The State of Shěn () was one of the various Chinese states 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 th ...

and 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 ...

located in modern-day

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 ...

. Its founder is unknown, although a possible founder is one of the sons of

King Wen of Zhou 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 ...

History

The Shěn state came into being around 1050 BCE. The Chronicle of Zuo, a commentary of the Spring and Autumn period, mentions this state in its writing. But the Shěn state's history stretches beyond this period. The same chronicle mentions another ancient Shěn state, located in Northern China, which was established before the foundation of the Zhou dynasty. This ancient state may be related to the one founded in the 11th century BCE, but it is unlikely. It is more likely that the state originated as an

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

created during the

in order to secure peace and order around neighbouring areas. The course of this state's history is vastly unknown. There has been no record of Shěn participating in any major events during its history. It was only a small state, and hence may have been viewed as not worthy of regard by writers and historians of the time. However, despite its limited territory, the state managed to survive until the late

. There have been several artefacts found which are potentially related to Shěn, including evidence of the tenth son of the

being the founder of the state. However, various archaeologists have different opinions as to whether the artefacts are genuinely products of the Shěn state and whether they truly reveal the founder of Shěn.

End

The exact date of the cessation of the state is unknown. However, it is known that the

State of Cai Cài (; Old Chinese: *s.r̥ˤat-s) was an ancient Chinese state established at the beginning of the Zhou dynasty, rising to prominence during the Spring and Autumn period, and destroyed early in the Warring States period. History Following his ...

defeated Shěn at around 500 BCE before the

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 Z ...

. (Some Shěn leaders managed to escape to the

State of Chu Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou hea ...

.) The state of Shěn never revived, and the name "Shěn" was not used in any other state's name thereafter.

Legacy

According to the story of Shěn Ruì (沈汭), during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

some of the descendants of Shěn royals have settled in the

State of Yan Yan (; Old Chinese pronunciation: ''*'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing). During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xiadu ...

, and later dispersed to Southern China to the territories of the

Baiyue The Baiyue (, ), Hundred Yue, or simply Yue (; ), were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of East China, South China and Northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, ...

. Note that Shěn descendants in Southern China, namely

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

and

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

, do not carry the surname Shěn (沈), but Xiǎn/Sin (冼). This is because, according to legend, Shěn Ruì was suspected of being involved in an assassination plot against the

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 ...

emperor. He therefore had no option but to escape to the Southern territories of China, which a friend from his youth, Zhào Tuō, had control over. Zhao Tuo later founded the

Nanyue Nanyue (), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam. Nanyue was establish ...

kingdom. Shěn Ruì then married a local female Baiyue chieftain. To avoid being detected and to make a new start for his new family clan, Shěn Ruì changed his surname to Xiǎn/Sin (冼), a mixture of the characters "沈", Shěn's surname, and "先", meaning first. Seeing that Shěn Ruì has the intention to stay in Nanyue, Zhao Tuo gave he and his descendants Gāo liáng jùn (高凉郡), modern-day

Yangjiang Yangjiang (, ), alternately romanized as Yeungkong, is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Guangdong Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Maoming to the west, Yunfu to the north, Jiangmen to the east, and looks out to the ...

, to govern over. As a result, the surname of Xiǎn/Sin is found most commonly in Southern China.

Sources

* * {{Zhou dynasty topics Zhou dynasty Ancient Chinese states

History

End

Legacy

See also

Sources