King Xuan of Zhou

"Xuan of Zhou" redirects here. For the Northern Zhou emperor, see Emperor Xuan of Zhou.
King Xuan of Zhou
周宣王
King of the Zhou dynasty
Reign827/25 – 782 BC
PredecessorGongbo He (共伯和)
Gonghe Regency
SuccessorKing You of Zhou
Died782 BC
SpouseQueen Jiang
Issue
HouseJi
DynastyZhou
FatherKing Li of Zhou
MotherShen Jiang
Chinese name
Chinese周宣王
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōu Xuān Wáng
Wade–GilesChou1 Hsüan1 Wang2
Personal name
Chinese姬靜[a]
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinJī Jìng

King Xuan of Zhou, personal name Ji Jing, was a king of the Western Zhou dynasty and the penultimate one before the change to the Eastern Zhou period. His reign has been reconstructed to be 827/25 – 782 BC.[1] He worked to restore royal authority after the Gonghe Regency. His son King You would the last king of the Western Zhou.

The Stone Drums of Qin were long mistakenly ascribed to King Xuan.[2]

Reign

Gonghe Regency

Bronze food vessel from the era of King Xuan.

King Xuan was born in a troublesome time in the Western Zhou dynasty. King Li of Zhou had imposed serious taxes on his people and treated them with contempt. After a period of decadence for the upper-class, the Zhou people rebelled and exiled him to Zhi (彘) for his crimes. Thereafter, Zhou was ruled by a person named Gongbo He (共伯和) in an era called the Gonghe Regency.[3][4][b] After King Li died in exile in c. 828 BC, power was passed to King Xuan.[4]

Restoration of King Xuan

The Guoji Zibai pan, which details a northern campaign possibly from the Restoration of King Xuan.

After King Li of Zhou's death, King Xuan sought to rejuvenate the authority of the Zhou royal family. After soliciting advice from the ministry, he launched several campaigns against surrounding tribes, resettled the people, and promoted hunting and music once more. He was particularly inspired by the legacies of King Wen, King Wu, King Cheng, and King Kang.[4]

The Mao Gong ding.

The Mao Gong ding, which has one of the longest Chinese bronze inscriptions in history,[5] records King Xuan discussing his anxiety about the then-failing Kingdom of Zhou. Recalling the premierships of Kings Wen and Wu, he saw himself inadequate, and, elevating Duke Yin of Mao to Qing Shi Liao (卿事寮) and Tai Shi Liao (大史寮), ordered the following:[6][7]

  1. Help King Xuan stabilise the Mandate of Heaven.
  2. Ensure the people are not disturbed by King Xuan's early regency.
  3. If King Xuan issues a "stupid" order, do not allow it to leave the palace.
  4. Do not oppress the common people.

The Guoji Zibai pan records a campaign against the Xianyun along the Luo River. King Xuan had appointed Guoji Zibai (虢季子白), the caster of the pan, to lead the offensive. During this campaign, 50 captives were taken and 500 killed, and thus Guoji Zibai was rewarded with horses and wealth.[8] Classical sources imply that the Xianyun had previously plundered Haojing and eroded at royal authority.[9] Campaigns against Chu were also made due to them not upholding tribute to the king,[10] which resulted in a victory recounted in the Classic of Poetry.[11]

The Song gui.

The Song gui records a meeting in which King Xuan ordered an individual named Song (頌) to take control of 20 storehouses in Chengzhou (成周) and manage the development of new ones. Song was awarded with robes and other garments for his efforts.

Decline

In the ninth year of King Xuan's reign, he called a meeting of all the lords. In the same year, Duke Wu of Lu paid homage to King Xuan with his sons Kuo (括) and Yi (戲). King Xuan favoured Yi over Kuo, despite him being the younger brother, and desired to make him the crown prince of Lu. Zhong Shanfu advised against this, but was ignored, and Yi was made Duke Yi of Lu. Several years later, Boyu (伯御), the son of Kuo, would kill Duke Yi, leading to a military intervention by King Xuan. Following this, Duke Yi of Lu's younger brother, Cheng (稱), was appointed on the advice of Fan Muzhong (樊穆仲), and made Duke Xiao of Lu.[12] Sima Qian said "from this time on, the many lords mostly rebelled against royal commands,"[1] which led to further interventions in Wey and Qi.

Sima Qian documents two further missteps during King Xuan's rule: One was an attempt to count the people in Taiyuan (太原) against advice from Zhong Shanfu, who said it was a violation of li, and another was a military defeat against the Jiang clan (姜氏) during the Battle of Qianmu.[4] Repeated defeats at the hands of the Rong tribe would also occur.[13]

Death

According to Zhang Shoujie's annotation Correct Meanings (史記正義) to Sima's Shiji,[14] King Xuan is said to have ordered a mass execution of women following a rumour that one woman would bring ruin to Zhou. Du Bo remonstrated the king for this act, but was killed by King Xuan in response.[15] Another account claims that Nü Jiu, one of King Xuan's concubines, falsely accused Du Bo of rape. In both accounts, three years later, King Xuan dreamed of Du Bo shooting him with an arrow, and died.[16] This claim would be repeated in Mozi, which serves as the primary source today.[17]

Family

Queens:

  • Queen Xian of Zhou, of the Lü lineage of the Jiang clan of Qi (週獻後 姜姓 呂氏), known as Queen Jiang; a daughter of Duke Wu of Qi; married in 826 BC; the mother of Crown Prince Gongsheng

Concubines:

  • Lady Hou
  • Nü Jiu (女鳩)

Sons:

  • Crown Prince Gongsheng (太子宮涅; d. 771 BC), ruled as King You of Zhou (r. 781–771 BC)
  • Prince Yuchen (王子餘臣; d. 750 BC), claimed the throne as King Xie of Zhou (r. 770–750 BC)
  • Prince Changfu (王子長父), ruled as the Marquis of Yang

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Alternatively 姬靜.
  2. ^ While Sima Qian claims the Dukes of Shao and Zhou at the time held regency, modern research has shown this was a wrong interpretation. See citation. Likewise, the narrative in Guoyu is also wrong, having followed this interpretation. The Xinian (繫年) and Bamboo Annals corroborate the interpretations used here.

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Shaughnessy (1999), p. 347.
  2. ^ Douglas (1885), p. 470.
  3. ^ Chen Minzhen; Pines, Yuri (2018). "Where is King Ping? The History and Historiography of the Zhou Dynasty's Eastward Relocation". Asia Major. 31.1 (1). Academica Sinica: 1–27 (at pp 16–17). JSTOR 26571325. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  4. ^ a b c d Sima, Qian. "周本紀". In Sturgeon, Donald (ed.). 史記 [Records of the Grand Historian] (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  5. ^ Shaughnessy, Edward L. (1991). Sources of Western Zhou History: Inscribed Bronze Vessels. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07028-3.
  6. ^ "Mao Gong Ding" [毛公鼎], description from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (in Chinese). Accessed 18 April 2020. Text in modern Chinese characters: "銘文內容見證了西周「宣王中興」的歷史，銘文前段為宣王對毛公的訓誥之辭，文中敘述宣王於即位之初緬懷周文王、武王如何享有天命、開創國家，他即位後對其所繼承的天命也戒慎恐懼。後段詳載宣王贈予毛公的豐厚賞賜。毛公於文末亦表達了對宣王的感謝，並願以此鼎傳之於後世。"
  7. ^ 毛公鼎銘文  – via Wikisource.
  8. ^ 虢季子白盘背后的故事（博物一览） [The story behind the Guoji Zibai pan]. sina (in Chinese). 2004-01-28.
  9. ^ 李仲操. 《也释多友鼎铭文》. 西安市陕西省社会科学院: 《人文杂志》1982年第六期. 1982年.
  10. ^ 段渝 (2004年). 《楚公逆编钟与周宣王伐楚》. 成都市: 四川师范大学巴蜀文化研究中心.
  11. ^ 《诗经·大雅·荡之什·江汉》：于疆于理，至于南海。
  12. ^ Sima, Qian. "世家". In Sturgeon, Donald (ed.). 史記 [Records of the Grand Historian] (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  13. ^ 《后汉书·卷八十七·西羌传》：后二十七年，王遣兵伐太原戎，不克。后五年，王伐条戎、奔戎，王师败绩。
  14. ^ Volume 4 quote: ｢周春秋云宣王殺杜伯｣
  15. ^ Ivanhoe (2005), p. 96.
  16. ^ "Seeks Ghosts: China: Ghost of Tu-Po". 14 July 2015.
  17. ^ 《墨子·明鬼下》

Bibliography

  • Douglas, Robert Kennaway (1885), Baynes, Thomas Spencer (ed.), "Peking", Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. XVIII (9th ed.), pp. 469–470.
  • Shaughnessy, Edward L. (1999), "Western Zhou History", in Loewe, Michael; Shaughnessy, Edward L. (eds.), Cambridge History of Ancient China, Cambridge University Press, pp. 292–351, doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521470308.007, ISBN 978-0-521-47030-8
  • ——— (2023). Writing early China. SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture. Vol. 16. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-9522-4.
  • Ivanhoe, Philip (2005), Readings in classical Chinese philosophy, Indianapolis: Hackett, ISBN 978-0-872-20780-6
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