Shu (kingdom)

This article is about the oldest kingdom of this name in China. For one of the Three Kingdoms, seeShu Han.For other later states named Shu, seeShu (disambiguation).

Shu Thục
?–c. 316 BCE
Map showing the Kingdom of Shu during Zhou dynasty
Government	Monarchy
Historical era	Spring and Autumn period
• Established	?
•Battle of Muye	c. 1046 BCE
• Conquered byQin	c. 316 BCE
Succeeded by Qin (state)

Shu
"Shu" inseal script(top) andregular(bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese	Thục
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shǔ Bopomofo ㄕㄨˇ Wade–Giles Shu3 Tongyong Pinyin Shǔ IPA [ʂù] Wu Suzhounese Zóh Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Suhk Jyutping Suk6 IPA [sok̚˨] Southern Min Tâi-lô Sio̍k Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *[d]ok

Shu(Chinese:Thục;Pinyin:Shǔ;former romanization:Shuh), also known asAncient Shu(Chinese:Cổ thục;pinyin:Gǔ Shǔ) in historiography, was anancientkingdomin what is nowSichuan Province.It was based on theChengdu Plain,in the westernSichuan basinwith some extension northeast to the upperHan River valley.To the east wasthe Ba tribal confederation.Further east down the Han and Yangtze rivers was theState of Chu.To the north over theQinling Mountainswas theState of Qin.To the west and south were tribal peoples of little military power.

This independent Shu state was conquered by the state ofQinin 316 BCE. Recent archaeological discoveries atSanxingduiandJinshathought to be sites of Shu culture indicate the presence of a unique civilization in this region before the Qin conquest.

In subsequent periods of Chinese history the Sichuan area continued to be referred to as Shu after this ancient state, and later states founded in the same region were also called Shu.

Sanxingdui culture

Golden Sun Bird,believed to be a totem of the ancient Shu people.

Bronze figure representing ahigh priestcreated by the inhabitants of Shu during the thirteenth or twelfth century BCE.

Before 316 BCE theSichuan Basinwas isolated from what was then, Bronze Age civilization that was centered in theYellow Riverbasin to the northeast. The discovery ofSanxingduiin 1987 was a major surprise since it indicated a major culture inNeolithic Chinathat was previously unknown. Circa 2050–1250 BCE the site of Sanxingdui 40 km north ofChengduappears to have been the center of a fairly extensive kingdom. Objects found in two treasure pits are in a style distinct from objects found from further north. This culture is suggested by many archaeologists to be that of the Shu kingdom.

State of Shu (10th century BC-316 BC)

There are very few mentions of Shu in the early Chinese historical records until the 4th century BCE. Although there are possible references to a "Shu" inShang Dynastyoracle bonesinscriptions that indicate contact between Shu and Shang, it is not clear if the Shu mentioned refer to the kingdom in Sichuan or other different polities elsewhere.Shu was first mentioned inShujingas one of the allies ofKing Wu of Zhouwho helped defeat theShangin 1046 BCE at theBattle of Muye.However, shortly after Zhou's conquest, it was mentioned inYizhoushuthat a subordinate of King Wu led an expedition against Shu.After the battle of Muye, northern influences on Shu seem to have increased and then decreased while the Shu remained culturally distinct; archaeology suggests contacts with Shu in the late Shang and early Zhou period, but little evidence of influence from later Zhou.The expulsion of the Zhou from theWei Rivervalley in 771 BCE probably increased Shu's isolation.

A large bronze head with protruding eyes believed to be a depiction of Cancong, the semi-legendary first king of Shu

Written accounts of Shu are largely a mixture of mythological stories and historical legends found in local annals and miscellaneous notes,which include the Han-dynasty compilationChronicle of the Kings of Shuand the Jin-dynastyChronicles of Huayang.There are a few names of semi-legendary kings and emperors, such asCancong(meaning "silkworm-bush", claimed to be the founder of silkworm cultivation in Sichuan),Boguan( "cypress-irrigator" ),Yufu( "cormorant" ), andDuyu( "cuckoo" ). According toChronicles of Huayang,Cancong was the first of the legendary kings and had protruding eyes, while Duyu taught the people agriculture and transformed into a cuckoo after his death.In 666 BCE a man fromChucalledBieling( "turtle spirit" ) founded theKaiming dynastywhich lasted twelve generations until the Qin conquest. Legend has it that Bieling had died in Chu and his body floated upriver to Shu, whereupon he came back to life. While at Shu, he was successful in managing a flood and Duyu then abdicated in his favor. A later account states that the Kaiming kings occupied the far south of Shu before travelling up theMin Riverand taking over from Duyu.

Ba–Shu culture

As thestate of Chuexpanded westward up the Han and Yangtze valleys it pushed theBa peopleswest toward Shu. In the 5th and 4th centuries BCE in Sichuan archaeologists hold that this interaction helped createBa–Shu culture.There was also some Chu influence on the Shu state. In 474 BCE emissaries from the Shu state presented gifts to theQinstate which was the first recorded contact between these two states. Later Shu troops crossed theQinling Mountainsand approached the Qin capital of Yong, and in 387 Shu and Qin troops clashed nearHanzhongon the upper Han river.

Shu under Qin and Han

Conquest by Qin in 316 BCE

Sichuan Basin before the Qin conquest, 5th century BCE

About 356–338 BCEShang Yangstrengthened the Qin state by centralizing it. In 337 BCE Shu emissaries congratulatedKing Huiwen of Qinon his accession. At about this time theStone Cattle Roadwas built over the mountains to connect Qin and Shu. About 316 BCE the Marquis of Zu, who held part of the Stone Cattle Road, became involved with Ba and quarreled with his brother, the twelfth Kaiming King. The Marquis was defeated and fled to Ba and then to Qin.Zhang Yiproposed that Qin should ignore these barbarians and continue its eastward expansion onto the central plain. Sima Cuo proposed that Qin should use its superior army to annex Shu, develop its resources and use the added strength for a later attack eastward. Sima Cuo's proposal was accepted and both advisors were sent south as generals. The two armies met near Jaimeng on theJialing Riverin Ba territory. The Kaiming king lost several battles and withdrew southward to Wuyang where he was captured and killed. Qin then turned on its allies and annexed Ba.

Qin and Han rule

In 314 BCE the late Kaiming king's son was appointed Marquis Yaotong of Shu to rule in conjunction with a Qin governor. In 311 BCE an official named Chen Zhuang revolted and killed Yaotong. Sima Cuo and Zhang Yi again invaded Sichuan and killed Chen Zhuang. Another Kaiming called Hui was made Marquis. In 301 BCE he was involved in an intrigue and chose suicide when confronted with Sima Cuo's army. His son, Wan, the last Kaiming marquis, reigned from 300 until 285 BCE when he was put to death. (Some say thatAn Dương Vươngin Vietnamese history was a member of the Kaiming family who led his people southward.)

The conquest had more than doubled Qin's territory and gave it an area safe from the other states except Chu, but the land had to be developed before its taxes could be converted into military strength. Shu was made a "jun" orcommanderyand became a testing ground for this type of administration. Chengdu was surrounded by an enormous wall. Land was redistributed and divided into rectangular plots. Tens of thousands of colonists were brought in from the north. Many were convicts or people displaced by the wars further north. They were marched south in columns supervised by Qin officials. The greatDujiangyan Irrigation Systemwas begun to divert theMin Rivereast to the Chengdu Plain. Qin intervention in Ba was less extensive, apparently to avoid alienating a warlike people on the border of Chu.

During the conquest Chu was still tied up in the east with the annexation ofYue.In 312 BCE Qin and Chu troops clashed on the upper Han River. Zhang Yi used a mixture of threat and bluff to block any interference from Chu. Later a Chu general named Zhuang Qiao pushed west and occupied the tribal territory south of the Yangtze south of Shu. In 281 BCE Sima Cuo crossed the Yangtze and cut him off from Chu. He responded by declaring himself an independent king and he and his troops gradually blended into the local population. Starting in 280 BCE or before generalBai Qipushed down the Han River and took the Chu capital (278 BCE). In 277 BCE theThree Gorgesarea was taken. The effect was to create a new Qin frontier east of Sichuan.

Sichuan remained quiescent during the wars before and after theQin dynastyindicating the Qin policy of assimilation had been successful. Archaeological remains in Shu from this period are very similar to those of northern China, while the Ba area remained somewhat distinct. WhenLiu Banglaunched his campaign to found theHan dynastySichuan was an important supply base. In 135 BCE, under the expansionistEmperor Wu of Han,general Tang Meng, attempting an indirect approach to the Kingdom ofNanyue,made a push south of the Yangtze River and a little laterSima Xiangrupushed into the hill country west of Sichuan. These campaigns into tribal territory proved more expensive than they were worth and in 126 BCE they were both cancelled to shift resources to theXiongnuwars in the north. In the same yearZhang Qianreturned from the west and reported that it might be possible to reach India from Sichuan. An attempt to do this was blocked by the hill tribes. In 112 BCE Tang Meng resumed his expansionist wars southward. His harsh methods provoked a near mutiny in Sichuan and Sima Xiangru was brought in to enforce a more moderate policy. By this time Chinese expansion across flat agricultural country had reached a natural geographical limit. Expansion into the hill country to the south and west was much slower.

Shu in astronomy

Shu is represented by starAlpha Serpentisin asterismRight Wall,Heavenly Market enclosure(seeChinese constellation),together withLambda Serpentisin R.H.Allen's works.

See also

• Clothing in ancient Shu
• Jinsha
• Sanxingdui
• Shu embroidery
• Second Kingdom of Shu
• Third Kingdom of Shu
• Fourth Kingdom of Shu
• Tombs of boat-shaped coffins

References

• Steven F. Sage.'Ancient Sichuan and the Unification of China', 1992, which this article mostly summarizes