Emperors of Zhou Dynasty

King Ai of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:14:00.001-07:00

King Ai of Zhou, : 周哀王, pinyin: zhōu āi wáng, Wade-Giles: King Ai of Chou, was the twenty-eighth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the sixteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Quji in
Era name	none
Father	King Zhending of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	unknown
Duration of reign	441 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	哀 literary meaning: "lamentable"

King Si of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:13:00.007-07:00

King Si of Zhou, : 周思王, pinyin: zhōu sī wáng, wg: King Si of Chou, was the twenty-ninth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the seventeenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Shu in
Era name	none
Father	King Zhending of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	unknown
Duration of reign	441 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	思 literary meaning: "nostalgic"

King Kao of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:13:00.005-07:00

King Kao of Zhou, : 周考王, pinyin: zhōu kăo wáng, wg: King K'ao of Chou, was the thirtieth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the eighteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Wei in
Era name	none
Father	King Zhending of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Weilie of Zhou
Duration of reign	440 BC-426 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	考 literary meaning: "examined"

King Weilie of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:13:00.003-07:00

King Weilie of Zhou, : 周威烈王, pinyin: zhōu wēi lìe wáng, wg: King Weilieh of Chou, was the thirty-first sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the nineteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Wu in
Era name	none
Father	King Kao of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King An of Zhou
Duration of reign	425 BC-402 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	威烈 , literary meaning: "majestic and fierce"

King An of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:13:00.001-07:00

King An of Zhou, : 周安王, pinyin: zhōu ān wáng, wg: King An of Chou, was the thirty-second sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the twentieth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Jiao in
Era name	none
Father	King Kao of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Lie of Zhou and King Xian of Zhou
Duration of reign	401 BC-376 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	安 , literary meaning: "stable" or quiet"

King Lie of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:12:00.012-07:00

King Lie of Zhou, : 周烈王, pinyin: zhōu lìe wáng, wg: King Lieh of Chou, was the thirty-third sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the twenty-first of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Xi in
Era name	none
Father	King An of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	unknown
Duration of reign	375 BC-369 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	烈 , literary meaning: "fierce"

King Xian of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:12:00.011-07:00

King Xian of Zhou was the thirty-fourth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the twenty-third of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Bian in
Era name	none
Father	King An of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Shenjing of Zhou
Duration of reign	368 BC-321 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	顯 , literary meaning: "remarkable" or "illustrious"

King Shenjing of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:12:00.009-07:00

King Shenjing of Zhou, : 周慎靚王, : 周慎靓王, pinyin: zhaō shèn jìng wáng, wg: King Shenching of Chou was the thirty-fifth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the twenty-fourth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Ding in
Era name	none
Father	King Xian of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Nan of Zhou
Duration of reign	320 BC-315 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	慎靚 , literary meaning: "prudent and tranquil"

King Nan of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:12:00.007-07:00

King Nan of Zhou, 周赧王, . zhōu năn wáng, , King Nan of Chou, or less commonly King Yin of Zhou, : 周隱王, : 周隐王, : zhōu yĭn wáng, : King Yin of Chou was the thirty-sixth and last sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Yan in
Era name	none
Father	King Shenjing of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	unknown
Duration of reign	314 BC-256 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	赧 , literary meaning: "flushed" or 隱 , literary meaning: "hiding"

King Hui of Eastern Zhou

2008-09-04T07:12:00.005-07:00

King Hui of Eastern Zhou,
was the last king of the Zhou Dynasty of China. He reigned from 255 BC to 249 BC.

Personal information

	Ji in

Era name	Zhou Dynasty
Father
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children
Duration of reign
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Huai 惠 , literary meaning: "benevolent"

King Qing of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:12:00.003-07:00

King Qing of Zhou or King Ch'ing of Chou was the nineteenth sovereign of the Chinese and the seventh of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Renchen in
Era name	none
Father	King Xiang of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Kuang of Zhou and King Ding of Zhou
Duration of reign	618 BC-613 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	頃 or 顷 , literary meaning: "inclined"

King Kuang of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:12:00.001-07:00

King Kuang of Zhou or King K'uang of Chou was the twentieth sovereign of the Chinese and the eighth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Ban in
Era name	none
Father	King Xiang of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	unknown
Duration of reign	612 BC-607 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	匡 , literary meaning: "restoring"

King Ding of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:09:00.004-07:00

King Ding of Zhou or King Ting of Chou was the twenty-first sovereign of the Chinese and the ninth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Yu in
Era name	none
Father	King Qing of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Jian of Zhou
Duration of reign	606 BC-586 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	定 , literary meaning: "determined"

King Jian of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:09:00.003-07:00

King Jian of Zhou or King Chien of Chou was the twenty-second sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the tenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Yi in
Era name	none
Father	King Ding of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Ling of Zhou
Duration of reign	585 BC-572 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	簡 , literary meaning: "concise" or "selected"

King Ling of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:09:00.001-07:00

King Ling of Zhou or King Ling of Chou was the twenty-third sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the eleventh of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Xiexin in
Era name	none
Father	King Jian of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Jing of Zhou
Duration of reign	571 BC-545 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	靈 , literary meaning: "agile"

King Jing of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:08:00.009-07:00

King Jing of Zhou, : 周景王, pinyin: zhōu jĭng wáng, wg: King Ching of Chou, was the twenty-fourth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the twelfth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Gui in
Era name	none
Father	King Ling of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Dao of Zhou and King Jing of Zhou
Duration of reign	544 BC-520 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	景 , literary meaning: "admirable"

King Dao of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:08:00.007-07:00

King Dao of Zhou, : 周悼王, pinyin: zhōu dào wáng, wg: King Tao of Chou, was the twenty-fifth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the thirteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Meng in
Era name	none
Father	a son of King Jing of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	unknown
Duration of reign	520 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	悼 , literary meaning: "grieve" or "mournful"

King Jing of Zhou (Ji Gai)

2008-09-04T07:08:00.005-07:00

King Jing of Zhou, : 周敬王, pinyin: zhōu jìng wáng, wg: King Ching of Chou, was the twenty-sixth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the fourteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Gai in
Era name	none
Father	King Jing of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Yuan of Zhou
Duration of reign	520 BC-476 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	敬 , literal meaning: "respectful"

King Yuan of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:08:00.003-07:00

King Yuan of Zhou, was the twenty-seventh sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the fifteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

King Zhending of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:08:00.001-07:00

King Zhending of Zhou, was the twenty-eighth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the sixteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Jie in
Era name	none
Father	King Yuan of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Ai of Zhou, King Si of Zhou and King Kao of Zhou
Duration of reign	468 BC-441 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	貞定 , literary meaning: "stauch"

King Yi(Ji Xie) of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:07:00.003-07:00

King Yi of Zhou or King I of Chou was the ninth sovereign of the Chinese .

Personal information

	Ji in
	Xie in
Era name	none
Father	King Yi of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Li of Zhou
approximate Duration of reign	-878 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Yi 夷 , literary meaning: "barbarian" or "eradicative"

King Li of Zhou

2008-09-04T07:07:00.001-07:00

King Li of Zhou was the tenth sovereign of the Chinese .

King Li was a corrupt and decadent king. To pay for his pleasures and vices, King Li raised taxes and caused misery among his subjects. He enstated a new law which allowed him to punish anyone, by death, who dared to speak against him. King Li's bad rule soon forced many peasants and soldiers into revolt, and Li was forced into hiding. His son was taken by one of King Li's ministers and hidden. The angry mob couldn't find the prince and soon dispersed.

The officials elected Gong Bo He as regent, and Gong Bo He ruled for fourteen years before the prince was revealed as the heir to the throne.

	Ji in
	Hu in
Era name	none
Father	King Yi of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Xuan of Zhou
Approximate duration of reign	877 BC-841 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Li 厲 , literary meaning: "stern"

Gonghe of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:45:00.001-07:00

The Gonghe regency ruled China from 841 BC to 828 BC.

According to the Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian , during the Gonghe regency, the Zhou Dynasty was ruled jointly by two dukes -- the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Zhao after King Li of Zhou was exiled by his nobles for his tyranny. According to the ''Bamboo Annals'', the Gonghe regency was ruled on by a single person -- the Count of Gong , whose name was He .

Note that "Gonghe" corresponds to "republic" in the modern context. The Gonghe period during the Zhou Dynasty does not confer any republican connotations, but 19th century Japanese officials translating Western concepts harked back to the ancient Gonghe period when coining the modern term for "republic" ''kyowakoku'', which is then back-translated through corresponding Han characters to ''gongheguo'' in Chinese and ''gonghwaguk'' in Korean.

The first year of the Gonghe regency, 841 BC, is highly significant in ancient Chinese history, in that the dates for the rulers prior to the Gonghe regency are not and have never been clearly dated, ever since Sima Qian's time -- as Sima himself found the dates for the rulers prior to the Gongehe regency to be so unreliable that he chose not to adopt them in his work. Only after 841 BC could events in Chinese history be reliably dated. Currently, the government of the People's Republic of China is sponsoring the Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project, a multidisciplinary project that seeks to give better estimates for dates prior to 841 BC, but the project's draft report, published in 2000, has been criticized by various sources.

King Xuan of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:44:00.004-07:00

King Xuan of Zhou was the eleventh sovereign of the Chinese .

Personal information

	Ji in
	Jing in
Era name	none
Father	King Li of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	Queen Qiang
Children	King You of Zhou
Duration of reign	827 BC-782 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Xuan 宣 , literary meaning: "proclaimed" or "perspicacious"

King You of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:44:00.003-07:00

King You of Zhou was the twelfth sovereign of the Chinese and the last of Western Zhou Dynasty.

In 780 BC, an earthquake hit Guanzhong. A person named Bo Yangfu considered that the Zhou Dynasty would be doomed. In 779 BC, Baosi entered the palace, became loved by King You, and had a son Bofu born. King You deposed Queen Shen and . He made Baosi the new queen and Bofu the new prince.

Baosi did not like to laugh. After failing many methods, King You tried to impress his favorite queen Baosi by fooling the nobles with the beacon into thinking that there was danger of enemies attacking. They came to the castle only to find themselves being laughed at by Baosi while there were no enemies. Once King You impressed Baosi, he kept abusing the beacon, but he would then lose the trust from the nobles so they would disregard his lightened beacon.

Deposing Queen Shen and Prince Yijiu upset Queen Shen's father who would get outside force to attack King You. Eventually, when danger did come, King You called for the nobles with the already abused beacon but none came, thinking that the king was fooling them again. In the end, King You and Bofu were killed and Baosi was captured. King You's death marks the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

After King You died, the nobles supported deposed Prince Yijiu as King Ping to continue the Zhou Dynasty. As the national capital was severely damaged, King Ping of Zhou moved the capital eastward and began the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

King You's folly predates Aesop's classical tale of the The Boy Who Cried Wolf by more than a hundred years.

The rhyming nature of the King's name is also the inspiration of a Dr. Seuss children's book.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Gongsheng or Gongnie in
Era name	none
Father	King Xuan of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wives	1) Queen Shen, daughter of Marquess of Shen 2) Concubine Baosi
Children	King Ping of Zhou from Queen Shen and prince Bofu from Baosi
duration of reign	781 BC-771 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	You 幽 , literary meaning: "serene"

King Huan of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:44:00.001-07:00

King Huan of Zhou or King Huan of Chou was the fourteenth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the second of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Lin in
Era name	none
Grandfather	King Ping of Zhou
Father	Gu, son of King Ping of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Zhuang of Zhou
Duration of reign	719 BC-697 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Huan 桓 , literary meaning: "exploratory" or "willow-like"

King Zhuang of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:43:00.006-07:00

King Zhuang of Zhou or King Chuang of Chou was the fifthteenth sovereign of the Chinese and the third of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Tuo in
Era name	none
Father	King Huan of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Xi of Zhou
Duration of reign	696 BC-682 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Zhuang 莊 , literary meaning: "solemn"

King Xi of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:43:00.005-07:00

King Xi of Zhou was the sixteenth sovereign of the Chinese and the fourth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Huqi in
Era name	none
Father	King Zhuang of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Hui of Zhou
Duration of reign	681 BC-677 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Xi 釐 , literary meaning: "fortunate"

King Hui of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:43:00.003-07:00

''For the King Hui proclaimed as King Nan of Zhou's successor, see King Hui of Eastern Zhou''

King Hui of Zhou, 周惠王, . zhōu hùi wáng, . King Hui of Chou was the seventeenth sovereign of the Chinese and the fifth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Lang in
Era name	none
Father	King Zhuang of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Xiang of Zhou
Duration of reign	676 BC-652 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Hui 惠 , literary meaning: "benevolent"

King Xiang of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:43:00.001-07:00

King Xiang of Zhou was the eighteenth sovereign of the Chinese and the sixth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Personal information

King Ping of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:40:00.003-07:00

Personal information

	Ji in
	Yijiu in
Era name	none
Father	King You of Zhou
Mother	Daughter of Marquis of Shen
Wife	unknown
Grandchildren	King Huan of Zhou
Duration of reign	770 BC-720 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Ping ƽ , literary meaning: "peaceful"

King Wu of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

King Wu of Zhou or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign, or ruler of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. Various sources quoted that he died at the age of 93, 54 or 43. He was considered a just and able leader. Zhou Gong Dan was one of his brothers.

King Wu was the second son of King Wen of Zhou. After ascending to the throne, King Wu tried to accomplish his father's dying wish: the defeat of the Shang Dynasty. King Wu used many wise government officials--most notably Prime Minister Jiang Ziya, a man evidentially declared as "the master of strategy"--resulting in the Zhou government growing far stronger as the years elapsed.

In 1048 BC, King Wu called for a meeting of the surrounding dukes at Meng Jin. More than 800 dukes came to the meeting. In 1046 BC, seeing that the Shang government was in a shambles, King Wu launched an attack along with many neighboring dukes. In the Battle of Muye, Shang forces were destroyed, and set his palace on fire and burned himself to death.

Following the victory, King Wu established many smaller feudal states under the rule of his brothers and generals. He died three years later in 1043 BC.

Personal information

* Father
** King Wen of Zhou
* Mother
** Taisi
* Wife
** Yi of state of Qi, daughter of
* Children
** , later King Cheng of Zhou
** Shu Du

King Cheng of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:39:00.009-07:00

King Cheng was young when he ascended the throne. His uncle, Archduke Zhougong , fearing that Shang forces might rise again under the possible weak rule by a young ruler, became the regent and supervised government affairs for several years. Zhougong established the eastern capital at Luoyang, and later defeated a rebellion by King Cheng's brothers. King Cheng later stablized Zhou Dynasty's border by defeating several barbarian tribes along with Duke Zhougong.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Song in
Era name	none
Father	King Wu of Zhou
Mother	Yi Jiang, daughter of Jiang Taigong
Wife	unknown
Children	King Kang of Zhou
Approximate duration of reign	1042 BC-1021 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Cheng 成 , literary meaning: "established" or "successful"

Personal information

* Father
** King Wu of Zhou
* Mother
** Yi of state of Qi, daughter of
* Wife
** ?
* Children
** , later King Kang of Zhou

King Kang of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:39:00.007-07:00

King Kang followed his father King Cheng's policy and expanded the Zhou territory in the North and in the West. He also repressed a rebellion in the east. Life prospered in the Zhou Dynasty under King Kang's rule.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Zhao in
Era name	none
Father	King Cheng of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Zhao of Zhou
approximate duration of reign	-996 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Kang 康 , literary meaning: "healthy"

Personal information

* Father
** King Cheng of Zhou
* Mother
** ?
* Wife
** ?
* Children
** , later King Zhao of Zhou

King Zhao of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:39:00.005-07:00

Zhao's reign occurred at a point when the Zhou Dynasty had expanded across the Zhouyuan or central plains of China and turned its attention to South China. Zhao was killed and his campaigning army were wiped out south of the Han river, establishing the limit of direct control of the south during the Western Zhou Dynasty.

According to the traditional, moralistic rendition of Zhao's life, he loved pleasure and disregarded politics. As a result, the Zhou Dynasty began to falter under his inept rule. King Zhao especially liked rare plants and animals, and decided to go on a trip to Chu, a state, after an emissary claimed that Chu caught a rare bird. After crossing Han River, King Zhao realized that this is a trick. After several inconclusive battles with Chu forces, he began to retreat, looting and raiding the countryside as he went. While on a boat on Han River, the boat sprung a leak and King Zhao drowned, marking the end of his reign.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Xia in
Era name	none
Father	King Kang of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Mu of Zhou
Approximate duration of reign	-977 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Zhao 昭 , literary meaning: "shining"

Personal information

* Father
** King Kang of Zhou
* Mother
** ?
* Wife
** ?
* Children
** , later King Mu of Zhou

Born 1020

King Xiao of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:39:00.003-07:00

Personal information

	Ji in
	Pifang in
Era name	none
Father	King Mo of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	unknown
Approximate duration of reign	-886 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Xiao Т , literary meaning: "filial"

King Yi of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:39:00.001-07:00

Personal information

	Ji in
	Jian in
Era name	none
Father	King Gong of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Yi of Zhou
approximate Duration of reign	-891 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Yi ܲ , literary meaning: "benign"

King Gong of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:38:00.001-07:00

Personal information

	Ji in
	Yihu in
Era name	none
Father	King Mo of Zhou
Mother	Taisi
Wife	unknown
Children	King Yi of Zhou
Approximate duration of reign	- 900 BC
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Gong 共 , literary meaning: "communal"

King Mu of Zhou

2008-09-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Life

King Mu Wang came into power after his father 's death during his tour to the South. King Mu was perhaps the most pivotal emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, reigning nearly sixty-six years, from c.976 BC to c.922 BC. He was reputed to have lived until the age of 105. He liked to travel, and in particular visited the Kunlun Mountains several times during his reign, and is said that he traveled 90,000 kilometers to the west. King Mu was more ambitious than wise. During King Mu's reign, the Zhou Dynasty was at its peak, and King Mu tried to stamp out invaders in the western part of China and ultimately expand Zhou's influence to the east. In the height of his passion for conquests, he led an immense army against the Jung Tribes, native to India, that had colonized the western part of China. His visits and travels allowed him to contact many tribes and swayed them to either join under the Zhou banner or be conquered in war with his mighty army. This expedition must have been more of a failure than a success, proven by the fact that he brought back only four white and four white deer. Unintentionally and inadvertently, he thus sowed the seeds of hatred which culminated in an invasion of China by the same tribes in 771

One Chinese myth tells a story about King Mu Wang, who dreamed of being an immortal god. He was determined to visit the heavenly paradise and taste the peaches of immortality. A brave charioteer named Tsao Fu, used his chariot to carry the emperor to his destination.

Robotics

In the 3rd century BC text of the ''Lie Zi'', there is a curious account on automata involving a much earlier encounter between King Mu of Zhou and a mechanical engineer known as Yan Shi , an 'artificer'. The latter proudly presented the king with a life-size, human-shaped figure of his mechanical 'handiwork' :

The king stared at the figure in astonishment. It walked with rapid strides, moving its head up and down, so that anyone would have taken it for a live human being. The artificer touched its chin, and it began singing, perfectly in tune. He touched its hand, and it began posturing, keeping perfect time...As the performance was drawing to an end, the robot winked its eye and made advances to the ladies in attendance, whereupon the king became incensed and would have had Yen Shih executed on the spot had not the latter, in mortal fear, instantly taken the robot to pieces to let him see what it really was. And, indeed, it turned out to be only a construction of leather, wood, glue and lacquer, variously coloured white, black, red and blue. Examining it closely, the king found all the internal organs complete—liver, gall, heart, lungs, spleen, kidneys, stomach and intestines; and over these again, muscles, bones and limbs with their joints, skin, teeth and hair, all of them artificial...The king tried the effect of taking away the heart, and found that the mouth could no longer speak; he took away the liver and the eyes could no longer see; he took away the kidneys and the legs lost their power of locomotion. The king was delighted.

Personal information

	Ji in
	Man in
Era name	none
Father	King Zhao of Zhou
Mother	unknown
Wife	unknown
Children	King Gong of Zhou and King Xiao of Zhou
Approximate duration of reign	-
Tomb	unknown
Temple name	unknown
Courtesy name	unknown
Posthumous name	Mo 穆 , literary meaning: "reverend"