Duke Liu () was a
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Gr ...
of ancient China. He was an important early leader of the
Ji clan, which later founded the
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...
. His father was
Ji Ju.
Ancestry
In
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural tradit ...
, the Zhou lineage traditionally began with
a consort of the
Emperor Ku
Kù (, variant graph ), usually referred to as Dì Kù (), also known as Gaoxin or Gāoxīn Shì () or Qūn (), was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor.
He went by the name Gaoxin until receiving imperial authority, when he took the name Ku and t ...
, who miraculously conceived "the
Abandoned One" after stepping into a divine footprint. His son
Buzhu was said to be displeased with the decadence of the
Xia court and to have resigned his post as director of agriculture, moving the clan to
Tai. Either Buzhu or his heir
Ji Ju abandoned agriculture entirely and enjoyed living the nomadic lifestyle of their
Rong and
Di barbarian
A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice.
A "barbarian" may ...
neighbors.
History
Gong Liu was credited with restoring agriculture among his people and leading them to their subsequent prosperity. He led his people away from their new home at
Tai to a new place called
Bin, where they prospered at the expense of neighboring
Rong tribes. His son was
Qingjie. After Zhou’s defeat of the
Shang at
Muye
Muye District () is a district of the city of Xinxiang, Henan province, China.
History
The BC Battle of Muye ended Shang hegemony over the Wei and Yellow River
The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in Ch ...
and the establishment of the
Kingdom of Zhou, Gong Liu was commemorated with an ode among the Great Hymns in the
Chinese classic ''
Book of Songs''. This ode tells the story of the preparations and move to Bin.
['' Book of Songs'', III.2.6.]
See also
* ''
Book of Songs''
*
Ancestry of the Zhou dynasty
References
*
External links
*
Ode to Duke Liu
{{Authority control
Nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...