The State of Quán () was a small

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 ...

(1046–256 BC) vassal

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

of Central China. A Marquisate, then Dukedom (侯), its rulers were descendants of

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

(c. 1600–1046 BC) ruler

Wu Ding Wu Ding (); personal name Zi Zhao, was a king of the Shang dynasty who ruled China around 1200s BC. He is the earliest figure in Chinese history mentioned in contemporary records. The annals of the Shang dynasty compiled by later historians were o ...

with the surname ''Zi'' (子). Quan was founded by

Wen Ding Wen Wu Ding () or Wen Ding (), personal name Zi Tuo (), was a king of the Shang dynasty of Ancient China. His reign was from 1116 to 1106 BC. Records According to '' Bamboo Annals'', his capital was at Yin (殷) or Zimou. In the second year ...

’s son Quan Wending (权文丁) in the area of modern day Maliang Town (马良镇),

Shayang County Shayang () is a county of west-central Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Administratively, it is part of the prefecture-level city of Jingmen. The county is located south of the Jingmen city proper, west of the Han River, and north of ...

, Jingmen City, Hubei Province, next to what would later emerge as the

State of Chu Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou ...

History

During the Xia (c. 2070–1600 BC) and Shang Dynasties, China was divided into the

Nine Provinces The term Nine Provinces or Nine Regions (), is used in ancient Chinese histories to refer to territorial divisions or islands during the Xia dynasty, Xia and Shang dynasty, Shang dynasties and has now come to symbolically represent China. "Prov ...

at which time Jingmen City was classified as part of

Jingzhou Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...

.
In the 11th century BC, 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 acting ...

received orders from

King Cheng of Zhou King Cheng of Zhou (), personal name Ji Song (姬誦), was the second king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1042–1021 BCE or 1042/35–1006 BCE. His parents were King Wu of Zhou and Queen Yi Jiang (邑姜). King Cheng wa ...

to announce an edict concerning descendants of the royal ''Ji'' (姬) family. They were given land in the Shihui Bridge (拾回桥) area of Shayang County where they established the State of Ran (冉国), also known as the State of Na (那国) and the State of Quan. The initial ruler of Quan was given the title “First Duke of Quan” (权甲公 pinyin: ''Quán Jiǎ Gōng''). The history of both Ran and Quan during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1066–771 BC) is not recorded.
At the beginning of 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 ...

(771 BC), Chu's power was in the ascendant and the state gradually expanded southwards. Chu rulers

Xiong E Xiong E (, died 791 BC) was from 799 to 791 BC the monarch of the state of Chu during the Western Zhou Dynasty of ancient China. Like other early Chu rulers, he held the hereditary noble rank of viscount first granted to his ancestor Xiong Yi b ...

(熊鄂) and Ruo’Ao (若敖) (799–764 BC) were anxious to expand southwards but this would require the overthrow of the State of Ran and bring the Zhou court onto the doorstep of Chu. During the reign of

King Huan of Zhou King Huan of Zhou (; died 697 BC), personal name Jī Lín (姬林), was the fourteenth king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the second of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770–256 BC). King Huan’s father was King Ping's son, Crown Prince Xiefu. ...

, in 704 BC,

King Wu of Chu King Wu of Chu (, died 690 BC) was the first king of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was the second son of Xiao'ao, and brother of former ruler Fenmao whom he is rumored to have murdered in 740 BC in order ...

attacked the

State of Sui Suí () was a Zhou dynasty vassal state in the Han River Basin in modern Suizhou, Hubei, China. Its ruling house had the surname Ji (姬), and held the noble rank of ''Hou'' (侯), roughly comparable to a marquess. History During the initial s ...

at the

Battle of Suqi A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

near modern-day

Suizhou Suizhou (), formerly Sui County (), is a prefecture-level city in northern Hubei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan province to the north and east. Etymology The Sui in Suizhou is derived from the ancient 'Suishizu' () . Ad ...

(速杞之战).'' Zuo Zhuan'' Eighth Year of Duke Huan of Lu This was only one part of the Kings military campaign, and he subsequently invaded Quan, overthrowing its 22nd generation leader with the surname ''Zi'', Duke Gui of Quan (权归公). Thereafter, King Wu established a county within Quan's former borders and installed his minister Dou Min (斗缗) as magistrate.

References

{{Zhou Dynasty topics Ancient Chinese states Zhou dynasty Shang dynasty