Duke Jing of Qi (), personal name Lü Chujiu, was ruler of the Qi state from 547 BC to 490 BC. After years of unrest as two powerful ministers, Cui Zhu (崔杼) and Qing Feng (慶封), sought to control the Qi state, Duke Jing appointed Yan Ying as his prime minister, and Qi entered a period of relative peace and prosperity.

Accession to the throne

Duke Jing was born to a concubine of Duke Ling of Qi. His mother was a daughter of Shusun Xuanbo, head of one of the

Three Huan The Three Huan ({{zh, c=三桓, p=Sān Huán) refers to three Chinese aristocratic clans, all descendants of Duke Huan of Lu, in the State of Lu, which dominated the government affairs, displacing the power of the dukes, for nearly three centur ...

clans that dominated the control of power in the neighbouring

State of Lu Lu (; 249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji () that ruled the Zhou dynasty. The f ...

. When his father died in 554 BC, his older half-brother Duke Zhuang succeeded Duke Ling and killed Crown Prince Ya with the support of the powerful minister Cui Zhu (崔杼). However, Duke Zhuang had an adulterous relationship with Cui's wife, and was killed by Cui in 548 BC. The day after killing Duke Zhuang, Cui Zhu installed Duke Jing on the throne. Cui and Qing Feng (慶封), another powerful nobleman, were Duke Jing's co-prime ministers and controlled the state.

The Cui–Qing Unrest

In 546 BC, the second year of Duke Jing's reign, the sons of Cui Zhu's two wives fought each other for the right to succeed their father as leader of the clan. The two sons of Cui's deceased first wife killed the son of Cui's second wife, Tang Jiang, from her previous marriage. Cui sought help from Qing Feng, who took the opportunity to kill Cui's sons and exterminate the Cui clan. Cui Zhu and his wife both committed suicide. As a result, Qing Feng gained full control of Qi. Qing Feng's power did not last long. Just a year later, Qing Feng had a dispute with his son Qing She. Taking advantage of the discord within the Qing clan, four other aristocratic clans of Qi: Tian, Bao, Gao, and Luan, jointly attacked the Qing clan. Qing Feng fled to the

, which soon expelled him for fear of offending Qi, and Qing settled in the

State of Wu Wu () was a state during the Western Zhou dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period, outside the Zhou cultural sphere. It was also known as Gouwu () or Gongwu () from the pronunciation of the local language. Wu was located at the mouth of th ...

. After the Cui–Qing unrest, Duke Jing appointed Yan Ying as his prime minister, and the State of Qi entered a period of relative peace and prosperity. Yan Ying died in 500 BC, the 48th year of Duke Jing's reign, and is remembered as one of the greatest statesmen and diplomats of the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

Succession

Duke Jing's main wife was Yan Ji, a princess of the

State of Yan Yan (; Old Chinese pronunciation: ''*'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing). During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xia ...

, whose son was the crown prince of Qi. Duke Jing also had a favoured concubine named Yu Si, who was from the minor state of Chunyu. The crown prince, however, died just before Duke Jing in the summer of 490 BC. Although Duke Jing had at least five other adult sons, he decided to make Prince Tu, his youngest son by Yu Si, the new crown prince. Because Prince Tu was a young boy and his mother was of a lowly status, Duke Jing ordered the ministers Guo Xia of the Guo clan and Gao Zhang of the Gao clan to support Prince Tu and exile the other princes to the remote city of Lai. Duke Jing died soon afterward in the autumn of 490 BC. Guo and Gao installed Prince Tu on the throne, and the other princes escaped to the nearby states of Wey and Lu. However, the next year, the Tian and Bao clans led by Tian Qi and Bao Mu revolted and defeated the Gao and Guo clans. Tian Qi brought back Prince Yangsheng from Lu and installed him on the throne, to be known as Duke Dao of Qi. Duke Dao soon killed his younger half-brother Prince Tu, who is posthumously known as An Ruzi.

Tomb

The tomb of Duke Jing of Qi () has been discovered in the village of Yatou (崖头) in Linzi District of

Zibo Zibo () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province of China, province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Bi ...

Shandong Province Shandong is a coastal province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural and religious center ...

, north-east of the site of the ancient Qi capital Linzi. In 1964, archaeologists made a striking discovery of a large site of sacrificial horses buried on the northern side of the tomb. 145 horse skeletons were found. The pit for the sacrificial horses is long, wrapping around the tomb on three sides. In 1982, archaeologists excavated a further of the pit and unearthed 106 more horse skeletons. The tomb has not been completely excavated, but archaeologists estimate that more than 600 horses were buried in total, making it by far the largest horse sacrifice site discovered in China. The horses were between the ages of five and seven when they died. It is believed that they were killed by strikes on the head after being fed alcohol and falling unconscious. Also found in the tomb are 30 sacrificial dogs, two pigs, and six other domesticated animals. The tomb is now protected as a National Historical and Cultural Site and a museum has been built on the site. Since 2008 it has been included in the tentative list of UNESCO

World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

as part of the ancient Qi capital and mausoleum complex.

Family

Wives: * Yan Ji, of the Ji clan of Yan (), possibly a daughter of Duke Hui of Yan; married in 536 BC; the mother of a son who died young Concubines: * Yu Si, of the Si clan of Chunyu (), the mother of Crown Prince Tu * Hu Ji, of the Ji clan (; d. 487 BC) Sons: * A son who died young * Prince Jia (), fled to Wey in 490 BC * Prince Ju (), fled to Wey in 490 BC * Prince Qian (), fled to Wey in 490 BC * Prince Chu (), fled to Lu in 490 BC * Prince Yangsheng (; d. 485 BC), ruled as Duke Dao of Qi from 488 to 485 BC * Youngest son, Crown Prince Tu (; d. 489 BC); ruled as the Duke of Qi in 489 BC ** Known as An Ruzi

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jing of Qi, Duke Year of birth unknown Monarchs of Qi (state) from the House of Jiang 6th-century BC Chinese monarchs 5th-century BC Chinese monarchs 490 BC deaths