Quan () was a small

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 ...

(1046–256 BC)

vassal state A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to ...

in 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 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 ...

(c. 1600–1046 BC) ruler

Wu Ding Wu Ding (; died ); personal name (), was a king of the Chinese Shang dynasty who ruled the central Yellow River valley. He is the earliest figure in Chinese history mentioned in contemporary records. The annals of the Shang dynasty compiled by l ...

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

Wen Ding Wen Wu Ding () or Wen Ding () or Tai Ding (太丁), personal name Zi Tuo (), was a king of the Shang dynasty of Ancient China. His reign was from 1116 to 1106 BC according to the Cambridge History, or 1112 to 1102/1 BC according to the Xia–Sha ...

’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 (, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was an Ancient Chinese states, ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BC. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted ...

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. "Pro ...

at which time Jingmen City was classified as part of

Jingzhou Jingzhou ( zh, s=, c=荆州, t=, p=Jīngzhōu) 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 Seventh National Population Censu ...

.
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 as ...

received orders from

King Cheng of Zhou King Cheng of Zhou (; 1055–1021 BC), personal name Ji Song, was the second king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1042–1021 BCE or 1042/35–1006 BCE. Ji Dan, Duke of Zhou served as regent during his minority. His pare ...

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 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 ...

(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 ''zi'' () first granted to his ancestor Xiong Yi ...

(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, in 704 BC,

King Wu of Chu King Wu of Chu (), personal name Xiong Che, also known as Xiong Tong, was a monarch of the Chu state. He ruled as viscount from 740 BC to 704 BC, and as king from 704 BC to 690 BC. He was the second son of Xiao'ao, and brother of the previous r ...

attacked the State of Sui at the Battle of Suqi near modern-day

Suizhou Suizhou ( zh, s= , t= , p=Suízhōu), formerly Sui County ( zh, s=, t=, p=Suí Xian, Suixian, links=no), is a prefecture-level city in northern Hubei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan province to the north and east. Etymolo ...

(速杞之战).''

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 '' ...

'' 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 States of the Spring and Autumn period Zhou dynasty Shang dynasty