The State of Ni (郳國), also known as the state of Xiao Zhu (小邾國) or the state of Xiao Zhulou (小邾婁國), was segregated from Zhu (Zhulou), a vassal state of Lu, during

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 ...

. It was destroyed by Chu during the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

Location

Xiao Zhu was a vassal state between the late

Western Zhou The Western Zhou ( zh, c=西周, p=Xīzhōu; 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended in 77 ...

and

, which was located between Qi, Lu,

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

, Chu and other major countries. The " Spring and Autumn Annals: Xiao Zhu" was lost due to war, it also marked the location of Ni state or Xiao Zhu. The territory of Xiao Zhu was roughly the entire Shanting district.

History

After the fall of

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 ...

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later. Ki ...

had appointed his younger brothers to secure the newly conquered Shang lands.

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 acting as ...

successfully suppressed the Rebellion of the Three Guards. Cao Xia (descendant of ) was given the small regional state of Zou.

Three Kingdoms of Zhu

Gongzi You was enthroned at Ni state or Xiao Zhu when Yifu Yan was still alive. Yifu Yan also known as Viscount Yan of Zou, was the seventh monarch of Zou. The state had grown from a small one to a strong one, closely following Qi and Lu. At that time Qi, promoted

hegemony Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states, either regional or global. In Ancient Greece (ca. 8th BC – AD 6th c.), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of ...

, Yifu Yan responded positively and ran to and fro Teng, Xue and other countries, causing dissatisfaction in Lu. Yifu Yan was reported to

King You of Zhou King You of Zhou (795–771 BC), personal name Ji Gongsheng, was a king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the last from the Western Zhou dynasty. He reigned from 781 to 771 BC. History In 780 BC, a major earthquake struck Guanzhong. A soothsayer n ...

, the last king of

. Yifu Yan was framed and later executed. Some said that, Cao Yan was executed because he helped the Boyu to usurp the throne during the reign of Duke Yi of Lu. Later Yifu Yan's younger brother, Shushu, was ordered to represent Zou. Shushu was on the throne for more than 10 years, Yifu Yan injustice was then rehabilitated and he was given the title Viscount Wu of Zou. Viscount Wu of Zou had two sons, Viscount Xia of Zou and Gongzi You. After the unjust case was clear, Shushu returned the king position to the eldest son and went to establish the state of Lan.

Li Lai of Ni

In 653, Li Lai was ordered by the king to be promoted to Viscount. Since it had the same title as Zou, Ni state was renamed to Xiao Zhu, to show that the states were different from each other because they were from the same clan.

Viscount Mu of Xiao Zhu

In 525, Viscount Mu hosted a banquet for Duke Zhao of Lu. During the banquet, Ji Pingzi wrote the poem, "Caishu", while Duke Mu wrote "Jing Jing Zhe E" to harmonize. During this period, Xiao Zhu culture spread far and wide to the world. Duke Mu reigned for 41 years, the longest reigning monarch in Xiao Zhu.

Defeat

During the reign of King Xuan of Chu (369–340 BC), Zou and Xiao Zhu were destroyed.

Descendant

Yan Hui Yan Hui (–481 BC) was a Chinese philosopher. He was the favorite disciple of Confucius and one of the most revered figures of Confucianism. He is venerated in Confucian temples as one of the Four Sages. Names Yan Hui is also known by his c ...

was the 18th generation descendant of Yan You.

Rulers of the state

* Gongzi You (公子友), son of Viscount Wu of Zou (邾武公) also known as Viscount Yan of Zou (邾颜公) * Li Lai of Ni (郳犁來) * Viscount Mu of Xiao Zhu (小邾穆公) * Viscount Gong of Xiao Zhu (小邾恭公) * Viscount Hui of Xiao Zhu (小邾惠公) * Viscount Ai of Xiao Zhu (小邾哀公)

Excavation findings

During the summer of 2002, villagers from Dongjiang Village, ten kilometers from southwest of Shangcheng Street, Shanting district, Zaozhuang city, discovered ancient tombs on the south side of the high earth platform in the south of the village. Five ancient tombs, two of which had been robbed, and the three well-preserved ancient tombs were immediately investigated. 233 cultural relics were unearthed, including 203 bronzes, 24 bronzes with inscriptions, 17 pottery, 12 jade and 1 bone. From the unearthed bronze inscriptions, it is inferred that tomb No.1 was Yan You, the king of Xiao Zhu and some bronze wares with inscriptions were also unearthed in the second and third tombs.小邾国贵族墓出土铜器鉴赏

References

{{reflist Ancient Chinese states States of the Warring States period States of the Spring and Autumn period History of Shandong