Tomb of King Wu

Tomb of King Wu

The Tomb of King Wu is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Tomb of King Wu is a burial site from the Warring States period. It covers an area of 5,840 square meters and stands 16 meters high. Chariot and horse pits have been discovered at the foot of the tomb, which is a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit.

King Wu (circa 1087–1043 BCE) was the founder of the Western Zhou Dynasty, an outstanding leader of the Huaxia people. Of Han ethnicity and bearing the surname Ji, his given name was Fa, and he was posthumously honored as King Wu. In the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou period, he is often referred to as King Wu. He was the second son of King Wen of Zhou. Around 1050 BCE, after the death of King Wen, he ascended to the throne.

Ji Fa inherited his father’s aspirations, overthrew the rule of the Shang Dynasty, and became the founding monarch of the Western Zhou Dynasty. After taking the throne, Ji Fa continued actively preparing to conquer the Shang. He appointed Jiang Shang as his military advisor in charge of military affairs, his younger brother Duke of Zhou (Zhou Gong Dan) as his aide in charge of civil administration, and others such as Duke of Shao and Duke of Bi as assistants. Seizing the right moment, Ji Fa reviewed his troops at Mengjin and convened a grand assembly of eight hundred feudal lords. Two years later, when the time was ripe, Ji Fa personally led a large army to attack the Shang. After the Battle of Muye, the Shang army collapsed entirely, and King Zhou fled back to his capital at Yinxu, where he died on the Deer Terrace. Ji Fa then established his capital at Haojing, set up feudal states, and reigned for nineteen years before passing away, posthumously honored as King Wu.

The Pre-Zhou was an ancient tribe that inhabited the Loess Plateau in the western part of the Central Plains. The earliest ancestor of the Zhou people was Qi, the son of Jiang Yuan, the primary consort of Emperor Ku. During the reign of Emperor Shun, Qi served as the agricultural supervisor, known as Houji, and was granted the territory of Tai for his contributions to teaching farming.

In the early years of the Shang Dynasty, his descendant Gugong Jizhi led the clan to move to Qishan. Later, under the rule of Gu Gong Danfu, they relocated and settled in Zhouyuan, south of Qishan (present-day Qishan County, Shaanxi), gradually developing into a rising power in the west, referring to themselves as Zhou. After Gu Gong’s youngest son, Ji Li, succeeded to the throne, he promoted virtue, developed production, and expelled foreign tribes, making the clan even more powerful and leading to conflicts with the Shang. Shang King Wending sent men to kill Ji Li. Ji Li’s son, Ji Chang, succeeded him. Known as the Western Duke, Ji Chang was benevolent and loved the people, treating scholars with respect, which attracted many talents to join him. The growth of Zhou posed a threat to King Zhou of Shang, who then imprisoned the Western Duke, Ji Chang, at Youli for seven years.

The Zhou people ransomed the Western Duke out with treasures and beauties. Thereafter, with the assistance of Lü Shang, the Western Duke outwardly indulged in pleasure and appeared submissive to King Zhou of Shang, but in reality, he further cultivated virtue, pleased the people, vigorously developed production, and attracted more feudal lords to submit to him. He also launched campaigns against disobedient vassals and Shang allies, eventually gaining control over two-thirds of the realm and becoming known as the Mandate-holder. He proclaimed himself king—King Wen of Zhou—and moved the capital to Fengyi (west of the Feng River, southwest of present-day Chang’an, Shaanxi). His son, Ji Fa, succeeded him and was known as King Wu of Zhou. He continued to rely on Lü Shang as his mentor, Duke of Zhou as his aide, and others such as Duke of Shao and Duke of Bi as key assistants, carrying on the unfinished mission of King Wen. He expanded the capital eastward to Haojing (within the territory of present-day Chang’an County, Shaanxi), actively preparing to overthrow the Shang. Two years later, King Wu convened an assembly of eight hundred feudal lords at Mengjin to swear a covenant.