Zhao () was one of the seven major states 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 ...

of ancient China. It was created from the three-way

Partition of Jin The Partition of Jin (), the watershed between the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, refers to the division of the State of Jin between rival families into the three states of Han, Zhao and Wei. As a result, the three states were o ...

, together with

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

and Wei, in the 5th century BC. Zhao gained significant strength from the military reforms initiated during King Wuling's reign, but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of

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 ...

at the

Battle of Changping The Battle of Changping () was a military campaign during the Warring States period of ancient China, which took place from 262 BC to 260 BC at Changping (northwest of present-day Gaoping, Shanxi province), between the two strongest military pow ...

. Its territory included areas now in modern

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

and

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

provinces. It bordered the states of Qin, Wei and

Yan Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indepe ...

and various nomadic peoples, including the Hu and

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

. Its capital was Handan, in modern Hebei Province. Zhao was home to administrative philosopher

Shen Dao Shen Dao (; c. 350c. 275BC) was a Chinese philosopher and writer. He was a " Chinese Legalist" theoretician most remembered for his influence on Han Fei with regards to the concept of shi 勢 (circumstantial advantage, power, or authority), th ...

sophist A sophist ( el, σοφιστής, sophistes) was a teacher in ancient Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Sophists specialized in one or more subject areas, such as philosophy, rhetoric, music, athletics, and mathematics. They taught ' ...

Gongsun Long Gongsun Long (, BCLiu 2004, p. 336), courtesy name Zibing (子秉), was a Chinese philosopher and writer who was a member of the School of Names (Logicians) of ancient Chinese philosophy. He also ran a school and enjoyed the support of rulers, ...

and the

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

Xun Kuang Xun Kuang (; BCE), better known as Xunzi (; ), was a Chinese philosopher of Confucianism who lived during the late Warring States period. After his predecessors Confucius and Mencius, Xunzi is often ranked as the third great Confucian philos ...

Origins and ascendancy

The Zhao clan within Jin had accumulated power for centuries, including annexing the Baidi

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Dai for themselves during the mid-5th centuryBC. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Jin was divided up between three powerful ministers; Xiangzi, the Zhao family patriarch being one of them. In 403 BC, the king of Zhou formally recognized the existence of the State of Zhao along with two other States, Han and Wei, marking the start of the Warring States Period. At the onset of the Warring States period, Zhao was one of the weaker states. Despite its extensive territory, its northern border was frequently subject to harassment by the

Eastern Hu Donghu (; IPA: ; ) or Hu (; IPA: ) Pulleyblank E. G. (1994) “Ji Hu: Indigenous Inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi,” in Edward H. Kaplan, ed.,'' Opuscula Altaica: Essays presented in honor of Henry Schwarz''. ed. by. Bellingham: Wester ...

, Forest Hu,

Loufan Loufan may refer to: * Loufan (tribe) (樓煩), a Xiongnu-associated nomadic tribe; see Loufan County, Shanxi Province, China * Loufan Commandery (樓煩郡, part of modern Xinzhou), former commandery in what is now Xinzhou Prefecture, Shanxi, Chi ...

and other northern nomadic peoples. At the same time, Zhao was surrounded by strong states and lacked the military strength of Wei or the prosperity of Qi. Zhao became a pawn in the struggle between the states of Wei and Qi, and this struggle came to a climax in 354 BC when Wei invaded Zhao, and Zhao had to seek aid from Qi. The resulting

Battle of Guiling The Battle of Guìlíng (桂陵之戰) was fought between the states of Qí and Wei in the Warring States period of Chinese history. In 354 BC, an army from Wèi was laying siege to Handan, the capital of the State of Zhao. The next year, Zh ...

was a major victory for Qi, and it consequently lessened the threat to Zhao's southern border. Zhao remained relatively weak until the military reforms of

King Wuling of Zhao King Wuling of Zhao () (died 295 BCE, reigned 325 BCE – 299 BCE) reigned in the State of Zhao during the Warring States period of Chinese history. His reign was famous for one important event: the reforms consisting of "Wearing the Hu (styled) A ...

(325-299 BC). The soldiers of Zhao were ordered to dress like their Hu neighbours and to replace war chariots with cavalry archers (). This reform proved to be a brilliant strategy. With the advanced technology of the Chinese states and nomadic tactics, the cavalry of Zhao became a powerful force. The result was that the newly strengthened Zhao was evenly matched against its greatest enemy, the state of Qi. Zhao demonstrated its enhanced military prowess by conquering the State of

Zhongshan Zhongshan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is now part of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen conurbation with 65,565,622 i ...

in 295 BC after a prolonged war, and annexing territory from its neighbouring states of Wei, Yan, and Qin. During this time, the cavalry of Zhao also occasionally intruded into the

state of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded sh ...

in campaigns against the state of Chu. Several brilliant military commanders of the period appeared concurrently, including

Lian Po Lian Po (; – 243 BC), was a prominent general of the Zhao state in the Warring States period of Chinese history. He was named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of the late Warring States period, along with Bai Qi, W ...

Zhao She Zhao She ( 3rd century BC; zh, 趙奢) was a Chinese bureaucrat and general for the State of Zhao during the Warring States period. Biography Zhao She's origins and early life were unknown, other than he was initially employed as a land tax co ...

and

Li Mu Li Mu (; died 229 BC), personal name Zuo (繓), courtesy name Mu (牧), was a Chinese military general of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period. He was named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of the late Wa ...

. Lian Po proved instrumental in defending Zhao against the Qin. Zhao She was most active in the east; leading the invasion of the

Yan state 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 ...

. Li Mu defended Zhao from the

in the

Zhao–Xiongnu War The Zhao–Xiongnu War () was a war that took place between the state of Zhao and the Xiongnu confederation in 265 BC during the Warring States period of China. Background The Zhao state in North China bordered areas inhabited by nomadic tribe ...

and later from Qin.

Fall of Zhao

By the end of the Warring States Period, Zhao was the only state strong enough to oppose the powerful

Qin state Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted ex ...

. An alliance with Wei against Qin commenced in 287 BC but ended in defeat at Huayang in 273 BC. The struggle then culminated in the bloodiest battle of the whole period, the

in 260 BC. The troops of Zhao were completely defeated by Qin. Although the forces of Wei and Chu saved Handan from a follow-up siege by the victorious Qin, Zhao would never recover from the enormous loss of men in the battle. In 229 BC, invasions led by the Qin general Wang Jian were opposed by

and his subordinate officer Sima Shang () until 228 BC. Li Mu was one of the best generals of the Warring States era, and although he was unable to defeat Wang Jian (also one of the best generals of the period), Wang Jian was unable to make headway either. The invasion developed into a stalemate. Realizing that he had to get rid of Li Mu to conquer Zhao, the emperor of Qin,

Qin Shihuang Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ( ...

, attempted to sow discord among the Zhao leadership. Zhao King Youmiu fell for the scheme: acting on faulty advice from disloyal court officials and Qin infiltrators, he ordered the

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

of Li Mu and relieved Sima Shang from his duties. Li Mu's replacement, Zhao Cong, was promptly defeated by Wang Jian. Qin captured King Youmiu and conquered Zhao in 228 BC. Prince Jia, the half-brother of King Qian, was proclaimed King Jia at Dai and led the last Zhao forces against the Qin. The regime lasted until 222 BC, when the Qin army captured him and defeated his forces at Dai. A rebel named Wu Chen, following

Chen Sheng Chen Sheng (died January 208 BC), also known as Chen She ("She" being his courtesy name), posthumously known as Prince Yin, was the leader of the Dazexiang Uprising, the first rebellion against the Qin Dynasty. It occurred during the reign of ...

and

Wu Guang Wu Guang (, died December 209 BC or January 208 BC) was a leader of the first rebellion against the Qin Dynasty during the reign of the Second Qin Emperor. Life Wu Guang was born in Yangxia (陽夏; present-day Taikang County, Zhoukou, Henan) ...

's suits at Chu, proclaimed himself King of Zhao. Wu was later killed by his subordinate Li Liang (). Zhang Er () and Chen Yu (), former officials of Zhao, created a Zhao royal,

Zhao Xie Zhao may refer to: * Zhao (surname) (赵), a Chinese surname ** commonly spelled Chao in Taiwan or up until the early 20th century in other regions ** Chiu, from the Cantonese pronunciation ** Cho (Korean surname), represent the Hanja 趙 (Chinese ...

(), as king of Zhao. In 206 BC, the rebel lord of Chu,

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...

, defeated the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

and created himself and other seventeen lords as kings, making Zhao Xie the king of Dai. Chen Yu helped Zhao Xie taking back the land of Zhao from Zhang Er, so Zhao Xie created Chen Yu prince of Dai. In 205 BC, Chen Yu's subordinate at Dai,

Xia Yue Xia (Hsia in Wade–Giles) may refer to: Chinese history * Xia dynasty (c. 2070 – c. 1600 BC), the first orthodox dynasty in Chinese history * Xia (Sixteen Kingdoms) (407–431), a Xiongnu-led dynasty * Xia (617–621), a state founded by Dou Ji ...

(), was defeated by

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Empe ...

's generals

Han Xin Han Xin (; 231/230–196 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty. Han Xin was named as one of the "Three Heroes of the ea ...

and Zhang Er. Chen Yu was defeated by Han Xin in 204 BC and later, Zhao Xie was killed by Han forces. Liu Bang gifted the state of Zhao to Zhang Er. In 154 BC, an unrelated Zhao (), headed by Liu Sui (), the Prince of Zhao kingdom, participated in the unsuccessful

Rebellion of the Seven States The Rebellion of the Seven States or Revolt of the Seven Kingdoms () took place in 154 BC against the Han dynasty of China by its regional semi-autonomous kings, to resist the emperor's attempt to centralize the government further. Background ...

() against the newly installed second emperor of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

Culture and society

Before the state of Qin unified China in 221 BC, each region had their own unique customs and culture, although they were all dominated by an upper class that shared a largely common culture. In the ''

Yu Gong The ''Yu Gong'' () or ''Tribute of Yu'' is a chapter of the ''Book of Xia'' (夏書/夏书) section of the ''Book of Documents'', one of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature. The chapter describes the legendary Yu the Great and the ...

'' (Tribute of Yu), a section of the Book of Documents which was most likely composed in the 4th century BC, the author describes a China that is divided into nine regions, each with its own distinctive peoples and products. The core theme of this section is that these nine regions are unified into one state by the travels of the eponymous sage,

Yu the Great Yu the Great (大禹) was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for his introduction of flood control, his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures prominen ...

and by sending each region's unique goods to the capital as tribute. Other texts also discussed these regional variations in culture and physical environments. One of these texts was ''

Wuzi The ''Wuzi'' () is a classic Chinese work on military strategy attributed to Wu Qi. It is considered one of China's Seven Military Classics. It is said there were two books on the art of war by Wu Qi, but one was lost, hence leaving the ''Wuzi ...

(The Book of Master Wu'') which was a Warring States military treatise written in response to a query by Marquis Wu of Wei on how to cope with the other states.

Wu Qi Wu Qi (, 440–381 BC) was a Chinese military leader, Legalist philosopher, and politician in the Warring States period. Biography Born in the State of Wey (), he was skilled in leading armies and military strategy. He had served in the state ...

, the author of the work, declared that the government and nature of the people were linked to the physical environment and territory they live in. Of Zhao, he said:

List of Zhao rulers

Before the partition of Jin

* Chengzi of Zhao * Xuanzi of Zhao * Zhuangzi of Zhao * Wenzi of Zhao * Jingzi of Zhao () *

Jianzi of Zhao Jianzi (), tī jianzi (踢毽子), tī jian (踢毽) or jianqiú (毽球), is a traditional Chinese national sport in which players aim to keep a heavily weighted shuttlecock in the air by using their bodies, apart from the hands, unlike in si ...

() *

Xiangzi of Zhao Zhao Wuxu ( zh, 趙毋卹, reigned 458 BCE – 425 BCE), also known by the posthumous name Xiangzi (襄子), was the head of the house of Zhao in the Jin state in late Spring and Autumn period. Early life Wuxu was born to a Di (翟) slave of Jia ...

() * Huanzi of Zhao ()

After the partition of Jin

* Marquess Xian (), personal name Huan (), ruled 424 BC–409 BC * Marquess Lie (), personal name Ji (), son of previous, ruled 409 BC–387 BC, noted for several reforms * Marquess Jing (), personal name Zhang (), son of previous, ruled 387 BC–375 BC * Marquess Cheng (), personal name Zhong (), son of previous, ruled 375 BC–350 BC * Marquess Su (), personal name Yu (), son of previous, ruled 350 BC–326 BC * King Wuling (), personal name Yong (), son of previous, ruled 326 BC–Spring 299 BC *

King Huiwen King Huiwen may refer to: *King Huiwen of Qin (reigned 338–311 BC) *King Huiwen of Zhao King Huiwen of Zhao () (born 310 BCE - died 266 BCE, reigned 298 BCE – 266 BCE) reigned in the State of Zhao during the Warring States period of Chinese hi ...

(), personal name He (), son of previous, ruled Spring 299 BC–266 BC * King Xiaocheng (), personal name Dan (), son of previous, ruled 266 BC–245 BC * King Daoxiang (), personal name Yan (), son of previous, ruled 245 BC–236 BC * King Youmiu (), personal name Qian (), son of previous, ruled 236 BC–228 BC *

King Jia of Dai Jia, King of Zhao (趙王嘉, reigned 227–223 BCE), also known as Jia, King of Dai (代王嘉), Zhao Jia (趙嘉), was the last ruler of the state of Zhao during the waning days of the Warring States Period of Chinese history. His realm was a ...

(), personal name Jia (), half-brother of previous, ruled 228 BC–222 BC * Xie, King of Zhao (), ruled 209 BC–205 BC. Also known as Zhao Xie. A reinstalled king of Zhao by rioting peasants during the reign of

Qin Er Shi Qin Er Shi (; (230–October 207 BCE) was the second emperor of the Qin dynasty from 210 to 207 BCE. The son of Qin Shi Huang, he was born as Ying Huhai. He was put on the throne by Li Si and Zhao Gao, circumventing Fusu, Ying's brother a ...

. Defeated and Killed by

Zhao in astronomy

There are two opinions about the representing star of Zhao in

Chinese astronomy Astronomy in China has a long history stretching from the Shang dynasty, being refined over a period of more than 3,000 years. The ancient Chinese people have identified stars from 1300 BCE, as Chinese star names later categorized in the twe ...

. The opinions are : * Zhao is represented with the star

Lambda Herculis Lambda Herculis (λ Herculis. abbreviated Lambda Her, λ Her), formally named Maasym , is a star in the constellation of Hercules. From parallax measurements taken during the Gaia mission, it is approximately 393 light-years from the S ...

in asterism ''Left Wall'',

Heavenly Market enclosure The Heavenly Market Enclosure (天市垣, ''Tian Shi Yuan''), is one of the ''San Yuan'' or Three enclosures. Stars and constellations of this group are visible during late summer and early autumn in the Northern Hemisphere (late winter and early ...

., and also represented with two stars

26 Capricorni 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

( , en, the First Star of Zhao) and 27 Capricorni ( , en, the Second Star of Zhao) in asterism ''Twelve States'',

Girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

mansion. (see

Chinese constellation Traditional Chinese astronomy has a system of dividing the celestial sphere into asterisms or constellations, known as "officials" ( Chinese ''xīng guān''). The Chinese asterisms are generally smaller than the constellations of Hellenisti ...

). * Zhao is represented with the star

, and also represented with star "m Capricorni".Richard Hinckley Allen: Star Names – Their Lore and Meaning: Capricornus
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao (State) Ancient Chinese states 403 BC Jin (Chinese state) History of Hebei History of Shanxi 222 BC States and territories disestablished in the 3rd century BC 3rd-century BC disestablishments in China 5th-century BC establishments in China Former kingdoms