Minyue: Map & History
Minyue was an ancient kingdom in what is now the Fujian province in southern China.
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Minyue was an ancient kingdom in what is now the Fujian province in southern China. It was a contemporary of the Han dynasty, and was later annexed by the Han empire as the dynasty expanded southward. The kingdom existed approximately from 306 BC to 110 BC.
Modern Countries Once Part of Minyue
At its mapped extent, Minyue 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 Minyue'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.
Minyue in Depth
History
Both Minyue and Dong'ou were founded by the royal family of Yue that fled after being defeated by Chu and Qi in 334 BC. When the Qin dynasty fell in 206 BC, the Hegemon-King Xiang Yu did not make Zou Wuzhu and Zou Yao kings. For that reason, they refused to support him and instead joined Liu Bang in attacking Xiang Yu. When Liu Bang won the war in 202 BC, he made Zou Wuzhu king of Minyue and in 192 BC, he made Zou Yao king of Dong'ou (Eastern Ou).
In 154 BC, Liu Pi King of Wu, revolted against the Han and tried to persuade Minyue and Dong'ou to join him. The king of Minyue refused but Dong'ou sided with the rebels. However, when Liu Pi was defeated and fled to Dong'ou, they killed him to appease the Han, and therefore escaped any retaliation.
Culture
The indigenous Minyue of Fujian province had customs similar to those of some of the Taiwanese indigenous people, such as snake totemism, short hair-style, tattooing, teeth pulling, pile-dwellings, cliff burials, and uxorilocal post-marital residences. Perhaps the Taiwan aborigines were also Minyue people, derived in ancient times from the southeast coast of mainland China, as suggested by linguists Li Jen-Kuei and Robert Blust. It is suggested that in the southeast coastal regions of China, there were many sea nomads during the Neolithic era and that many spoke ancestral Austronesian languages, and were skilled seafarers. In fact, there is evidence that an Austronesian language was still spoken in Fujian as late as 620 AD.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Minyue (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Minyue: Key Facts
| Capital | Yecheng |
|---|---|
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 334 BCE |
| Dissolved | 110 BCE |
Facts from Wikidata Q1936158 (CC0).
Minyue Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Minyue appears, with the other states of the time.
Minyue Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 468,197 km² in 203 BCE.
Minyue: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Minyue exist?
Minyue is dated to 333 BCE – 111 BCE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of Minyue?
The capital of Minyue was Dongye (東冶, modern Fuzhou), Minwangcheng (闽王城, modern day Chengcun village, Wuyishan).
How large was Minyue at its peak?
At its peak in 203 BC Minyue covered about 468,197 km².
How did the map of Minyue change over time?
Minyue appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 323 BCE to 200 BCE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.