Qi (state)

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Qi

*Dzəj
1046 BC–221 BC
Qi in 260 BC
Qi in 260 BC
StatusDuchy (1046–323 BC)
Kingdom (323–221 BC)
CapitalYingqiu (Zibo)
Bogu (Binzhou)
Religion
Chinese folk religion
ancestor worship
GovernmentMonarchy
King of Qi 
Chancellor 
• 685–645 BC
Guan Zhong
History 
• Enfeoffment of Duke Tai
1046 BC
• Conquered by Qin
221 BC
CurrencyKnife money
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Pugu
Qin dynasty
Qi
Qi (Chinese characters).svg
"Qi" in seal script (top), Traditional (middle), and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
The Great Wall of Qi on Dafeng Mountain

Qi, or Ch'i[1] in Wade–Giles ​romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Yingqiu, located within present-day Linzi in Shandong.

Qi was founded shortly after the Zhou overthrow of Shang in the 11th century BC. Its first marquis was Jiang Ziya, minister of King Wen and a legendary figure in Chinese culture. His family ruled Qi for several centuries before it was replaced by the Tian family in 386 BC.[2] In 221 BC, Qi was the final major state annexed by Qin during its unification of China.

History[]

Bronze knife-shaped coins of State of Qi, collected in Shandong Museum

Foundation[]

During the Zhou conquest of Shang, Jiang Ziya served as the chief minister to King Wu. After Wu's death, Jiang remained loyal to the Duke of Zhou during the Three Guards' failed rebellion against his regency. The Shang prince Wu Geng had joined the revolt along with the Dongyi states of , Xu, and Pugu. These were suppressed by 1039 BC and Jiang was given the Pugu lands in what is now western Shandong as the march of Qi. Little information survives from this period, but the Bamboo Annals suggest that the native people of Pugu continued to revolt for about another decade before being destroyed a second time c. 1026.

In the mid-9th century BC, King Yi (r. 865–58 BC) attacked Qi and boiled Duke Ai to death. Under the reign of King Xuan (r. 827–782), there was a local succession struggle. During this time, many of the native Dongyi peoples were absorbed into the Qi state.

Spring and Autumn period[]

Sacrificial horses discovered in the tomb of Duke Jing of Qi

In 706 BC, Qi was attacked by the Shan Rong. Qi rose to prominence under Duke Huan of Qi (685–643 BC). He and his minister Guan Zhong strengthened the state by centralizing it. He annexed 35 neighboring states including Tan and brought others into submission. In 667 BC, Duke Huan met with the rulers of Lu, Song, Chen and Zheng and was elected leader. Subsequently, King Hui of Zhou made him the first Hegemon. He attacked Wei for supporting a rival of the Zhou king and intervened in the affairs of Lu. In 664 BC, he protected Yan from the Rong people. In 659 BC, he protected Xing and in 660, Wei, from the Red Di. In 656 he blocked the northward expansion of Chu. After his death, a war of succession broke out among his sons, greatly weakening Qi. The hegemony consequently passed to Jin.

In 632 BC, Qi helped Jin defeat Chu at the Battle of Chengpu. In 589 BC, Qi was defeated by Jin. In 579 BC, the four great powers of Qin (west), Jin (center), Chu (south) and Qi (east) met to declare a truce and limit their military strength. In 546 BC, a similar four-power conference recognized several smaller states as satellites of Qi, Jin and Qin.

Warring States period[]

Early in the period, Qi annexed a number of smaller states. Qi was one of the first states to patronize scholars. In 532 BC, the Tian clan destroyed several rival families and came to dominate the state. In 485 BC, the Tian killed the ducal heir and fought several rival clans. In 481 BC, the Tian chief killed a puppet duke, most of the ruler's family, and a number of rival chiefs. He took control of most of the state and left the Duke with only the capital of Linzi and the area around Mount Tai. In 386 BC, the House of Tian fully replaced the House of Jiang as rulers of Qi. In 222 BC, Qi was the last of the warring states to be conquered by Qin, thereby putting an end to the wars and uniting China under the Qin Dynasty.

Culture of Qi[]

Before Qin unified China, each state had its own customs and culture. According to the Yu Gong or Tribute of Yu, composed in the 4th or 5th century BC and included in the Book of Documents, there were nine distinct cultural regions of China, which are described in detail in this book. The work focuses on the travels of the titular sage, Yu the Great, throughout each of the regions. Other texts, predominantly military, also discussed these cultural variations.

One of these texts was The Book of Master Wu, written in response to a query by Marquis Wu of Wei on how to cope with the other states. Wu Qi, the author of the work, declared that the government and nature of the people were reflective of the terrain of the environment in which they inhabited. Of Qi, he said:

Although Qi's troops are numerous, their organization is unstable... The people of Qi are by nature unyielding and their country prosperous, but the ruler and officials are arrogant and care nothing for the people. The state's policies are not uniform and not strictly enforced. Salaries and wages are unfair and unevenly distributed, causing disharmony and disunity. Qi's army is arrayed with their heaviest hitters at the front while the rest follow behind, so that even when their forces appear mighty, they are in reality fragile. To defeat them, we should divide our army into three columns and have two attack the left and right flanks of Qi's army. Once their battle formations are thrown into disarray, the central column should be in position to attack and victory will follow.

— Wuzi, Master Wu

While visiting Qi, Confucius was deeply impressed with perfection of performance of 韶 therein.[3]

During the Warring States period, Qi was famous for its capital's academy Jixia, renowned scholars of the era from all over China visited the academy.

Qi architecture[]

Remains of Ancient Linzi city sewer passing underneath the former city wall of the Qi kingdom.

The state of Qi was known for having well organized cities that were nearly rectangular in shape, with roads that were neatly knit into a grid-like pattern. The palace was strategically positioned facing the south. To the left (eastwardly direction) of the palace resided the ancestral temple, to its right (westward) the temple of the gods, both one hundred paces away. This ensured that balance was achieved. In front of the palace was the court also one hundred paces away and to the back of the palace was the city. This type of layout influenced greatly the way cities were designed in subsequent generations.

Smaller cities known as chengyi (城邑) were abundant throughout Qi. They typically stretched 450 meters from south to north and 395 meters from east to west. The perimeter was usually surrounded by a wall with the living headquarters situated within and a nearly perfect square-shaped courtyard occupying the center.[citation needed]

Qi in astronomy[]

Qi is represented by the star Chi Capricorni in the "Twelve States" asterism in the "Girl" lunar mansion in the "Black Turtle" symbol. Qi is also represented by the star in the "Left Wall" asterism in the "Heavenly Market" enclosure.[citation needed]

Rulers[]

House of Jiang[]

Title Name Reign (BC) Relationship Notes
Duke Tai
齊太公
Lü Shang
呂尚
11th century Enfeoffed by King Wu of Zhou, with capital at Yingqiu
Duke Ding
齊丁公
Lü Ji
呂伋
10th century 5th-generation descendant of Duke Tai Traditionally believed to be son of Duke Tai
Duke Yǐ
齊乙公
De
10th century Son of Duke Ding
Duke Gui
齊癸公
Cimu
慈母
c. 10th century Son of Duke Yǐ
Duke Ai
齊哀公
Buchen
不辰
9th century Son of Duke Gui Boiled to death by King Yi of Zhou
Duke Hu
齊胡公
Jing
9th century Son of Duke Gui Moved capital to Bogu, killed by Duke Xian
Duke Xian
齊獻公
Shan
859?–851 Son of Duke Gui Moved capital back to Linzi
Duke Wu
齊武公
Shou
850–825 Son of Duke Xian
Duke Li
齊厲公
Wuji
無忌
824–816 Son of Duke Wu Killed by supporters of Duke Hu's son.
Duke Wen
齊文公
Chi
815–804 Son of Duke Li
Duke Cheng
齊成公
Yue
803–795 Son of Duke Wen
Duke Zhuang I
齊前莊公
Gou
794–731 Son of Duke Cheng Reigned for 64 years
Duke Xi
齊僖公
Lufu
祿甫
730–698 Son of Duke Zhuang I
Duke Xiang
齊襄公
Zhu'er
諸兒
697–686 Son of Duke Xi Committed incest with sister Wen Jiang, murdered her husband Duke Huan of Lu, conquered the state of Ji, murdered by cousin Wuzhi
none Wuzhi
無知
686 Cousin of Duke Xiang, grandson of Duke Zhuang I Killed by Yong Lin.
Duke Huan
齊桓公
Xiaobai
小白
685–643 Younger brother of Duke Xiang First of the Five Hegemons, when Qi reached zenith of its power. Starved to death by ministers
none Wukui or Wugui
無虧 or 無詭
643 Son of Duke Huan Killed by supporters of Duke Xiao
Duke Xiao
齊孝公
Zhao
642–633 Son of Duke Huan Crown prince of Qi
Duke Zhao
齊昭公
Pan
632–613 Son of Duke Huan His supporters murdered the son of Duke Xiao
none She
613 Son of Duke Zhao Murdered by uncle Shangren
Duke Yì
齊懿公
Shangren
商人
612–609 Uncle of She, son of Duke Huan Killed by two ministers
Duke Hui
齊惠公
Yuan
608–599 Son of Duke Huan Defeated Long Di invaders
Duke Qing
齊頃公
Wuye
無野
598–582 Son of Duke Hui Defeated by Jin at the Battle of An
Duke Ling
齊靈公
Huan
581–554 Son of Duke Qing Annexed the State of Lai; defeated by Jin at the Battle of Pingyin, capital Linzi burned
Duke Zhuang II
齊後莊公
Guang
553–548 Son of Duke Ling Ascended throne by killing Prince Ya with the help of ; committed adultery with Cui's wife, killed by Cui
Duke Jing
齊景公
Chujiu
杵臼
547–490 Half brother of Duke Zhuang II Killed Cui Zhu. Had famous statesman Yan Ying as prime minister
An Ruzi
安孺子
Tu
489 Youngest son of Duke Jing Deposed by Tian Qi and killed by Duke Dao. Also called Yan Ruzi
Duke Dao
齊悼公
Yangsheng
陽生
488–485 Son of Duke Jing Killed by a minister, possibly
Duke Jian
齊簡公
Ren
484–481 Son of Duke Dao Killed by Tian Heng
Duke Ping
齊平公
Ao
480–456 Brother of Duke Jian
Duke Xuan
齊宣公
Ji
455–405 Son of Duke Ping
Duke Kang
齊康公
Dai
404–386 Son of Duke Xuan Deposed by Duke Tai of Tian Qi, died in 379

House of Tian[]

Title Name Reign (BC) Relationship Notes
Duke Tai
齊太公
Tian He
田和
404–384 Son of Tian Bai Officially recognized as Qi ruler in 386 BC
none Tian Yan
田剡
383–375 Son of Duke Tai Killed by Duke Huan.
Duke Huan
齊桓公
Tian Wu
田午
374–357 Brother of Tian Yan
King Wei
齊威王
Tian Yinqi
田因齊
356–320 Son of Duke Huan Most powerful Qi ruler of the Warring States.
King Xuan
齊宣王
Tian Bijiang
田辟彊
319–300 Son of King Wei
King Min
齊愍王
Tian Di
田地
300–283 Son of King Xuan Temporarily declared himself "Emperor of the East".
King Xiang
齊襄王
Tian Fazhang
田法章
283–265 Son of King Min
none Tian Jian
田建
264��221 Son of King Xiang Qi conquered by Qin

Famous people[]

  • Guan Zhong (720–645 BC), prime minister to Duke Huan of Qi and known for making the state of Qi one of the most power Hegemons at the time.
  • Yan Ying (578–500 BC), prime minister to Duke Jing, known for Yanzi Chunqiu.
  • Sun Bin (?–316 BC), military strategist known for Sun Bin's Art of War.
  • Chunyu Kun (386–310 BC), official and master scholar at the Jixia Academy.
  • Mencius (372–289 BC), official and one of the most renowned Confucian philosophers.
  • Xun Kuang (313–238 BC), philosopher who joined the Jixia Academy when he was 50 years old, known for the Xunzi.
  • Sun Tzu (544–496 BC) Chinese writer, famous for writing The Art Of War.

References[]

  1. ^ "Qi". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  2. ^ Burton Watson 2003 p.1. Xunzi: Basic Writings. https://books.google.com/books?id=0SE2AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1
  3. ^ Analects, 17 ("Shu er"):14.

Further reading[]

Coordinates: 36°49′00″N 118°18′00″E / 36.8167°N 118.3000°E / 36.8167; 118.3000

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