King Gong of Zhou

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King Gong of Zhou
周共王
The Shi Qiang pan, dated to King Gong of Zhou's reign.
King of the Zhou dynasty
Reign922/17/15–900 BC[1]
PredecessorKing Mu of Zhou[2]
SuccessorKing Yi of Zhou
BornJi Yihu (姬繄扈)
Died900 BC
SpouseWang Gui
IssueKing Yi of Zhou[3]
Names
Ancestral name: Jī (姬)
Given name: Yīhù (繄扈)
Posthumous name
King Gong (共王 or 恭王 or 龔王)
HouseJi
DynastyZhou (Western Zhou)
FatherKing Mu of Zhou[4]
King Gong of Zhou
Posthumous name
Chinese周恭王
Literal meaningThe Respectful King of Zhou
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōu Gòng Wáng
Wade–GilesChou Kong-wang
King Kong of Chou

King Gong of Zhou (Chinese: 周共王; pinyin: Zhōu Gòng Wáng; died 900 BC), personal name Ji Yihu, was a king of China's Zhou dynasty.[5][6] Estimated dates of his reign are 922–900 BC or 917/15–900.[1]

Reign

Bronze yi from King Gong's reign.

King Gong of Zhou ascended to the throne in the year 922 BC after his father King Mu of Zhou departed. Unlike some of his ancestors, he dedicated to developing economy and increasing his exchequer, instead of expanding territory or conquering others through wars. This is evidenced in several bronze inscriptions that have been attributed to him.[7]

Much of King Gong's reign was shrouded in mystery until the excavation and study of Chinese ritual bronzes, the inscriptions of which shed light on many rulers. In the case of King Gong, many of these detail the social mobility of Qiu Wei (裘衛), who would engage in various transactions, of which the king would sometimes arbitrate. The first of these occurred in the king's third year, where he raised his banner in Fengjing, and Qiu Wei exchanged eighty peng (朋) of cowry money for ten fields. After going to the king's officials to ratify the transaction and transfer the land, he cast a he (盉) to honour his father, Hui Meng (惠孟).[8]

During the fourth year of King Gong's reign, he met with an official named Shi You (師酉), who, after being given praised by the king, was given a leopard-skin coat and told to serve him. Shi You then kowtowed and had a ding cast, which King Gong ordered to be used to pursue filial piety and revere their parents.[9]

Bronze hu from King Gong's reign.

That same year,[10][a] according to one account carried by the Records of the Grand Historian, King Gong of Zhou initiated a war with the State of Mi (密) and destroyed it. When he was touring in State of Mi, three extremely beautiful women fled to the Duke, Duke Kang of Mi (密康公). Duke Kang's mother, of the Kui clan (隗氏), said to not take the women for himself and present them to King Gong, on the basis of him lacking status and virtue. However, the Duke took the women as his own concubines, which angered King Gong. He therefore invaded the state and sentenced that lord to death.[11][12][13] The Bamboo Annals states that this happened in the fourth year of King Gong's reign, describing it as an annihilation.[10] The Ming dynasty scholar He Kai (何楷) posited a theory that the Guofeng poem Choumou (綢繆) in the Classic of Poetry was a satire of Duke Mao of Mi.[14]

The Wu Si Wei ding, which details a land transaction.

After the war with the State of Mi, King Gong continued overseeing transactions for Qiu Wei. The first can be seen with the Wu Si Wei ding (五祀衛鼎), produced in his fifth year, which details a land-for-luxury transaction being made, specifically regarding agricultural fields.[7] Another ding, this time the Jiunian Wei ding (九年衛鼎), also detailing Qiu Wei, records that during his ninth year, King Gong oversaw a complicated transaction in which an elaborate chariot with leather fittings was exchanged for a forest, and other gifts were also exchanged after the deal was made. Because the concern in this deal was about li (里), it has been argued that this may refer to residential areas.[15][16] The Bamboo Annals also record that in the same year, King Gong sent an internal scribe, named Liang, to confer an order upon Earl Mao of Qian (毛伯遷).[10]

During his 15th year, after building a new palace, King Gong met a scribe named Zhao Cao (趞曹) during a royal archery ritual at Shelu (射盧). Zhao Cao dared to respond to the king during this ritual, and was able to produce what is now called the Shiwunian Zhao Cao ding (十五年趞曹鼎) to symbolise their everlasting friendship.[17][18]

In his 16th year, King Gong met with an individual named Shi Shan (士山), who entered the gate of the palace courtyard. The king ordered a scribe named Yin (尹) to read out an order to them. This order was to install a newly-enfeoffed Marquis of Zhong (仲), and stablise the states of Ruo (鄀) and the Jingfang (荊方). The ruler of Ruo treated Shi Shan as a guest and rewarded them with cowry money and metals. Shi Shan then cast a pan (士山盘) to remember the event.[9][19]

Death

The date for King Gong's death is disputed. The Bamboo Annals states that he died in his 12th year, while Records of the Grand Historian states his reign length was around 25 years. The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project concludes it was around 23 years.[20] Upon his death, King Gong passed the throne to his son King Yì of Zhou and departed peacefully in his own palace.[10][12]

Family

Queens:

  • Wang Gui, of the Gui clan (王媯 媯姓)

Sons:

  • Crown Prince Jian (太子囏; 899–892 BC), ruled as King Yì of Zhou from 899–892 BC

See also

Notes

  1. Sima Qian does not record the year of the destruction of the State of Mi, but the Bamboo Annals does.

References

  1. Michael Loewe and Edward Shaughnessy, ed. (1999), The Cambridge History of Ancient China, Cambridge University Press
  2. Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian. Vol. 4.
  3. Classical Chinese Literature: An Anthology of Translations by John Minford, Joseph S. M. Lau
  4. Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 2. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd.
  5. Sources of Western Zhou History: Inscribed Bronze Vessels by Edward L. Shaughnessy
  6. Sharing the Light: Representations of Women and Virtue in Early China by Lisa Ann Raphals. Gong is mentioned with one woman.
  7. Matsui Yoshinori (1984). "西周土地移讓金文の一考察 [A Study of Land Transfer on Western Zhou Bronze Inscriptions]". 東洋史研究. 43 (1). 東洋史研究會. doi:10.14989/153939.
  8. 赵世超.西周私有制发展状况剖析[J].河南师范大学学报(哲学社会科学版),1990(02):31-36.DOI:10.16366/j.cnki.1000-2359.1990.02.007.
  9. Zhu Fenghan (朱凤瀚). "师酉鼎与师酉簋 (Shi You Ding and Shi You Gui)". 中国历史文物 (Journal of the National Museum of Chinese History), 2004(01). http://www.zlbk.chinajournal.net.cn/WKH/WebPublication/paperDigest.aspx?paperID=edc509d8-9a00-4bbd-9d0e-8e5ecb06a8b6
  10. Donald Sturgeon (ed.). "共王". 竹書紀年. Chinese Text Project.
  11. "King Gong of Zhou Ji Yihu in history of China".
  12. Sima, Qian. Donald Sturgeon (ed.). 史記. Chinese Text Project.
  13. Liu, Xiang. Donald Sturgeon (ed.). 烈女傳. Chinese Text Project.
  14. He, Kai. "十三". In Donald Sturgeon (ed.). 詩經世本古義 (四庫全書本 ed.). Chinese Text Project. 周共王之世詩一篇綢繆刺密康公也康公從恭王遊于涇上有三女奔之詩人託為其母之辭以刺之
  15. 沈长云, & 李秀亮. (2011). 西周时期 “里” 的性质. 历史研究, (4), 4-14.
  16. 九年衛鼎銘文  (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.
  17. 趞曹. 十五年趞曹鼎銘文  (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.
  18. 程鵬萬. 釋十五年趞曹鼎銘中的“虜”. 《簡帛》, 第19輯, 上海古籍出版社, 2019.
  19. 朱凤瀚. 士山盘铭文初释. 中国历史文物, 2002(01).
  20. XSZCP Group (2000). 夏商周断代工程1996—2000年阶段成果报告: 简本 [The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project Report for the years 1996–2000 (abridged)]. Beijing: 世界图书出版公司 [Shijie Tushu Company]. ISBN 978-7-5062-4138-0.