Author: CHUNG Yoon-Ngan
Date: 06-29-03 06:19
Chinese History - Shang Dynasty (商朝 c1783BC to 1122BC) (2)
200 years later in around c1562BC Shang Dynasty started to decilne. The Shang Court was having problems to control such a vast country with a primitive communication systems. The government became unstable.
In c1401BC Pan Geng (盤庚) became the 17th ruler of the Shang Dynasty. Pan Geng decided to move his capital to Yin (殷 present day An Yang 安陽 city in Henan province). Many landlords refused to follow him to the new capital. He intimidated them by using force and eventually they agreed to shift to An Yang with their slaves.
Pan Geng reformed the political structure of the Shang administration and the social system of the country. He rejuvenized the whole country. The period from c1400BC to c1135BC was called the Yin Dynasty named after the capital, Yin (殷). In c1198BC Zi Wuyi (子武乙), the 27th King of the Yin Dynasty, moved his capital to Chao Ge (朝歌 present day Qi county 淇縣 in Henan province).
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The rulers of Yin Dynasty(殷朝)
Name-------------------------------------Ruling period
(20) Zi Xiaoxin (子小辛)------c1373BC to c1353BC
(21) Zi Xiaoyi (子小乙)--------c1352BC to c1325BC
(22) Zi Wuding (子武丁)------c1324BC to c1266BC
(23) Zi Zugeng (子祖庚)------c1265BC to c1259BC
(24) Zi Zujia (子祖甲)----------c1258BC to c1226BC
(25) Zi Linxin (子廩辛)---------c1225BC to c1220BC
(26) Zi Gengding (子庚丁)----c1219BC to c1199BC
(27) Zi Wuyi (子武乙)-----------c1198BC to c1195BC
(28) Zi Taiding (子太丁)--------c1194BC to c1192BC
(29) Zi Diyi (子帝乙)-------------c1191BC to c1155BC
(30) Zi Shouxin (子受辛)--------c1154BC to c1122BC
------Shang King Zhou (商紂王)
In c1324BC Shang King Wuding (商武丁王) became the 22nd King of Shang/Yin Dynasty. Shang King Wuding, who reigned from c1324BC to c1266BC, appointed Gan Pan (甘盤) as his Prime Minister. Gan Pan was a high-ranking official during the reign of Shang King Xiaoyi (商小乙王), the father of Shang King Wuding. Gan Pan was a talented official and his years of exprience in administration suited him to be the Prime Minister, but Gan Pan was a very old man.
Aristocratic society at the time was described by historical texts as extravagant, vain, corrupted and debauchery. There were constant frictions between the aristocrats and the slaves. The aristocrats enjoyed the fruit of the slaves who tilled the land. The social and economy of the country was very unstability. Yet, outwardly Shang King Wuding appeared to be doing nothing and he gave Gan Pan the full authority to run the country.
Unbeknownst to most people at the time, Shang King Wuding was planning to retire Gan Pan and in fact had spent the last three years searching the country far and wide for a clever and capable person to replace Gan Pan. Shang King Wuding, eventually, found a capable replacement amongst the slaves. Shang King Wuding wanted to appoint him as the Prime Minister to replace Gan Pan, but he was afraid that his subjects especially the aristocrats might not agree.
By modern standards, the people during the Shang Dynasty were a supertitious lot; they worshipped spirits and believed in ghosts. One morning, in c1319BC Shang King Wuding woke up with excitement and told his officials (untruthfully) that in his dream he had found a sage called A Shuo (阿說). Shang King Wuding went on to say that A Shuo's spirit that told him that he could help him to run the country. Immediately Shang King Wuding summoned an artist to help him to produce a portrait of A Shuo.
Shang King Wuding provided his officials with copies of the portrait of A Shuo and ordered his officials to search for him. The officials combed the four corners of the country for A Shuo. Eventually, they found a man looked like the one in the portrait. He was in fact Shang King Wuding's choice for the replacement of the Prime Minister.
The new Prime Minister's name was not A Shuo but Fu Shuo (傅說). Fu Shuo was born and brought up in a place called Fu Yan ( 傅岩), located in the present day northeast of Ping Lu county (平陸縣) in Shanxi province (山西省). Fu Shuo adopted Fu as his surname. Fu Shuo was a slave, but Shang King Wuding appointed him Prime Minister anyway and retired Gan Pan. Since it was the spirit that appeared in the ruler's dream that Fu Shuo would be the Prime Minister no one dared disagree. So by exploiting contemporary superstition Shang King Wuding achieved his plan without any objections.
Within a year of Fu Shuo's installation as Prime Minister, the hostility between the aristocrats and the slaves had been settled and Shang King Wuding was able to reform effectively and rejuvenate the country. Under the competent guidance of Fu Shuo the country prospered. Fu Shuo died of old age.
In c1154BC Zi Shouxin (子受辛) became the King of Shang. Zi Shouxin was officially known as Shang King Zhou (商紂王). As a man, Shang King Zhou was very clever and capable. However, as a king, he was very cruel and extravagant. Shang King Zhou was also very proud, and as such did not accept advice from anyone.
Shang King Zhou married Su Daji (蘇妲己) who was alledgedly the most beautiful woman in the land. The couple neglected the welfare of the country and they built many palaces, exhausting the resources of the country. King Zhou would torture or kill anyone who dared to disagree with his extravagance.
The people of Zhou Clan (周族) lived in the Wei (渭) Valley west of the great bend in the Yellow River. The Zhou Clan was within the domain of the Shang. The leader of the Zhou Clan was Ji Fa (姬發) who organized a land army and marched towards the Shang capital of Zhaoge (朝歌 present day Qi Xian 淇縣 in Henan province 河南省). Shang King Zhou led his army, consisting mainly of slave-converted soldiers, to intercept Ji Fa. A decisive battle was fought at Mu Ye (牧野 in Ji county 汲縣 of Hanan province). Shang King Zhou's army were defeated and he escaped to his summer palace and committed suicide there ending the Shang Dynasty's 660 years reign.
The Zhou Army occupied the Shang capital, Zhaoge. Ji Fa found the charred body of Shang King Zhou. First, Ji Fa shot three arrows into Shang King Zhou's body. Secondly, Ji Fa cut Shang King Zhou's charred body into several sections. Thirdly Ji Fa cut off his head and hanged it below a white flag in the market flagpole to display.
Ji Fa established the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 c1134 BC to c256 BC).
From the book
"The Origin of Chinese Surnames"
Written in English by CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
First published in September 2000
ISBN 1 876763663
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved 29062003
Yoon-Ngan
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