Cài (;

Old Chinese Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones from around 12 ...

: *s.r̥ˤat-s) was an ancient Chinese state established at the beginning of the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

, rising to prominence during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

, and destroyed early in the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

History

Following his overthrow of the

Shang The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

king Zhou, King Wu of Zhou granted titles and territories to his younger brothers. The fifth brother,

Cai Shu Du Cai Shu Du or Shu Du of Cai (Chinese: , given name Du (), was the first ruler of the State of Cai. Du was the fifth son of King Wen of Zhou and his wife Taisi (). He had ten brothers and eight half-brothers. His elder brothers were Kao (Boyi Ka ...

, was enfeoffed at present-day

Shangcai Shangcai County () is a county in the south of Henan province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhumadian. Administrative divisions As 2017, this county is divided to 4 subdistricts, 12 towns and 10 townships ...

(lit. "Upper Cai") in

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...

. During the

Three Guards Rebellion The Rebellion of the Three Guards (), or less commonly the Wu Geng Rebellion (), was a civil war, instigated by an alliance of discontent Zhou princes, Shang loyalists, vassal states and other non-Zhou peoples against the Western Zhou governmen ...

, he attempted to usurp the

Duke of Zhou Dan, Duke Wen of Zhou (), commonly known as the Duke of Zhou (), was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu. He was renowned for actin ...

's position as regent to the young king and his defeat meant his deposition and exile. Du's son Ji Hu, however, proved a loyal and capable ambassador for Cheng and the Duke of Zhou, and they rewarded him with the reestablishment of his father's territory and title, which he was able to pass on to his son, Ji Huang. As the Chinese peerage developed, Cai was initially considered a county and then elevated to a march; it was never able, however, to become a duchy or kingdom in its own right. Invasions from Chu during the Spring and Autumn period relocated Cai several times, first to Xincai (lit. "New Cai") in 531 BC and later to

Xiacai Zhoulai () was a small state of the Spring and Autumn period that ruled a crucial part of the middle Huai River valley. Its capital, known by the same name, was located in modern-day Fengtai County in Huainan. Due to its strategic location, Zhoul ...

(lit. "Lower Cai") at present-day Fengtai in

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze Riv ...

. In 447 BC, King Hui of Chu conquered Cai completely, but allowed the marquesses to settle near Changde in

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...

and establish a rump state called Gaocai (lit. "Great Cai"). This was destroyed 80 years later.

Legacy

With the spread of surnames to all Chinese during the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

, many people from the former state took the surname Cai in memory of their former home. These former subjects have undertaken two major migrations. During the Huang Chao Rebellion against the

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...

in AD 875, the Cai clan moved to

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

and

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...

. A later migration occurred when the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

loyalist Koxinga relocated many Cai officers to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

in the 17th century.

Rulers of Cai

The rulers of Cai were all descended from the Zhou imperial Ji family and – after the first three – held the rank of

hou Hou or HOU may refer to: * -hou, a place-name element * Hou (surname) * Hou (currency) (Chinese: ), a unit of currency in Greater China * Hou (Odder Municipality), a town in Denmark * Hou (title) (Chinese: ), a title in ancient China * Denglong ...

(" Marquis"). # Shu Du of Cai #

Zhong Hu of Cai Cai Zhong Hu (Chinese: , lit. "Hu, Elder of Cai"), born Ji Hu (), was the only known son of Ji Du, the first lord of Cai. Ji Du was removed from his office after participating in the Rebellion of the Three Guards against the regency of the Duke o ...

# Earl Huang of Cai #

Marquis Gōng of Cai Marquis Gōng of Cai (Cài Gōnghóu 蔡宮侯) (?–?), born as Ji ? (姬?), was the fourth ruler of the State of Cai. He was the only known son of Earl Huang of Cai (蔡伯荒) and close kin of King of Zhou The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ...

(蔡宮侯, ''Cài Gōnghóu'') #

Marquis Li of Cai Marquis Lì of Cai (蔡厲侯) (died 863 BC), ancestral name Ji (姬), given name unknown, was the fifth ruler of the State of Cai. He was the only known son of Marquis Gōng of Cai. He was succeeded by his son. References *'' Shiji'' *Chi ...

(蔡厲侯, ''Cài Lìhóu'') #

Marquis Wu of Cai Marquis Wu of Cai (蔡武侯) (died 837 BC), born as Ji ? (姬?; his name is lost to history), was the sixth ruler of the State of Cai from 863 BC to 837 BC during the Gonghe Regency. He was the only known son of Marquis Lì of Cai (� ...

(蔡武侯, ''Cài Wǔhóu''; 863–837 BC) #

Marquis Yi of Cai Marquis Yi of Cai (蔡夷侯) (died 809 BC), born as Ji ? (姬?; his name is lost to history), was the seventh ruler of the State of Cai from 837 BC to 809 BC. He was the only known son of Marquis Wu of Cai Marquis Wu of Cai (蔡武侯) (die ...

(蔡夷侯, ''Cài Yíhóu''; 837–809 BC) #

Marquis Xi of Cai Marquis Xi of Cai (蔡釐侯) (died 761 BC), given name Suǒshi (所事), was the eight ruler of the State of Cai from 809 BC to 761 BC. He was the only known son of Marquis Yi of Cai Marquis Yi of Cai (蔡夷侯) (died 809 BC), born as Ji ...

(蔡釐侯, ''Cài Xihóu''; 809–761 BC) #

Marquis Gòng of Cai Marquis Gòng of Cai (蔡共侯) (?–760 BC), born as Ji Xīng (姬興), was the ninth ruler of the State of Cai Cài (; Old Chinese: *s.r̥ˤat-s) was an ancient Chinese state established at the beginning of the Zhou dynasty, rising to p ...

(蔡共侯, ''Cài Gònghóu''; 761–760 BC) #

Marquis Dai of Cai Marquis Dai of Cai (蔡戴侯) (?–750 BC; his name is lost to history) was the tenth ruler of the State of Cai from 760 BC to 750 BC. He was the only known son of Marquis Gòng of Cai (蔡共侯), his predecessor. His reign lasted for ...

(蔡戴侯, ''Cài Dàihóu''; 759–750 BC) #

Marquis Xuan of Cai Marquis Xuan of Cai (蔡宣侯) (?–715 BC), born Ji Cuòfu (姬措父), was the eleventh ruler of the State of Cai from 750 BC to 715 BC. He was the only known son of Marquis Dai of Cai (蔡戴侯), his predecessor. His reign for 35 years. He ...

(蔡宣侯, ''Cài Xuānhóu''; 749–715 BC) #

Marquis Huan of Cai Marquis Huan of Cai (蔡桓侯) (?–695 BC), born Jī Fēngrén (姫封人), was the twelve ruler of the State of Cai from 715 BC to 695 BC. He was the only known son of Marquis Xuan of Cai (蔡宣侯), his predecessor. His reign was a period o ...

(蔡桓侯, ''Cài Huánhóu''; né 姬封人, ''Jī Fēngrén''; 714–695 BC) #

Marquis Ai of Cai Marquis Ai of Cai (蔡哀侯) (died 675 BC), born Jī Xiànwǔ (姫獻舞), was the thirteenth ruler of the State of Cai from 695 BC to 675 BC. He was the only known son of Marquis Huan of Cai (蔡桓侯), his predecessor. His reign was a pe ...

(蔡哀侯, ''Cài Āihóu''; né 姬獻舞, ''Jī Xiànwǔ''; 694–675 BC) # Marquis Mu of Cai (蔡穆侯, ''Cài Mùhóu''; né 姬肸, ''Jī Xì''; 674–646 BC) # Marquis Zhuang of Cai (蔡莊侯, ''Cài Zhuānghóu''; né 姬甲午, ''Jī Jiǎwǔ''; 645–612 BC) #

Marquis Wen of Cai A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

(蔡文侯, ''Cài Wénhóu''; né 姬申, ''Jī Shēn''; 611–592 BC) # Marquis Jing of Cai (蔡景侯, ''Cài Jǐnghóu''; né 姬固, ''Jī Gù''; 591–543 BC) #

Marquis Ling of Cai A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

(蔡靈侯, ''Cài Línghóu''; né 姬般, ''Jī Bān''; 542–531 BC) # Marquis Ping of Cai (蔡平侯, ''Cài Pínghóu''; né 姬廬, ''Jī Lú''; 530–522 BC) #

Marquis Dao of Cai A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

(蔡悼侯, ''Cài Dàohóu''; né 姬東國, ''Jī Dōngguó''; 521–519 BC) # Marquis Zhao of Cai (蔡昭侯, ''Cài Zhāohóu''; né 姬申, ''Jī Shēn''; 518–491 BC) # Marquis Cheng of Cai (蔡成侯, ''Cài Chénghóu''; né 姬朔, ''Jī Shuò''; 490–472 BC) #

Marquis Sheng of Cai A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

(蔡聲侯, ''Cài Shēnghóu''; né 姬産, ''Jī Chuǎn''; 471–457 BC) # Marquis Yuan of Cai (蔡元侯, ''Cài Yuánhóu''; 456–451 BC) # Marquis Qi of Cai (蔡齊侯, ''Cài Hóuqí''; né 姬齊, ''Jī Qí''; 450–447 BC)

Rulers family tree

References

"History of Chinese surnames: Cai"
at People's Daily Online. Accessed 10 December 2007.

{{coord missing, China States and territories established in the 11th century BC 11th-century BC establishments in China 447 BC States and territories disestablished in the 5th century BC 5th-century BC disestablishments 1st-millennium BC disestablishments in China Former monarchies

History

Legacy

Rulers of Cai

Rulers family tree

See also

References