Pán Gēng (), personal name Zi Xun, was a

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 ...

King of China The Chinese sovereign was the ruler of a particular monarchical regime in the historical periods of ancient China and imperial China. Sovereigns ruling the same regime, and descended from the same paternal line, constituted a dynasty. Several t ...

. He is best known for having moved the capital of the

to its final location at Yīn.

Records

In 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 ...

'' he was listed by Sima Qian as the nineteenth Shang king, succeeding his older brother Yang Jia.

Oracle script Oracle bone script () is an ancient form of Chinese characters that were engraved on oracle bonesanimal bones or turtle plastrons used in pyromantic divination. Oracle bone script was used in the late 2nd millennium BC, and is the earliest kno ...

inscriptions on

bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...

unearthed at

Yinxu Yinxu (modern ; ) is the site of one of the ancient and major historical capitals of China. It is the source of the archeological discovery of oracle bones and oracle bone script, which resulted in the identification of the earliest known Chine ...

alternatively identify him as the eighteenth Shang king. He ruled for about 28 years according to both the '' Bamboo Annals'' and the ''Records of the Grand Historian''. The ''Bamboo Annals'' provide a brief summary of the major known events of his rule, which are as follows. He was enthroned in the year of Bingyin () with Yan () as his capital. In the seventh year of his regime, the Ying vassal () came to Yan to pay homage to him. In the fourteenth year of his reign he moved his capital to Beimeng (), renaming it Yin (). In the fifteenth year of his reign he reviewed his army at the new capital, and in the nineteenth year of his reign he assigned his minister Fen () to Yayu (). The ''Records of the Grand Historian'' provides a different account of the relocation of the capital. It states that Pán Gēng moved the capital from a location north of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...

to Bo 亳, the capital of the Shang founder Tang, on the south side of the river. It further states that this move was initially opposed by the people of Yin, who were tired of being moved, but that they were eventually satisfied when the Tang system of government was adopted, and the move proved to be prosperous. Upon his death, he was given the posthumous name Pán Gēng and was succeeded by his younger brother Xiao Xin. In the '' Classic of History'', there exists a chapter entitled "Pán Gēng", which tradition holds to have been a speech by this king; however, the language in it is so different from that of Pán Gēng's time that it is most likely not a product of his era.

Historical reference

Wang Anshi Wang Anshi ; ; December 8, 1021 – May 21, 1086), courtesy name Jiefu (), was a Chinese economist, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty. He served as chancellor and attempted major and controversial socioeconomic reforms k ...

, in his response to

Sima Guang Sima Guang (17 November 1019 – 11 October 1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer. He was a high-ranking Song dynasty scholar-official who authored the monumental history book ''Zizhi Tongjian''. Sima was ...

's accusatory letter, cited the example of Pán Gēng's undaunted perseverance in pursuing his goal (movement of the capital) in the face of opposition of both government officials and the common people.

References

{{Authority control Shang dynasty kings 13th-century BC Chinese monarchs