Kingdom of Wu Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Kingdom of Wu (吳 wu2) refers to a nation and several states throughout Chinese history of around the same region in China. The original capital of Wu is in Suzhou, some 60 kilometers from Shanghai today. The first Wu Kingdom was united by 太伯 Taibo during the Spring and Autumn Period. Originally considered as part of the Eastern Barbarians, the people of the Wu Kingdom became Sinicized during the Warring States Period. Ambassadoral visits to Japan by the later Northern Chinese dynasties Wei and Jin (Encounters of the Eastern Barbarians, Wei Chronicles) record that the Japanese people claim to be descendents of Taibo of Wu, refugees after the fall of Wu.魏略：「倭人自謂太伯之後。」
晉書：「自謂太伯之後，又言上古使詣中國，皆自稱大夫。」 列傳第六十七 四夷
資治通鑑：「今日本又云呉太伯之後，蓋呉亡，其支庶入海為倭。」
From AD 222 - 280, the Wu Kingdom was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty. During the decline of the Han dynasty, the State of Wu - a region in the south of Chang Jiang, surrounding Suzhou - was under the control of the warlord Sun Quan. Sun Quan succeeded his brother as Wu Wang (the king of Wu) and considered the area under his rule subject to the Han emperor. Unlike his competitors, he did not really have the ambition to be Emperor of China. However, after Cao Pi of the Kingdom of Wei and Liu Bei of the Kingdom of Shu each declared himself to be the Emperor, Sun Quan decided to follow suit in 222, claiming to have founded the Wu dynasty.
Under the rule of Wu, Southern China, regarded in early history as a barbaric "jungle" developed into one of the commercial, cultural and political centers of China. Within five centuries, during the Five Dynasties and Ten States, the development of Southern China had surpassed that of the north. The achievements of Wu marked the beginning of the cultural and political division between Northern and Southern China that would repeatedly appear in Chinese history well into modernity. The term Southern China as used here does not include Guangdong and other far south provinces, which were not incorporated into China Proper until the Tang Dynasty and remained for the most part economically and culturally backward until the late 19th century.
The island of Taiwan was also first recorded during the Three Kingdoms. The contact with native population and the sending of officials to Taiwan by the Wu Kingdom paved for the road in leading the official establishment of Taiwan Province in the later dynasties.
The Kingdom of Wu was finally conquered by the first Jin emperor, Sima Yan, in 280. With a lifespan of 58 years, it was the longest-lived of the three kingdoms.
Important figures:
- Sun Jian (孫堅)
- Sun Ce (孫策),
- Sun Quan (孫權)
- Huang Gai (黃蓋)
- Gan Ning (甘寧)
- Taishi Ci (太史慈)
- Zhou Yu (周瑜)
- Zhou Tai (周泰)
- Lu Su (魯肅)
- Lü Meng (呂蒙)
- Lu Yi (Xun) (陸遜)
- Zhang Zhao (張昭)
- Zhang Hong (張紘)
- Zhuge Jin (諸葛謹)
- Dong Xi (董袭)
- Xu Sheng (徐盛)
- Chen Wu (陈武)
| Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號) | Family (in bold) and first names | Year(s) of Reigns | Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their range of years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convention: use personal name | |||
| Da Di (大帝 da4 di4) | Sun Quan (孫權 sun1 quan2); | 222-252 | Huangwu (黃武 huang2 wu3) 222-229Huanglong (黃龍 huang2 long2) 229-231 |
| Kuai ji wang (會稽王 kuai4 ji1 wang2) | Sun Liang (孫亮 sun1 liang4) | 252-258 | Jianxing (建興 jian4 xing1) 252-253Wufeng (五鳳 wu3 feng4) 254-256 |
| Jing Di (景帝 jing3 di4) | Sun Xiu (孫休 sun1 xiu1) | 258-264 | Yongan (永安 yong3 an1) 258-264 |
| Wu Cheng Hou (烏程侯 wu1 cheng2 hou2) | Sun Hao (孫皓 sun1 hao4) | 264-280 | Yuanxing (元興 yuan2 xing1) 264-265Ganlu (甘露 gan1 lu4) 265-266 |
This is an Article on Kingdom of Wu. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Kingdom of Wu