Guan (; c. 1046–1040 BC) was an ancient Chinese

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

in present-day

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 al ...

. Its capital was Guancheng or Guan City () in present-day Guancheng Hui District of Zhengzhou and its power was limited to the immediate surrounding area. Guan was established soon after the founding 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 ...

as an

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...

for King Wu's younger brother, who was known as Guan Shu Xian. The three brothers Guan Shu Xian, Huo Shu Chu, and Cai Shu Du were known as the Three Guards, for their territories' function protecting the Zhou homeland. Following the death of King Wu, however, the Three Guards and

Wu Geng Wu Geng or Wugeng ( Chinese: ''Wǔgēng''), a.k.a. ''Lùfù'', was an ancient Chinese noble who was the son of Zhou, the last king of the Shang. After his father executed Bigan by cutting out his heart, Wugeng fled to Feng, the capital of the ...

rebelled against the regency of the Duke of Zhou. His victory led to the dissolution of Guan.

See also