Fenghao () is the modern name of the twin city formed by the
Western Zhou
The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong n ...
capitals of Feng and
Hao on opposite banks of the
Feng River near its confluence with the
Wei River
The Wei River () is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization.
The source of the Wei River is close to ...
in
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...
,
China.
History
As
Duke Wen (ruled c. 1099–1050 BCE) expanded the territory of
Zhou east into
Shanxi in preparation for an assault on his nominal
Shang overlords, he constructed a new capital on the west bank of the Feng about downstream from Zhou's original capital on the Wei River below
Mount Qi. This city was called Feng, Fengxi, or Fengjing (, ''Fēngjīng'').
After his son Fa defeated the Shang at
Muye
Muye District () is a district of the city of Xinxiang, Henan province, China.
History
The BC Battle of Muye ended Shang hegemony over the Wei and Yellow Rivers and established the state of Zhou.
Administrative divisions
As 2012, this district ...
and ascended the throne as
King Wu (ruled c. 1046–1043 BCE), the capital was moved to a new establishment on the east bank called Hao or
Haojing. The two formed a twin capital, with Feng continuing to serve the rituals of the Zhou
Ancestral Shrine and gardens and Hao containing the royal palace and government administration.
Both were abandoned in 771 BC during the
Quanrong invasion that drove the Zhou out of the Wei River Valley and brought an end to its Western dynasty. The capital of the
Eastern Zhou
The Eastern Zhou (; zh, c=, p=Dōngzhōu, w=Tung1-chou1, t= ; 771–256 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the second half of the Zhou dynasty. It was divided into two periods: the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States.
History
In 770 ...
was located at
Chengzhou
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang ...
.
Ruins
The ruins of Fenghao lie in present-day southwest
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...
in
Shaanxi Province
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ni ...
. The site was declared an important national cultural heritage site by the
State Council of the People's Republic of China in 1961.
See also
*
Historical capitals of China
This is a list of historical capitals of China.
Four Great Ancient Capitals
There are traditionally four major historical capitals of China referred to as the "Four Great Ancient Capitals of China" (). The four are Beijing, Nanjing, Luoyang and X ...
References
''This article is based on a translation of '
沣镐'' in the Chinese Wikipedia.''
Ancient Chinese capitals
History of Xi'an
11th-century BC establishments
2nd-millennium BC establishments
Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC
Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shaanxi
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