  Location in northern China | |
| Location | China |
|---|---|
| Region | Shaanxi |
| Coordinates | 34°13′N108°43′E / 34.21°N 108.72°E /34.21; 108.72 |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 1051 BC |
| Abandoned | 771 BC |
| Fenghao | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 豐鎬 灃鎬 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 丰镐 沣镐 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Feng & Hao | ||||||||
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| Feng | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 豐 灃 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 丰 沣 | ||||||||
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| Fengjing | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 豐京 灃京 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 丰京 沣京 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Lush or Great Capital Capital on theFeng | ||||||||
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Fenghao is the modern name for the twin city comprising Feng andHao, the capitals of the ChineseWestern Zhou dynasty (c. 1046 – 771 BCE). The cities were located on opposite banks of theFeng River near its confluence with theWei in an area now part ofXi'an,Shaanxi.
Under theShang, thepredynastic Zhou capital was located in what is nowQishan County between theWei River andMount Qi at a location variously described as Qishan (岐山, "Mt. Qi"), Qiyi (岐邑, "Qi City"), Qizhou (岐周, "Zhou at Mt. Qi"),[1] Qixia (岐下, "Below Mt. Qi"),[2] and Zhouyuan (周原, "the Zhou Plain").[3] AsJi Chang (posthumously known as King Wen) expanded the territory of thepredynastic Zhou east intoShanxi in the mid-11th century BC in preparation for an assault on his nominal Shang overlords, he constructed a new capital named Chengyi (程邑, "Cheng City") in lands the Zhou had recently annexed from theQiang between the Wei andJing Rivers in present-dayXianyang'sWeicheng District. During an extreme drought, he moved his capital further east to the west bank of the Feng River about 100 kilometers (62 mi) downstream from Qiyi. This city was variously called Feng (豐), Fengxi (豐西), or Fengjing (豐京).[4] This relocation was said to have occurred in the year before Ji Chang's death and five years before theBattle of Muye, placing itc. 1051 BC bycurrent estimates.
Afterhis son Fa (posthumously known as King Wu) defeated the Shang at Muye and formally established theZhou dynasty, the capital was moved to the east bank of the river at a site called Hao orHaojing.[5] The two cities formed a twin capital, with Feng continuing to serve the rituals of the Zhouancestral shrine and gardens[clarification needed] and Hao containing the royal palace and government administration.
Both were abandoned in 771 BC during theQuanrong invasion that drove the Zhou out of the Wei River Valley and brought an end to its Western dynasty. The capital of theEastern Zhou was located atChengzhou within present-dayLuoyang.
The ruins of Fenghao lie in present-day southwestXi'an inShaanxi Province.[6][7] The site was declared an important national cultural heritage site by theState Council of the People's Republic of China in 1961.[citation needed]
34°13′N108°43′E / 34.21°N 108.72°E /34.21; 108.72
| Preceded by | Primary capital of China c. 1046–771 BC | Succeeded by |