Xu: Map & History
Xu, also called Xu Rong (徐戎) or Xu Yi (徐夷) by its enemies, was an independent Huaiyi state of the Chinese Bronze Age that was ruled by a branch of the Ying family (嬴) and controlled much of the Huai River valley for at least two centuries.
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Xu, also called Xu Rong (徐戎) or Xu Yi (徐夷) by its enemies, was an independent Huaiyi state of the Chinese Bronze Age that was ruled by a branch of the Ying family (嬴) and controlled much of the Huai River valley for at least two centuries. It was centered in northern Jiangsu and Anhui.
Xu in Depth
History
According to the Rongcheng Shi bamboo slips from the Warring States period, the Yu Gong from the Han dynasty and various other sources, Yu the Great divided the world into the Nine Provinces in prehistoric times, one of them Xu. The Yuanhe Xingzuan, a Tang dynasty compilation of information on the origins of Chinese surnames, as well as the Tongzhi, a Southern Song dynasty historical book, also state that Yu enfeoffed Ruomu, grandson of the mythological emperor Zhuanxu, as lord of Xu around 2100 BC. In turn the Xu peoples were supposed to be Ruomu's descendants. Furthermore, it was claimed this Xu state or province had originally occupied the entire area between the Huai and Yellow River.
Culture
While contemporary and later written records generally considered the people of Xu to be part of the "Huaiyi" or "barbarians of the Huai River", it remains unclear if the Huaiyi were defined on their political opposition to the Zhou dynasty or a shared culture and common ethnicity. Nevertheless, several sinologists, such as Donald B. Wagner, Constance A. Cook, and Barry B. Blakeley consider it likely that the Huaiyi were a specific people, distinct from other groups such as the Dongyi of Shandong and the Nanyi of the middle Yangtze. Archaeological excavations seem to corroborate this assumption, as they indicate that the Xu peoples had a distinct indigenous culture which had evolved from local Neolithic origins.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Xu (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Xu: Key Facts
| Dissolved | 512 BCE |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q2650109 (CC0).
Xu Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Xu appears, with the other states of the time.
Xu Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 4,637 km² in 600 BCE.
Xu: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Xu exist?
Xu is dated to 750 BCE – 285 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of Xu?
The capital of Xu was Xu.
How large was Xu at its peak?
At its peak in 600 BC Xu covered about 4,637 km².
How did the map of Xu change over time?
Xu appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 750 BCE to 323 BCE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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