Nangong Kuo (; fl. 11th century BC) was a top official of King Wen of Zhou during the late

Shang 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 f ...

and early

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 noma ...

dynasties. In the "Jun Shi" (君奭) chapter of the ''

Classic of History The ''Book of Documents'' (''Shūjīng'', earlier ''Shu King'') or ''Classic of History'', also known as the ''Shangshu'' (“Venerated Documents”), is one of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature. It is a collection of rhetorica ...

'', the

Duke of Zhou Dan, Duke Wen of Zhou (), commonly known as the Duke of Zhou (), was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu. He was renowned for acting ...

names him as one of the five key advisers of King Wen, together with Guo Shu, Hong Yao, Tai Dian, and

San Yisheng San Yisheng (; fl. 11th century BC) was a top official of the early Western Zhou dynasty.See, e.g., '' Lüshi Chunqiu'', Vol.5. Plot in ''Fengshen Yanyi'' Grand Counselor San has been renowned as the protector of both the Ji province and Ji Cha ...

. After King Wen's death, Nangong Kuo became a key adviser of his son King Wu.

Bronze inscriptions

Nangong Kuo was the founder of a major aristocratic lineage of the Western Zhou. His eldest son probably died early, and his second son Nangong Mao (南宫毛) inherited his title. The famous Da Yu ''ding'', now a national treasure of China, was cast by Nangong Kuo's grandson Yu (盂), and dedicated to him. The bronze inscription on the vessel traces Yu's lineage back to Nangong (, Duke of Nan), who is identified by scholars, including

Li Xueqin Li Xueqin (, 28 March 1933 – 24 February 2019) was a Chinese historian, archaeologist, and palaeographer. He served as Director of the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Professor of the Institute of Sinology of T ...

and Li Feng, with Nangong Kuo. Inscriptions on other unearthed bronze vessels indicate that during the late Western Zhou period, the Nangong lineage continued to produce important military leaders like Nangong Liu, and civil administrators such as Nangong Hu, Supervisor of Land. Inscriptions on excavated bronzes from the tombs of the marquises of

Zeng Zeng (, ) is a Chinese family name. In Cantonese, it is Tsang; In Wade-Giles, such as those in Taiwan, Tseng or Tzeng; in Malaysia and Singapore, Chen or Cheng; in the Philippines, Chan; in Indonesia, Tjan; in Vietnam, Tăng. The surname Zeng is ...

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 of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

Province indicate that Kang (犺) of the Nangong clan was enfeoffed with the Zeng state by either King Cheng or

King Kang of Zhou King Kang of Zhou, personal name Ji Zhao, was the third sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and son of King Cheng of Zhou. The dates of his reign are 1020–996 BC or 1005–978 BC. King Kang followed his father's policy and expanded the Zhou t ...

. Kang, the first Marquis of Zeng, was either Nangong Kuo's son or great-grandson (Yu's son).

In fiction

Nangong Kuo is a character in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

classic novel ''

Fengshen Yanyi ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese names () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Cons ...

''. In this novel, Nangong Kuo is a renowned general that had loyally served under

Ji Chang King Wen of Zhou (; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was Count of state of Zhou, Zhou during the late Shang dynasty in ancient China. Although frequently confused with his fourth son Duke of Zhou, also known as "Lord Zhou", they are different hi ...

(King Wen of Zhou) of Mount Singing Phoenix. Nangong generally seems to be more of an aggressive individual, and will rush to rather impulsive conclusions at times. Following the death of Ji Chang's first son,

Bo Yikao Bo Yikao was the eldest son of King Wen of Zhou and the elder brother of King Wu who was the founder of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. As a member of the Zhou royal house, his family name was Ji (姬). "Bo" refers to his status as the old ...

, Nangong would swear eternal revenge against

King Zhou King Zhou (; ) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang () or King Shou of Shang (), the last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China. He is also called Zhou Xin (). In Chinese, his name Zhòu ( 紂) also refers to a horse cr ...

. Due to Nangong's continuous lust to attack

Zhaoge Zhaoge () was the last of a series of cities that served as capital of the Shang dynasty, and later capital of State of Wey (衛國). It is located in current Qi County, Hebi, Henan about 50 km south of Anyang. See also *Yinxu Yinxu (modern ; ...

at any possible moment,

develops a negative liking towards him.''

'' chapter 28 Following King Wen's attack upon Tiger Town, the capital of

Chong Houhu Chong Houhu () a character featured within the Chinese novel ''Fengshen Yanyi''. This role originated from Chong Hou Hu, or Hu, Marquis of the Chong State, a vassal of the Shang dynasty. In ''Fengshen Yanyi'', Chong Houhu is a person's name, in whi ...

, Nangong is the first to charge the gates of the capital. When General

Huang Yuanji Huang Yuanji (Chinese: 黄元济; Pinyin: Huáng Yuánjì) a character featured within the famed classic Chinese novel ''Investiture of the Gods'' (more commonly known as Fenshen Yanyi). Huang Yuanji is the second greatest general (the first being ...

stands before him, Nangong yells, "''Huang Yuanji, you small potato, get out of my way! I only want to fight the real Chong Houhu himself!''" With these words, Nangong, with his great knife, cuts Huang Yuanji down with relative ease. Later on following General Zhang Guifang's attack upon Phoenix City during the

Huang Feihu Huang Feihu is a fictional character in the Chinese epic fantasy novel ''Fengshen Bang''. Originally known as Prince Wucheng () of the Shang Dynasty, he defects to Xiqi (西岐; the precursor to the Zhou Dynasty), a vassal state under Shang, aft ...

retrieval arc, Nangong duels it out against Vanguard Feng Lin. After defeating Feng with great ease, he is captured by Feng's magic technique; only later due to

Nezha Nezha ( 哪吒) is a protection deity in Chinese folk religion. His official Taoist name is "Marshal of the Central Altar" (). He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prince" () after he became a deity. Origins According to Meir Shahar, Nezh ...

's assistance would he be saved.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nangong, Kuo 11th-century BC Chinese people Shang dynasty people Zhou dynasty nobility Investiture of the Gods characters