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Wu Ding (); personal name Zi Zhao, was a king of 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 ...
who ruled China around 1200s BC. He is the earliest figure in Chinese history mentioned in contemporary records. The annals of the Shang dynasty compiled by later historians were once thought to be little more than legends until
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 dating from his reign were unearthed at the ruins of his capital
Yin Yin may refer to: *the dark force in the yin and yang from traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine *Yīn (surname) (), a Chinese surname *Yǐn (surname) (), a Chinese surname *Shang dynasty, also known as the Yin dynasty **Yinxu or Yin, the S ...
(near modern
Anyang Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively. It had a ...
) in 1899. Oracle bone inscriptions from his reign have been radiocarbon dated to 1254–1197 BC.


History


Dating

Because Wu Ding is the earliest Chinese ruler whose reign is confirmed by contemporary material, dating his reign is a matter of significant historical interest. According to the traditional chronology, he reigned from 1324–1266 BC. ''Cambridge History'' gives 1189 BC as the end date of his reign. The
Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project The Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project () was a multi-disciplinary project commissioned by the People's Republic of China in 1996 to determine with accuracy the location and time frame of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. The project was di ...
(2000), sponsored by the Chinese government, gives his reign as 1250–1192 BC. Inscriptions from twenty-six oracle bone divinations of his reign have been radiocarbon dated to 1254–1197 BC±10 years.


Early life

According to later tradition, in the sixth year of his father's reign, he was ordered to live at He () and study under Gan Pan (). These early years spent among the common people allowed him to become familiar with their daily problems.


Documentation

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 hist ...
'' (''Shiji'') he was listed by
Sima Qian Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...
as the twenty-second Shang king, succeeding his father Xiao Yi (). The oracle bone script inscriptions 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 record that he was the twenty-first Shang king. The ''Shiji'' says that he was enthroned in the '' dingwei'' () year with
Gan Pan The word Gan or the initials GAN may refer to: Places *Gan, a component of Hebrew placenames literally meaning "garden" China * Gan River (Jiangxi) * Gan River (Inner Mongolia), * Gan County, in Jiangxi province * Gansu, abbreviated ''G ...
() as his prime minister and
Yin Yin may refer to: *the dark force in the yin and yang from traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine *Yīn (surname) (), a Chinese surname *Yǐn (surname) (), a Chinese surname *Shang dynasty, also known as the Yin dynasty **Yinxu or Yin, the S ...
() as his capital. He cultivated the allegiance of neighbouring tribes by marrying one woman from each of them. His favoured consort
Fu Hao Fu Hao () died c. 1200 BC, posthumous temple name Mu Xin (母辛), was one of the many wives of King Wu Ding of the Shang dynasty and also served as a military general and high priestess. Minimal evidence detailing Fu Hao's life and military ac ...
entered the royal household through such a marriage and served as military general and high priestess. Another of Wu Ding's wives, Fu Jing, was probably responsible for overseeing agricultural production, as this was the subject she divined about most frequently. According to the ''
Bamboo Annals The ''Bamboo Annals'' (), also known as the ''Ji Tomb Annals'' (), is a chronicle of ancient China. It begins in the earliest legendary time (the age of the Yellow Emperor) and extends to 299 BC, with the later centuries focusing on the history ...
'', in the twenty-fifth year of his reign, his son
Zu Ji Zu Ji () was the eldest son of King Wu Ding but despite his kingly title he never succeeded his father as a Shang dynasty King of China. In later texts he is known as Xiao Ji (), while contemporary inscriptions record his name as Jie (). In the ' ...
() died at a remote area after being exiled. According to the '' Book of Documents'', in the twenty-ninth year of his reign, he conducted rituals in honour of his ancestor Da Yi (), the first king of the Shang dynasty, at the Royal Temple. Angered by the presence of a wild chicken standing on one of the ceremonial bronze vessels, he condemned his vassals and wrote a proclamation called "Day of the Supplementary Sacrifice of Gao Zong" (). The ''Book of Documents'' passage in question is attributed to
Zu Ji Zu Ji () was the eldest son of King Wu Ding but despite his kingly title he never succeeded his father as a Shang dynasty King of China. In later texts he is known as Xiao Ji (), while contemporary inscriptions record his name as Jie (). In the ' ...
, reflecting a different tradition of vital dates for that individual. According to the ''Bamboo Annals'', the thirty-second year of his reign, he sent troops to
Guifang Guifang () was an ancient ethnonym for a northern people that fought against the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE). Chinese historical tradition identified the Guifang with the Rong, Di,Old Text Bamboo Annals"Wu Yi"quote: "三十五年,周王季伐 ...
() and after three years of fighting he conquered it. The Di () and Qiang () immediately sent envoys to Shang to negotiate. His armies went on to conquer
Dapeng Dapeng or Da Peng may refer to: *Peng (mythology) or Da Peng, mythological bird *Dapeng (state) (大彭), a state during the late Shang dynasty *Dapeng Peninsula (大鹏半岛), in the east of Shenzhen *Dapeng Subdistrict (大鹏街道), Longgang D ...
() in the forty-third year of his reign, and Tunwei () in the fiftieth year of his reign. Exactly how this is related to the campaigns in the oracle bone divinations is unclear, where the
Gui Fang The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...
appears once, but the
Gong Fang A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
and Tu Fang campaigns have hundreds of divinations. He died in the fifty-ninth year of his reign according to all the sources available, none of which are contemporary. Widely regarded in later tradition as one of the best kings of the Shang dynasty, he was given the posthumous name Wu Ding () and was succeeded by his son Zu Geng ().


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu Ding Shang dynasty kings 13th-century BC births 12th-century BC Chinese monarchs 13th-century BC Chinese monarchs