Zhaoge (), in modern Qi County,

Hebi Hebi ( zh, s=, t=, p=Hèbì ; postal: Hopi) is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, China. Situated in mountainous terrain at the edge of the Shanxi plateau, Hebi is about south of Anyang, northeast of Xinxiang and north of Kai ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

province, was the capital of the

State of Wey Wei (; ), commonly spelled Wey to distinguish from the contemporary larger Wei () state, was an ancient Chinese state that was founded in the early Western Zhou dynasty and rose to prominence during the Spring and Autumn period. Its rulers w ...

in the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

. According to traditional histories, it had been the last capital of the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

, from king

Geng Ding Kang Ding (康丁) or Geng Ding (庚丁) was a king of the Shang dynasty of China His given name is Xiao (嚣). He got his throne in the year of Jiawu (甲午) and his capital was at Yin (殷). Regin disputes Different sources suggest differen ...

or Wu Yi through the final three kings. In the 3rd century,

Du Yu Du Yu (223 – January or February 285), courtesy name Yuankai, was a Chinese classicist, military general, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty. Life Du Yu was from Duling County ...

stated that the ''Yinxu'' 'ruins of Yin' mentioned in the ''

Zuo Zhuan The ''Zuo Zhuan'' ( zh, t=左傳, w=Tso Chuan; ), often translated as ''The Zuo Tradition'' or as ''The Commentary of Zuo'', is an ancient Chinese narrative history traditionally regarded as a commentary on the ancient Chinese chronicle the '' ...

'' was Zhaoge. In the early 20th century, archaeologists discovered the capital of the last nine Shang kings, now known as

Yinxu Yinxu (; ) is a Chinese archeological site corresponding to Yin, the final capital of the Shang dynasty (). Located in present-day Anyang, Henan, Yin served as the capital during the Late Shang period () which spanned the reigns of 12 Shang ki ...

, on the edge of

Anyang Anyang ( zh, s=安阳, t=安陽; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan, China. Geographical coordinates are 35° 41'~ 36° 21' north latitude and 113° 38'~ 114° 59' east longitude. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the eas ...

about north of Zhaoge.

References

Ancient Chinese capitals Shang dynasty Hebi {{China-hist-stub