Song 宋 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11th century BC–286 BC | |||||||
 Map of Zhou dynasty states, including Song | |||||||
| Status | State | ||||||
| Capital | Shangqiu (商丘) | ||||||
| Religion | Chinese folk religion,ancestor worship,Taoism | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| History | |||||||
• Established | 11th century BC | ||||||
• Conquered byQi | 286 BC | ||||||
| Currency | Chinese coin | ||||||
| |||||||
| Song | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg) "Song" in ancientseal script (top) and modernregular (bottom) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 宋 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Song was anancient Chinese state during theZhou dynasty with its capital atShangqiu. The state was founded soon afterKing Wu of Zhou conquered theShang dynasty to establish theZhou dynasty in 1046 BC. It was conquered by thestate of Qi in 286 BC, during theWarring States period.Confucius is traditionally considered to have been a descendant of a Song nobleman who moved to thestate of Lu.[1]
King Zhou of Shang, Di Xin was the younger brother ofZi Qi—who was said in legends to have ruledGija Joseon in the 11th century BCE—and Zi Yan (子衍), later rulers of Zhou's vassal state Song, father ofWu Geng.
AfterKing Wu of Zhou overthrewthe last ruler of Shang, marking the transition to theZhou dynasty, the victor was honor-bound by a stricture of feudal etiquette known asEr Wang San Ke [zh] to allow the defeated house ofShang to continue offering sacrifices to their ancestors. As a result, for a time Shang became a vassal state of Zhou, with the Shang heir Wu Geng allowed to continue ancestor worship atYin.
However, after King Wu's death, Wu Geng fomented a rebellion with an alliance of eastern states, and was killed by theDuke of Zhou. Another Shang royal family descendant,Weizi, was granted land atShangqiu, the 'hill of Shang', where the capital of the new state of Song was built.
A sign of its descent from the Shang is that the state of Song in its early period followed the succession principle ofagnatic seniority, rather thanagnatic primogeniture like the Zhou.
In 701 BC, a political marriage between Lady Yong of Song (宋雍氏) andDuke Zhuang of Zheng—as well as the capture of Zhai Zhong (祭仲), a leading warrior—empowered Song to manipulate the administration ofZheng.
In 651, Duke Huan of Song (宋桓公) died, leaving the district to be ruled byDuke Xiang, who reigned from 651 to 637. He was considered ahegemon by some, but was unable to maintain that role. He eventually fell to the troops ofChu.
In 355, Dai Ticheng (戴剔成), a distant relative of the ruling royal line and once a minister ofDuke Huan II, managed to usurp the throne. In 328, Dai Yan, a younger brother of Ticheng, took the throne and declared himself to be King Kang of Song, with Ticheng murdered or exiled. The king was ambitious and had succeeded in beating troops from Chu,Wei andQi and annexingTeng. However, the kingdom was finally annexed by Qi in 286, with troops from Chu and Wei serving on behalf of Qi.Qin, which had been an ally of Song, refused to intervene for strategic and diplomatic reasons after being convinced bySu Dai from Wei. Su's predictions were proven correct and Qin benefited from the downfall of its former ally.
The philosopherMozi references this state in the chapter "Obvious Existence of Ghosts", in which he mentions a number ofSpring and Autumn Annals, including those of theZhou,Yan, andQi. TheSpring and Autumn Annals of Song has not survived.
Unless otherwise indicated, the ruler is the son of his predecessor.
| Song state | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Confucius is traditionally considered to have been a descendant of the Dukes of Song. His descendants hold the honorary titleDuke Yansheng.
The title of Duke of Song and"Duke Who Continues and Honours theYin" (殷紹嘉公) were bestowed uponKong An [zh] by the Eastern Han dynasty because he was part of the Shang dynasty's legacy.[2][3] This branch of the Kong family is a separate branch from the line that held the title of Marquis of Fengsheng village and later Duke Yansheng.
Song is represented by the starEta Ophiuchi in the asterismLeft Wall,Heavenly Market enclosure (seeChinese constellation).[4]
