Chu: Map & History
Chu was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty.
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Chu was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BC. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted during the Spring and Autumn period. At the end of the Warring States period it was annexed by the Qin in 223 BC during the Qin's wars of unification.
Modern Countries Once Part of Chu
At its mapped extent, Chu covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Chu's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Chu in Depth
History
According to legends recounted in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, the ruling family of Chu descended from the Yellow Emperor and his grandson and successor Zhuanxu. Zhuanxu's great-grandson Wuhui (吳回) was put in charge of fire by Emperor Ku and given the title Zhurong. Wuhui's son Luzhong (陸終) had six sons, all born by Caesarian section. The youngest, Jilian, adopted the ancestral surname Mi. Jilian's descendant Yuxiong was the teacher of King Wen of Zhou (r. 1099–1050 BC). After the Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty, King Cheng (r. 1042–1021 BC) enfeoffed Yuxiong's great-grandson Xiong Yi with the fiefdom of Chu in the Nanyang Basin and the hereditary title of zǐ (子; "viscount"). Then the first capital of Chu was established at Danyang (present-day Xichuan in Henan).
Culture
Based on the archaeological finds, Chu's culture was initially quite similar to that of the other Zhou states of the Yellow River basin. However, subsequently, Chu absorbed indigenous elements from the Baiyue lands that it conquered to the south and east, developing a blended culture compared to the northern plains.
During the Western Zhou period, the difference between the culture of Chu and the Central Plains states to the north was negligible. Only in the late Spring and Autumn period does Chu culture begin to diverge, preserving some older aspects of the culture and developing new phenomena. It also absorbed some elements from annexed areas. The culture of Chu had significant internal diversity from locality to locality.
Geography
Progenitors of Chu such as viscount Xiong Yi were said to originate from the Jing Mountains; a chain of mountains located in today's Hubei province. Rulers of Chu systematically migrated states annexed by Chu to the Jing mountains in order to control them more efficiently. East of Jing mountains are the Tu (塗) mountains. In the north-east part of Chu are the Dabie mountains; the drainage divide of Huai river and Yangtse river. The first capital of Chu, Danyang (丹陽) was located in today's Zhijiang, Hubei province. Ying (郢), one of the later capitals of Chu, is known by its contemporary name Jingzhou. In Chu's northern border lies the Fangcheng mountain. Strategically, Fangcheng is an ideal defense against states of central plain.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Chu (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Chu: Key Facts
| Capital | Ying |
|---|---|
| Official language | Chu |
| Religion | Chinese folk religion |
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Currency | ancient Chinese coinage |
| Founded | 722 BCE |
| Dissolved | 223 BCE |
Succeeded by
- Qin dynasty
- Qin
Facts from Wikidata Q504759 (CC0).
Chu Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Chu appears, with the other states of the time.
Chu Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 588,602 km² in 281 BCE.
Chu: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Chu exist?
Chu is dated to 750 BCE – 224 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of Chu?
The capital of Chu was Ying.
How large was Chu at its peak?
At its peak in 281 BC Chu covered about 588,602 km².
How did the map of Chu change over time?
Chu appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 750 BCE to 323 BCE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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