King Zhao of Chu (, died 489 BC) was from 515 to 489 BC the king of the State of Chu during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

of ancient China. He was born Xiong Zhen () and King Zhao was his

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments o ...

. Documents unearthed in the former state also show his title as King Shao ().Dong Shan (董珊) Excavated document: ''Posthumous names of the Chu kings –appendix to the Zuo Zhuan'', Archaeological Records Research Journal, Volume 2, Shanghai Fudan University Publishing, August 2008. King Zhao was the son of

King Ping of Chu King Píng of Chu (, died 516 BC). During the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China, he was king of the State of Chu from 528 BC to 516 BC. He was a son of King Gong of Chu and his consort (a sibling of King Zi'ao). Born Xiong Qiji (), Pí ...

Life

In 506 BCE, King Helü of the State of Wu led an army to invade Chu. His army was commanded by the military strategist

Sun Tzu Sun Tzu ( ; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period of 771 to 256 BCE. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of ''The ...

, author of ''

The Art of War ''The Art of War'' () is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 5th century BC). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun"), is com ...

'', as well as

Wu Zixu :''Note: names are in simplified characters followed by traditional and Pinyin transliteration.'' Wu Yun (died 484 BC), better known by his courtesy name Zixu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the Wu kingdom in the Spring and Aut ...

, a Chu exile whose father and brother were killed by King Ping of Chu. The Wu army routed the Chu army at the historic

Battle of Boju The Battle of Boju () was the decisive battle of the war fought in 506 BC between Wu and Chu, two major kingdoms during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. The Wu forces were led by King Helü, his brother Fugai, and Chu exile Wu ...

, and the Chu commander

Nang Wa Nang or nangs may refer to: * Nang County, Nyingchi, Tibet, China * Nang yai, a form of shadow play * ''Nang!'', a general interest magazine * Nang, a slang term for nitrous oxide (N2O, laughing gas) when used as a recreational drug; or for whippe ...

fled to the state of

Zheng Zheng may refer to: *Zheng (surname), Chinese surname (鄭, 郑, ''Zhèng'') *Zheng County, former name of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, China *Guzheng (), a Chinese zither with bridges *Qin Shi Huang (259 BC – 210 BC), emperor of the Qin Dynasty, ...

. The Wu army pursued the remaining Chu troops, won several more battles, and captured

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 ...

, the capital of Chu. Chu general

Shen Yin Shu Shenyin Shu () or Shenyin Xu () (died 506 BC) was a general of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was a great-grandson of King Zhuang of Chu. Killing of Fei Wuji ''Lüshi Chunqiu'', a Chinese classic text ...

defeated the Wu army but was severely wounded, and was killed by a Chu officer at his own request. King Zhao was forced to flee. During the escape he was wounded by a Chu arrow at

Yunmeng Yunmeng County () is a county in eastern Hubei province, People's Republic of China. It is administered by Xiaogan City and is located just outside Xiaogan's urban area. History During the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (770-476 B ...

from where he made his way through Yun to the State of Sui in northern Hubei. Chu Minister of State

Shen Baoxu __NOTOC__ Shen may refer to: * Shen (Chinese religion) (神), a central word in Chinese philosophy, religion, and traditional Chinese medicine; term for god or spirit * Shen (clam-monster) (蜃), a shapeshifting Chinese dragon believed to create mi ...

() meanwhile headed for the State of Qin to plead for assistance from their army. At first, the Qin ruler Duke Ai was non-committal in his response but after Shen spent seven days kneeling and wailing in the Qin palace courtyard, Duke Ai was moved by his devotion and agreed to send troops to assist Chu. Thereafter the Wu army retreated and King Zhao returned to the Chu capital at Ying. In ''

Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to: * ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (莊子), an ancient Chinese collection of anecdotes and fables, one of the foundational texts of Daoism **Zhuang Zhou Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; als ...

'', a story is recorded regarding a sheep-butcher named Yue (), a subject of King Zhao that fled from Chu when Wu attacked. Yue followed King Zhao, and returned with him when King Zhao returned to his capital. King Zhao wanted to give Yue gifts for what King Zhao saw as Yue's loyalty, but due to Yue's moral beliefs, Yue refused to accept any gifts despite repeated offers. In 489 BCE, King Zhao witnessed the inauspicious meteorological phenomenon known as “Clouds like numerous red birds pressing the day to fly” (). Not long afterwards,

King Fuchai of Wu Fuchai (reigned 495–473BC), sometimes also written Fucha, was the last king of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His armies constructed important canals linking the Yellow, Ji, and Huai River systems of t ...

attacked the State of Chen and Chen requested assistance from King Zhao. The king led his troops personally and was killed during a subsequent battle.

Family

King Zhao was married to Zhen Jiang (), daughter of the

Marquess of Qi A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

() whilst his mother was

Bo Ying Bo Ying () was a consort to the sixth-century BC Chu ruler, King Ping, and mother of his successor, King Zhao. Biography Bo Ying was a daughter of the ruler of Qin. The ''Biographies of Exemplary Women'' states that Bo Ying's father was Duke ...

(). He also had one sister and at least three elder brothers born by concubines, namely Shen (), Jie () and Qi (), sometimes known by their courtesy names as Zixi (), Ziqi () and Zilü ().

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao of Chu, King Monarchs of Chu (state) Chinese kings 6th-century BC Chinese monarchs 5th-century BC Chinese monarchs Year of birth unknown 489 BC deaths