Xu () was an

ancient Chinese state Ancient Chinese states () were typified by variously sized city-states and territories that existed in China prior to its unification by Qin Shi Huang in 221 BCE. In many cases these were vassal states and fiefs established in the '' fengjian'' s ...

of 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 ...

. In the early Western Zhou Dynasty,

King Cheng of Zhou King Cheng of Zhou (), personal name Ji Song (姬誦), was the second king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1042–1021 BCE or 1042/35–1006 BCE. His parents were King Wu of Zhou and Queen Yi Jiang (邑姜). King Cheng w ...

enfeoffed Xu Wenshu at Xu (modern

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province of China, province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the s ...

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 ...

). The ruling family had the clan name of Jiang (姜), and the noble rank of baron (男).

History

Western Zhou Dynasty

In the early years of

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou () was the first king of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended three years later in 1043 BC. King Wu's ancestral name was ...

, the capital of Xu was established at Zhangpan Ancient City, 20 kilometers east of modern

City.

Eastern Zhou Dynasty

In 654 BC, Chu attacked Xu, and the ruler of Xu submitted to Chu. In 576 BC, Duke Ling of Xu was afraid 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, ...

's aggression and requested to move to Chu. Chu moved the Xu court to Ye ( in modern

Ye County Ye County or Yexian () is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Pingdingshan, Henan province, China, with a population of . The ancient town of Kunyang was located in Ye County. It was the site of the critical Battle o ...

, Henan). In 533 BC, Duke Dao of Xu moved to Chengfu, in modern

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

Province. In 506 BC, Si, Baron of Xu moved to Rongcheng (in modern Lushan County, Henan). In 504 BC, the state of

onset of action Xu, hold Baron Si. In 375 BC, Xu was annexed by Chu.

Culture

The wife of Duke Mu of Xu,

Lady Xu Mu Duchess Mu of Xu (; fl. 7th century BC) was a princess of the State of Wey who married Duke Mu of Xu ( 許穆公; Xu Mu Gong), the ruler of the State of Xǔ. She was the first recorded female poet in Chinese history. Life A princess of the Wey st ...

, is said to be the first known woman poet in Chinese history.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Xǔ (state) Ancient Chinese states Zhou dynasty