Guan (state)

State of Guan 国/管國
circa 1046 BCE–circa 1040 BC
Status	Kingdom
Capital	Guancheng Hui District, Zhengzhou
Religion	Chinese folk religion, ancestor worship, Taoism
Government	Monarchy
History
• Established	circa 1046 BCE
•	706 or 703 BC
• Disestablished	circa 1040 BC
Currency	Chinese coin
Succeeded by Qin Dynasty

The State of Guan (c. 1046–1040 BCE) (Chinese: 管國; pinyin: Guăn Guó) was an ancient state in present-day Henan Province, China created at the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty and appears frequently in histories of the period.

Geography

The capital of Guan was located at Guangcheng (管城) (the modern day Guancheng Hui District of Zhengzhou) with its power limited to the immediate surrounding area.

History

At the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty, following King Wu of Zhou’s overthrow of the Shang Dynasty he gave his younger brother Guan Shu (管叔) a land grant that became the State of Guan. Guan Shu, Huo Shu (霍叔) and Cai Shu (蔡叔) were collectively known as the “Three Guards” (三监/三監 Sānjiān). At that time Guancheng was an important strategic town on the eastern border of Western Zhou territory.

Destruction

Following the regency of the Duke of Zhou, Guan Shu colluded with Cai Shu and Huo Shu in the Three Guards Rebellion (三监乱) but they were defeated by the Duke of Zhou and the State of Guan was dissolved.