Wu Ding

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Wu Ding (Zi Zhao) 武丁 (子昭)
Ancestral name (姓): Zi (子)
Given name (名): Zhao (昭)
King of Shang Dynasty
Dates of reign: 1250 BCE - 1192 BCE
Temple name: Gaozong (高宗)
Posthumous name: Wu Ding (武丁)
Dates are in the proleptic Julian calendar

Wu Ding (Chinese: 武丁, born Zi Zhao, Chinese: 子昭) was a Shang Dynasty King of China.

His is the first historically verifiable name in the history of Chinese dynasties. The records of later historians that recorded his reign were long thought to be little more than legends until contemporary records of his reign were discovered in oracle script inscriptions on bones unearthed at the ruins of his capital Yinxu in 1899.[1]

In the sixth year of his father's reign, he was ordered to live at He (Chinese: 河) and study at Ganpan (Chinese: 甘盘). These early years spent among the common people allowed him to become familiar with their daily problems.

In the Records of the Grand Historian he was listed by Sima Qian as the twenty-second Shang king, succeeding his father Xiao Yi (Chinese: 小乙). He was enthroned in the year of Dingwei (Chinese: 丁未) with Gan Pan (Chinese: 甘盘) as his prime minister and Yin (Chinese: 殷) as his capital.

He cultivated the allegiance of neighbouring tribes by marrying one woman from each of them. His favoured consort Fu Hao entered the royal household through such a marriage and took advantage of the semi-matriarchal slave society to rise through the ranks to military general and high priestess.[2]

In the third year of his reign he had vivid dreams about the way to rule his kingdom. He went on to ordered his prime minister to edit the book of ruling in the sixth year of his reign. He also ordered all the people must support their elders. In the twelth year of his regime, he promoted Shangjiawei to a position of power to exercise control over the Qi (Chinese: 契) people.

In the twenty-fifth year of his reign, his son Zu Ji (Chinese: 祖己) died at a remote area after he exiled him. His mother died before and the new wife of Wu Ding does not like Zi Xiao.

In the twenty-ninth year of his reign, he conducted rituals in honour of his ancestor King Tang, the first king of the Shang Dynasty, at the Royal Temple. Angered by the presence of a wild chicken standing on one of the ceremonial bronze vessels, he condemned his vassals and wrote an article called Gao Zong Tong Day (Chinese: 高宗肜日).

In the thirty-second year of his reign, he sent troops to Guifang (Chinese: 鬼方) and after three years of fighting he conquered it. The Di (Chinese: 氐) and Qiang (Chinese: 羌) barbarians immediately sent envoys to Shang to negotiate. His armies went on to conquer Dapeng (Chinese: 大彭) in the fourt-third year of his reign, and Tunwei (Chinese: 豕韦) in the 50th year of his reign.

He died in the fifty-ninth year of his reign according to all the sources available. Widely regarded one of best kings of the Shang Dynasty, he was given the posthumous name Wu Ding (Chinese: 武丁) and was succeeded by his son Zu Geng (Chinese: 祖庚).

The oracle script inscriptions on the bones unearthed at Yinxu alternatively record that he was the twenty-first Shang king.[3][4]

[edit] See also

  • Fu Hao, a consort, military commander and priestess of Wu Ding

[edit] References

This article contains Chinese text.
Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.
  1. ^ Bai, Shouyi (2002). An Outline History of China. Beijing: Foreign Language Press. ISBN 7-119-02347-0. 
  2. ^ Woman General Fu Hao (English). All China Women's Federation. Retrieved on August 4, 2007.
  3. ^ The Shang Dynasty Rulers (English). China Knowledge. Retrieved on August 7, 2007.
  4. ^ Shang Kingship And Shang Kinship (English). Indiana University. Retrieved on August 7, 2007.
Wu Ding
Preceded by
Xiao Yi		 King of China Succeeded by
Zu Geng