Dynasties of ChinaWestern ZhouWestern Zhou lineage
Reign 1020–996 BCE
Inheriting the legacy of King Cheng, he worked with Zhao Gong and Bi Gong to govern the world, and the four directions were stable. Together with King Cheng, he was called "the rule of Chengkang".
Ji Zhao is the son of King Cheng. King Cheng summoned Zhao Gongshi, Bi Gong and other important ministers before his death, and asked them to assist the Crown Prince. After King Cheng's death, Zhao Gong led the princes to enthrone the Crown Prince in the ancestral temple. The funeral and enthronement ceremony are detailed in the "Gu Ming" and "King Kang's Edict" in "Shang Shu". During his reign, King Kang followed the system established by Zhou Gong and Zhao Gong, and ordered Bi Gong to govern the eastern suburbs of Zhou Dynasty, and princes from all directions came to court.
During the reign of King Kang, the Zhou people continued to conduct military campaigns in all directions. The noble Yu was ordered to conquer Guifang in the north and captured many people. Kugui of the Marquis of Yi recorded that the King of Zhou transferred the Marquis of Yu to Yidi in the southeast. "Historical Records" states that "when King Cheng Kang was established, the world was at peace, and punishments for more than forty years were not used." Later generations regarded the periods of King Cheng and King Kang as the prosperous age of Western Zhou.
PoliticsGu Ming ascended the throne
King Cheng passed away, and Zhao Gongshi and Bi Gong led the princes to ascend the throne to Crown Prince Zhao in the ancestral temple, displaying precious jade, chariot wheels and ceremonial guards. King Kang issued an edict to encourage the princes to jointly protect the royal family, which is the "Edict of King Kang" in Shangshu.
PoliticsAfter the decree was completed, the Duke ruled the Zhou Dynasty
According to "Historical Records", King Kang ordered Bi Gong to separate the settlements of the Yin survivors and govern them into the eastern suburbs of Zhou Dynasty, and wrote "Bi Ming". The Yin survivors gradually accepted Zhou's rule, and the Eastern Capital became increasingly stable.
PoliticsChanged the title to Yihou
The Yihou Gui Gui unearthed by Jiangsu Sudan in 1954 records that after the King of Zhou inspected the Eastern Kingdom, he changed the title of Yuhou Kui to Yi and rewarded it with fields, mountains, rivers and population. It is generally believed that it was written during the reign of King Kang (some say King Cheng), reflecting that the power of the Zhou people had reached the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
SocietyChengkang's rule
King Kang continued to appoint Zhao Gong, Bi Gong and other old ministers. The princes were stabilized and the foreign guests were in submission. "Historical Records" states that "on the occasion of Chengkang, the world was at peace, and punishments for more than forty years were not used." Later generations used "the rule of Chengkang" as the synonym for the prosperous age of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
CultureDa Yu Ding
In the 23rd year of King Kang's reign, King Kang appointed a nobleman Yu, and warned him that merchants would perish due to alcoholism. Zhou people should take this as a warning, and rewarded him with carriages, horses, clothing and more than 1,700 "people". A commemorative bowl made of a tripod, with an inscription of nearly 300 words.
Lasting legacyThe Great Cauldron was unearthed in Qishan (Yishuomei County), Shaanxi during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, and is now in the National Museum of China.
MilitaryMeng cutting ghost recipe
In the twenty-fifth year of King Kang's reign, Yu was ordered to conquer the ghosts in the north. He captured their leader in two battles and captured more than 13,000 people. He returned to the court to hold a prisoner ceremony, and the inscription on the small Yu tripod was found. The original vessel of this tripod has been lost, and only the inscription and rubbings have been handed down.
He served as an official in three dynasties: King Wu, King Cheng and King Kang. King Cheng accepted Gu's orders before his death and led the princes to support King Kang as the throne. He was the most important stabilizer of the political situation in the early Zhou Dynasty.
Together with Duke Zhao, he was ordered by King Cheng Gu to lead the eastern princes at King Kang's enthronement ceremony. King Kang ordered him to govern the eastern suburbs of Zhou and resettle the Yin survivors.
A descendant of Nangong, King Kang was appointed to be in charge of military affairs and was ordered to conquer the ghosts. The inscriptions on the large and small cauldrons he cast are precious historical materials for studying the appointment system and wars of the Western Zhou Dynasty.