forces.
-Had 5 sons, one of them would replace him as king.
-After King Qi died, he was replaced by his son, King Tai Kang.
-King Tai Kang loved to hunt, drink, bang chicks, etc.- your basic shitty king.
-According to legend, Tai Kang was so shitty at ruling that while he was out hunting, a dude named Houyi (AKA Hou-i, Shenyi, or just Yi) took power and occupied the capital with his army.
-Fun fact: Houyi is also a god of archery in Chinese mythology.
-However, Houyi also ended up being a shitty ruler as well, so he in turn was eventually usurped by one of his generals, Han Zhuo.
-Meanwhile (according to some versions), King Tai Kang drowned in a lake while in exile, so back in the capital his younger brother, Zhong Kang, was named king, although his reign was pretty quiet.
-Anyway, regardless of who was king before him, the next king was Zhong Kang's son, King Xiang.
-Under King Xiang's reign, the capital moved from Yangcheng to Shangqui (modern-day Henan Province).
-King Xiang also fought wars against various barbarian tribes, including the Huai, Fei (AKA Quanyi), Feng, and Huang.
-In addition to this, the forces of King Xiang eventually clashed with those of General Han Zhuo. During this battle, King Xiang was slain.
-Xia was now under the control of General Han Zhuo and his renegade forces.
-However, King Xiang's pregnant wife, Queen Ji, had survived the aftermath of the general's wrath, and she would eventually give birth to a boy named Shao Kang...
-According to the archaeological narrative (strictly scientific), this civilization is called the Erlitou culture.
-It may actually be the mythical Xia that the historical records refer to, but it's difficult to say for sure.
-Believed to have existed anywhere from 2200-1500 BC.
-The historicity or the traditional historical chronology of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties is also seriously questioned nowadays.
-Most likely these were more or less different versions of the same overall culture and civilizations that just overlapped with each other.
-A lot of our info about this time comes from the "Shiji" (Records of the Grand Historian), compiled by Sima Qian, a government official and historian during the Han dynasty (lived c. 94 BC).
-Anyway, so according to traditional Chinese lore, Yu the Great was the first king of the Xia dynasty. However, at this point in the narrative he still the heir under King Shun.
-According to legend, Yu worked tirelessly to improve the infrastructure of the land (even at the expense of spending time with his family).
-As a result of this, however, the civilization was thriving.
-During this time, King Shun sent Yu to lead an army and attack the "Sanmiao" people (one of the variations on the word "miao" which was used by the Han dynasty to refer to "barbaric" non-Han people to the south (possibly related to modern-day Hmong and their relatives) who had been raiding while the region was preoccupied with the flooding.
-Because of his brilliant leadership, Yu was able to drive the Sianmiao out of the region and back south. It was around this time that Yu finally accepted King Shun's nomination as heir.
-Around 2200 BC, Yu became king and this officially kicked off the Xia dynasty.
-King Yu's order of business was reorganizing the provinces (also called "zhou"): (from 12 to 9: Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu, Liang, and Yong).
-The capital of the kingdom was Yangcheng (modern-day Zhengzhou, Henan Province).
-King Yu also implemented a taxation system of copper, tin, and bronze.
-According to legend, King Yu used the bronze to create nine tripod cauldrons ("ding vessels") for magical rituals and ceremonies.
-Anyway, King Yu eventually got old, so he knew it was time for him to name an heir.
-According to legend, King Yu wanted a couple other dudes who worked as government officials to replace him as ruler, but for unclear reasons his son, Qi, became the next king.
-One version says that Yu had been such a great ruler that the common folk clamored for his son to rule, believing that the greatness was surely hereditary, so Qi was enthroned.
-However, another version says that Qi took power for himself by force.
-c. 2159 BC- King Qi is enthroned.
-This succession was important because it would mark an end of China's meritocratic succession of dynastic leaders for the next 4000 years!
-Not everyone was happy with Qi's enthronement- Qi apparently had to fight a battle or two with some dissenters and their forces.
-Had 5 sons, one of them would replace him as king.
-After King Qi died, he was replaced by his son, King Tai Kang.
-King Tai Kang loved to hunt, drink, bang chicks, etc.- your basic shitty king.
-According to legend, Tai Kang was so shitty at ruling that while he was out hunting, a dude named Houyi (AKA Hou-i, Shenyi, or just Yi) took power and occupied the capital with his army.
-Fun fact: Houyi is also a god of archery in Chinese mythology.
-However, Houyi also ended up being a shitty ruler as well, so he in turn was eventually usurped by one of his generals, Han Zhuo.
-Meanwhile (according to some versions), King Tai Kang drowned in a lake while in exile, so back in the capital his younger brother, Zhong Kang, was named king, although his reign was pretty quiet.
-Anyway, regardless of who was king before him, the next king was Zhong Kang's son, King Xiang.
-Under King Xiang's reign, the capital moved from Yangcheng to Shangqui (modern-day Henan Province).
-King Xiang also fought wars against various barbarian tribes, including the Huai, Fei (AKA Quanyi), Feng, and Huang.
-In addition to this, the forces of King Xiang eventually clashed with those of General Han Zhuo. During this battle, King Xiang was slain.
-Xia was now under the control of General Han Zhuo and his renegade forces.
-However, King Xiang's pregnant wife, Queen Ji, had survived the aftermath of the general's wrath, and she would eventually give birth to a boy named Shao Kang...
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Origins - Part II - Five Emperors, Twelve Islands
-According to legend, after the "Three Sovereigns" period came the "Five Emperors" period, although of course it is unclear as to who exactly they were and how many actually existed (if any).
-Sometimes the Yellow Emperor ("Huangdi") is listed as the first emperor, but other times it is his son, Shaohao (AKA Jin Tian or Xuanxiao), who is listed as the first.
-Some legends say that Shaohao was the emperor of a paradise in the mountains to the east that was populated with lots of birds.
-Other legends say that he was the leader of the Eastern Yi (AKA "Eastern Barbarians" or "Dongyi"), but this is also unclear and confusing.
-According to some sources, after Shaohao came a dude named Zhuanxu (AKA Gaoyang) who was apparently a a grandson of the Yellow Emperor.
-The most interesting thing about his reign was that it was during this time that Heaven and Earth separated.
-Some historians suggest that this myth is actually a metaphor for social stratification; a time when the rich and powerful began to have special access to divine rituals and magical rites exclusively.
-After Zhuanxu came a dude named Ku (AKA Di Ku; Gaoxin, Gaoxin Shi, or The White Emperor), cousin of Zhuanxu and another grandson of the Yellow Emperor.
-Loved music and the arts and was responsible for having a variety of musical instruments invented.
-Also loved the ladies, as he had multiple wives, a tradition that would continue for thousands of years.
-After Zhuanxu was succeeded by his second son, Yao (AKA Yi Qi; Fangxun; or Tang Yao).
-There are also some versions which say that before Yao became emperor, his older brother, Zhi (AKA Di Zhi) was emperor first.
-Said to have invented the game Go (Wei Qi).
-The Great Flood was also during this time.
-The Yellow River flooded the entire kingdom.
-The only things weren't submerged were mountain peaks. These mountain peaks became known as The 12 Islands.
-This would happen every year.
-Yao turned to his advisors, "The Four Mountains" ("Siyue"), who recommended Yao appoint a special person to deal with the task of managing the flooding.
-Yao chose a relative (possibly his cousin?), Count Gun of Chong, to do this.
-Gao used magic soil ("Xirang"), stolen from the gods, to build magic dykes to contain the river, and while this worked for a bit, this was only a stopgap, as this wasn't enough to completely solve the problem.
-This series of unfortunate events caused Yao to believe that he was no longer worthy of being emperor, so he stepped down and gave the throne to another relative, Shun (AKA Chonghua).
-According to legend, Emperor Shun was an excellent ruler, very efficient.
-Yao couldn't give his son the throne because his son, Prince Danzhu, was an asshole.
-Shun had originally refused to become emperor when he was nominated (most likely because the land at this time was so fucked up), so this kicked off the historical Chinese tradition of refusing to accept promotions (at least in terms of being emperor) at least once, as it was seen that those who don't want to rule are actually the only ones who are fit to do so).
-Early on, however, Emperor Shun clashed with Count Gun, who surprisingly still had a job, but was acting like Donald Trump and calling into question the legitimacy of Shun's enthronement.
-Because of his insolence and incompetence, Emperor Shun had Count Gun locked away in a mountain prison.
-In order to manage his lands more efficiently, Emperor Shun appointed Count Gun's son, Yu, to replace him and oversee the situation.
-Yu opted to tackle this problem by implementing a system of drains, diversion canals, and irrigation channels into farmland.
-He accomplished this by using mythical creatures (dragons, giant turtles, etc.)
-Because of this, Emperor Shun declared Yu to be the heir to the throne. It's unclear, however, why Emperor Shun didn't name his own son, Qi, as heir.
-Sometimes the Yellow Emperor ("Huangdi") is listed as the first emperor, but other times it is his son, Shaohao (AKA Jin Tian or Xuanxiao), who is listed as the first.
-Some legends say that Shaohao was the emperor of a paradise in the mountains to the east that was populated with lots of birds.
-Other legends say that he was the leader of the Eastern Yi (AKA "Eastern Barbarians" or "Dongyi"), but this is also unclear and confusing.
-According to some sources, after Shaohao came a dude named Zhuanxu (AKA Gaoyang) who was apparently a a grandson of the Yellow Emperor.
-The most interesting thing about his reign was that it was during this time that Heaven and Earth separated.
-Some historians suggest that this myth is actually a metaphor for social stratification; a time when the rich and powerful began to have special access to divine rituals and magical rites exclusively.
-After Zhuanxu came a dude named Ku (AKA Di Ku; Gaoxin, Gaoxin Shi, or The White Emperor), cousin of Zhuanxu and another grandson of the Yellow Emperor.
-Loved music and the arts and was responsible for having a variety of musical instruments invented.
-Also loved the ladies, as he had multiple wives, a tradition that would continue for thousands of years.
-After Zhuanxu was succeeded by his second son, Yao (AKA Yi Qi; Fangxun; or Tang Yao).
-There are also some versions which say that before Yao became emperor, his older brother, Zhi (AKA Di Zhi) was emperor first.
-Said to have invented the game Go (Wei Qi).
-The Great Flood was also during this time.
-The Yellow River flooded the entire kingdom.
-The only things weren't submerged were mountain peaks. These mountain peaks became known as The 12 Islands.
-This would happen every year.
-Yao turned to his advisors, "The Four Mountains" ("Siyue"), who recommended Yao appoint a special person to deal with the task of managing the flooding.
-Yao chose a relative (possibly his cousin?), Count Gun of Chong, to do this.
-Gao used magic soil ("Xirang"), stolen from the gods, to build magic dykes to contain the river, and while this worked for a bit, this was only a stopgap, as this wasn't enough to completely solve the problem.
-This series of unfortunate events caused Yao to believe that he was no longer worthy of being emperor, so he stepped down and gave the throne to another relative, Shun (AKA Chonghua).
-According to legend, Emperor Shun was an excellent ruler, very efficient.
-Yao couldn't give his son the throne because his son, Prince Danzhu, was an asshole.
-Shun had originally refused to become emperor when he was nominated (most likely because the land at this time was so fucked up), so this kicked off the historical Chinese tradition of refusing to accept promotions (at least in terms of being emperor) at least once, as it was seen that those who don't want to rule are actually the only ones who are fit to do so).
-Early on, however, Emperor Shun clashed with Count Gun, who surprisingly still had a job, but was acting like Donald Trump and calling into question the legitimacy of Shun's enthronement.
-Because of his insolence and incompetence, Emperor Shun had Count Gun locked away in a mountain prison.
-In order to manage his lands more efficiently, Emperor Shun appointed Count Gun's son, Yu, to replace him and oversee the situation.
-Yu opted to tackle this problem by implementing a system of drains, diversion canals, and irrigation channels into farmland.
-He accomplished this by using mythical creatures (dragons, giant turtles, etc.)
-Because of this, Emperor Shun declared Yu to be the heir to the throne. It's unclear, however, why Emperor Shun didn't name his own son, Qi, as heir.
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