The State of Jiang (/

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...

: ''Jiāng''), also known as the State of Hong () during the

Shang Dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

or the State of Qiong () in some historical sources, was a

vassal state A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to ...

in China that encompasses the southeastern

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

from 1101 BCE to 623 BCE. The nation was ruled by the

Ying Ying may refer to: People * Yíng (嬴), a Chinese surname, the ancestral name of Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty, and some contemporary rival royal families such as the Zhaos * Yīng (应), a Chinese surname from the Z ...

Family (), and the state name is widely believed to be the origin of the Chinese surname Jiang. The

swan goose The swan goose (''Anser cygnoides'') is a large goose with a natural breeding range in inland Mongolia, northernmost China, and the Russian Far East. It is migratory and winters mainly in central and eastern China. Vagrant birds are encounter ...

was the

totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or '' doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the ...

of the state.

History

Early History (Before 1045 BCE)

In 1101 BCE,

Yu the Great Yu the Great (大禹) was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for his introduction of flood control, his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures promine ...

, the leader of China under the

Xia Dynasty The Xia dynasty () is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, the Xia dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great, after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors, gave the throne to him. In tradit ...

allocated a piece of land on the riverbanks of the Huai River to Genchu () under the Fengjian system. Genchu was the son of Boyi, a legendary tribal leader who was loyal to Yu the Great, and the allocation of the land to Genchu was mainly for rewarding Boyi's family for Boyi's exemplary achievements in controlling the

Great Flood A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys civilization, often in an act of divine retribution. Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these myths and the primaeval ...

. Chinese historian Guangyue He () believes that the state was part of

Dongyi The Dongyi or Eastern Yi () was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula, and Ja ...

, a group of tribes in eastern China during the Pre-

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

Era, and moved southwards to modern-day Henan after the Zhou conquest of the Dongyi. The state was made a vassal state of the Zhou Dynasty during the era of King Cheng, and during the era of King Mu, the state expanded westwards into parts of

Zhongyuan Zhongyuan (), the Central Plain(s), also known as Zhongtu (, lit. 'central land') and Zhongzhou (, lit. 'central region'), commonly refers to the part of the North China Plain surrounding the lower and middle reaches of the Yellow River, centere ...

As a vassal state of the Zhou Dynasty

According to the

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...

and

Shiben The ''Shiben'' or ''Book of Origins'' (Pinyin: ''shìběn''; Chinese; 世本; ) was an early Chinese encyclopedia which recorded imperial genealogies from the mythical Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors down to the late Spring and Autumn period ...

, the State of Jiang was located in the southeastern part of

Zhengyang County Zhengyang County () is a county in the southeast of Henan province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhumadian Zhumadian (; postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, China. It ...

near the northern riverbanks of the

Huai River The Huai River (), formerly romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in China. It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins in China, and like them runs from west to ea ...

during the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

. The capital of Jiang at the time was a rectangular plot of land measuring 175,000 m² in size and existed until the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. It is estimated that about 10,000 people resided in the state at the time. The state was relatively prosperous during the Western Zhou Dynasty, but the continuous warfare during the Spring and Autumn Period and occasional flooding near the Huai River weakened the state. The state was also sandwiched between the more powerful states of Chu,

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

, and Qi at the time, which limited the political, economic, and military influence of the state as Jiang had to be vassals of these larger states in order to maintain their sovereignty. At some point between 671 BC and 626 BC,

King Cheng of Chu King Cheng of Chu (, died 626 BC) was from 671 to 626 BC king of the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Yun () to King Wen of Chu, and King Cheng was his posthumous title. In 672 BC Xiong Yun's ol ...

arranged for his younger sister, Jiang Mi () to be married to the leader of the State of Jiang at the time. The State of Jiang became more wary of Chu territorial expansion, and they allied with the

hegemon Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over other city-states. ...

of China, Duke Huan of Qi in 658 BC.

Annexation by Chu

After the death of King Cheng of Chu, Chu invaded the State of Jiang in 624 BC. The invasion was unsuccessful as the State of Jin intervened and drove Chu forces back to their homeland temporarily. In

fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

623 BC, King Mu of Chu launched another invasion and successfully annexed Jiang. According to Zuo Zhuan, the annexation of Jiang deeply saddened

Duke Mu of Qin Duke Mu of Qin (died 621BC), born Renhao, was a duke of Qin (659–621BC) in the western reaches of the Zhou Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. Sometimes considered one of China's Five Hegemons, he greatly expanded ...

Geography and Excavation Findings

The territory of Jiang encompasses southern

Pingqiao District Pingqiao District () is a district of the city of Xinyang, Henan province, China, bordering Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name ...

Xinyang Xinyang (; postal: Sinyang) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China, the southernmost administrative division in the province. Its total population was 6,234,401 according to the 2020 census. As of t ...

, and northern Luoshan County. Jiang was located on the riverbanks of the

. The ruins of the former Jiang capital are located in Zhengyang County and on the northern riverbanks of the Huai River. The rectangular city covers 75,000 square meters, and the distance between the easternmost and westernmost points of the city and the distance between the northernmost point and southernmost point of the city are 2 kilometers and 1.2 kilometers respectively. The city is a kilometer from the Huai River, and located on high ground. The city was called the 'Phoenix's Watchtower ()' in ancient times, and locals nicknamed the ruins '

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

' nowadays. The city was also referenced to as 'Jiang Ting ()' in some historical sources. Bronze tools were also found in the ruins of the city.

References