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Wei (state)
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the State of Wei of the Warring States PeriodWarring States PeriodThe Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
. See Kingdom of Wei for the state founded by Cao CaoCao CaoCao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
during the Three Kingdoms Period. See Ran MinRan MinRan Min , also known as Shi Min , posthumously honored by Former Yan as Heavenly Prince Daowu of Wei , courtesy name Yongzeng , nickname Jinu , was a military leader during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China and the only emperor of the short-lived state Ran Wei . Ran is an uncommon Chinese...
for his state of Wei during the Sixteen KingdomsSixteen KingdomsThe Sixteen Kingdoms, or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 AD after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties...
. See Wei (Spring and Autumn Period)Wei (Spring and Autumn Period)This article is about the State of Wei founded during the Spring and Autumn Period. For the Warring States Period state whose name is pronounced identically, see Wei ....
and Liang (state)Liang (state)The State of Liang was one of the states during the Spring and Autumn Period , bordering the State of Qin and was conquered by Duke Mu of Qin in 641 BCE. The rulers of the State of Liang has the surname Ying , similar to the neighboring State of Qin...
for the identically pronounced State of Wei (卫国/衞國) and State of Liang (梁国/梁國).
The State of Wei (Zhou Chinese:梁邦; ) was a Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
vassal state during the Warring States Period
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
(475–221 BCE) of Chinese history. Its territory lay between the states of Qin
Qin (state)
The State of Qin was a Chinese feudal state that existed during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of Chinese history...
and Qi
Qi (state)
Qi was a powerful state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of the Warring States in ancient China. Its capital was Linzi, now part of the modern day city of Zibo in Shandong Province....
and included parts of modern day Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
. After its capital was moved from Anyi
Anyi
Anyi may refer to:*Anyin language, spoken principally in Côte d'Ivoire and in Ghana*Anyi people*Anyi County, in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China*Wang Anyi*A capital of the Xia dynasty...
to Daliang
Daliang
Daliang may refer to the following locations in China:*Kaifeng, formerly known as Daliang , prefecture-level city of Henan*Daliang Subdistrict, Foshan , in Shunde District, Foshan, Guangdong...
(today Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
) during the reign of King Hui of Wei
King Hui of Wei
King Hui of Wei , originally called Marquis Hui of Wei, and after 344, King Hui of Liang was the third ruler of the state of Wei during the Warring States Period, ruling from approximately 370 BC–319 BC...
, Wei was also called the state of Liang.
History
The state reached its apogee during the reigns of its first two rulers, Marquess Wen of WeiMarquess Wen of Wei
Marquess Wen of Wei was the first Marquess to rule the State of Wei during the Warring States Period of Chinese history . Born Jī Sī , he was the son of Wèi Huán-zǐ . He became ruler of Wei in 445 BCE and in 424 BCE adopted the title of “Marquess”...
and Marquess Wu of Wei
Marquess Wu of Wei
Marquess Wu of WeiChinese NamePinyinWèi JīTraditional Chinese魏擊Simplified Chinese魏击Family nameWèiPosthumous name 魏武侯 CountryState of Wei Lived?–370 BCE Reigned395–370 BCE...
. King Hui of Wei
King Hui of Wei
King Hui of Wei , originally called Marquis Hui of Wei, and after 344, King Hui of Liang was the third ruler of the state of Wei during the Warring States Period, ruling from approximately 370 BC–319 BC...
, the third ruler, concentrated on economic developments including irrigation projects at the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
. Nevertheless, its slow decline began with King Hui. King Hui felt that Qin in the west was a nonthreatening weak state and their land was just wasteland, and hence he focused on conquering land in the east that was rich in resources. However, Wei's advancement in the east was checked several times in a series of battles including the Battle of Maling
Battle of Maling
The Battle of Maling took place in Maling, currently Dazhangjia Town , Shen County , Henan Province, in 342 BC during the Warring States Period . The combatants were the State of Qi, who fought on behalf of the State of Han, and the State of Wei...
in 341 BCE. On the other hand, Qin's reformation at the same period boosted Qin's economy and military might to unprecedented levels. Eventually Wei lost the western Hexi
Hexi
-Historical entities of China:*Hexi Corridor , corridor in Gansu*Hexi Regime , a regime during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period*Hexi Province , a province, now defunct created during the ROC National Government period...
region (a pastoral and strategic area on the west bank of the Yellow River at the border of today's Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
provinces) to Qin, and remained continuously under invasion from Qin until the end. This eventually forced Wei to move its capital from Anyi
Anyi
Anyi may refer to:*Anyin language, spoken principally in Côte d'Ivoire and in Ghana*Anyi people*Anyi County, in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China*Wang Anyi*A capital of the Xia dynasty...
to Daliang
Daliang
Daliang may refer to the following locations in China:*Kaifeng, formerly known as Daliang , prefecture-level city of Henan*Daliang Subdistrict, Foshan , in Shunde District, Foshan, Guangdong...
.
The military prowess of Qin broke the coalition forces of the States of Wei and Han
Han (state)
Han was a kingdom during the Warring States Period in China, located in modern-day Shanxi and Henan. Not to be confused with South Korea which shares the same character....
at the Battle of Yique
Battle of Yique
Battle of Yique 293 BC, fought by King Zhaoxiang of Qin against the alliance of Wei and Han at Yique . For background see Warring States Period#The period of Qi . The Qin commander was general Bai Qi. With half of the alliance force, Bai Qi's army took the alliance's strongholds one by one...
in 293 BCE.
Wei surrendered to Qin in 225 BCE, after the Qin general Wang Fen flooded Daliang with water from the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
.
Wei produced some able generals and politicians, including Li Kui, a reformer and Prime Minister of Wei, Yue Yang, ancestor of Yue Yi
Yue Yi
Yue Yi was an officer of the State of Yan during the Warring State period, also known as Lord Guojun. He was the son of the prime minister of the small nation of Zhongshan, but when Zhongshan was destroyed by Zhao's King Wuling, he was forced to wander from country to country...
and conqueror of the State of Zhongshan, and Pang Juan
Pang Juan
Pang Juan was an ancient Chinese military general of the Wei state during the Warring States Period.-Early life:Pang Juan was a fellow student of Sun Bin and both of them studied military strategy together under the tutelage of the hermit Guiguzi. They developed a close friendship and became sworn...
, who conquered many places but lost to Lord Mengchang of Qi
Lord Mengchang of Qi
Lord Mengchang , born Tian Wen, was an aristocrat of the State of Qi during the Warring States Period of China. He was born as Tian Wen, son of Tian Ying and grandson of King Wei of Qi. He succeeded to his father's fief in Xue. Lord Mengchang is well known for the size of his entourage...
and Sun Bin
Sun Bin
Sun Bin was a military strategist who lived during the Warring States Period of Chinese history. An alleged descendant of Sun Tzu, Sun Bin was tutored in military strategy by the hermit Guiguzi...
at the Battle of Maling.
List of Wei rulers
- Marquess Wen of WeiMarquess Wen of WeiMarquess Wen of Wei was the first Marquess to rule the State of Wei during the Warring States Period of Chinese history . Born Jī Sī , he was the son of Wèi Huán-zǐ . He became ruler of Wei in 445 BCE and in 424 BCE adopted the title of “Marquess”...
, personal name Si (斯) or Du (都), (445–396 BCE) - Marquess Wu of WeiMarquess Wu of WeiMarquess Wu of WeiChinese NamePinyinWèi JīTraditional Chinese魏擊Simplified Chinese魏击Family nameWèiPosthumous name 魏武侯 CountryState of Wei Lived?–370 BCE Reigned395–370 BCE...
, personal name Ji (擊), son of Marquess Wen, (396–370 BCE) - King Hui of WeiKing Hui of WeiKing Hui of Wei , originally called Marquis Hui of Wei, and after 344, King Hui of Liang was the third ruler of the state of Wei during the Warring States Period, ruling from approximately 370 BC–319 BC...
, personal name Ying (罃), son of Marquess Wu, (370–319) - King Xiang of Wei (魏襄王), personal name Si (嗣) or He (赫), son of King Hui, (319–296)
- King Zhao of Wei (魏昭王), personal name Chi (遫), son of King Xiang, (296–277 BCE)
- King Anxi of Wei (魏安釐王),personal name Yu (圉), son of King Zhao, (277–243 BCE)
- King Jingmin of Wei (魏景湣王), personal name Zeng (增) or Wu (午), son of King Anxi, (243–228 BCE)
- King Jia, (魏王假), personal name Jia (假), son of King Jingmin, (228–225 BCE)
According to Sima Qian
Sima Qian
Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to...
's Records of the Grand Historian
Records of the Grand Historian
The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
written in the 1st century BCE, the list of rulers is slightly different: King Hui died in 335 BCE and was succeeded by his son King Xiang in 334 BCE. King Xiang died in 319 BCE and was succeeded by his son King Ai (哀王), who died in 296 BCE and was succeeded by his son King Zhao. However, the majority of scholars and commentators believe that King Ai, whose personal name is not recorded, never existed. It seems that Sima Qian assigned the second part of the reign of King Hui (starting in 334 BCE, on which date the hitherto Marquess Hui probably proclaimed himself King) to his son King Xiang, and added King Ai to fill in the gap between 319 and 296 BCE. On the other hand, a minority of scholars believe King Ai did indeed exist.
The King of Wei in legend
An unnamed King of Wei is featured in one of the canonical tales of homosexual love in ChinaHomosexuality in China
Homosexuality in China refers to homosexuality in Chinese culture; which, as a term, is relatively ambiguous in the contemporary context, although many instances have been recorded in the dynastic histories.-Terminology in China:...
. This king had a favorite named Lord Long Yang, with whom he enjoyed fishing. One day, Long Yang began to weep. When questioned, Long Yang said he saw his own future in how he had treated a fish. Happy to have the catch at first, Long Yang had wanted to throw it back when he caught a better fish. He wept, "I am also a previously caught fish! I will also be thrown back!" To show his fidelity to Long Yang, the King declared that, "Anyone who dares to speak of other beauties will be executed along with his entire family."
Wei in astronomy
There is two opinions about the representing star of Wei in Chinese astronomyChinese astronomy
Astronomy in China has a very long history, with historians considering that "they [the Chinese] were the most persistent and accurate observers of celestial phenomena anywhere in the world before the Arabs."...
. The opinions are :
- Wei is represented with the star Delta HerculisDelta HerculisDelta Herculis is a fourth-magnitude star in the constellation Hercules. It has the traditional name Sarin....
in asterism Left Wall, Heavenly Market enclosureHeavenly Market enclosureTian Shi Yuan, the Heavenly Market Enclosure , 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 . The summer triangle lies directly to the northwest.-Asterisms:The asterisms are :...
. and also represented with the star 33 Capricorni in asterism Twelve States, GirlGirl (Chinese constellation)The Girl mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.- Asterisms :...
mansion. (see Chinese constellationChinese constellationChinese constellations are the way the ancient Chinese grouped the stars. They are very different from the modern IAU recognized constellations. This is because the IAU was based on Greco-Roman astronomy instead of Chinese astronomy....
) - Wei is represented with two stars, Phi CapricorniPhi CapricorniPhi Capricorni is a star in the constellation Capricornus. φ Capricorni is an orange K-type bright giant with an apparent magnitude of +5.17...
and Chi CapricorniChi CapricorniChi Capricorni is a star in the constellation Capricornus. χ Capricorni is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +5.30...
.