Qi (state)

This article is about the major state of Qí (齊). For the minor state of Qǐ (杞), see Qi (Henan).

Qi 齊 *Dzəj
1046 BC–221 BC
Qi in 260 BC
Status	Duchy (1046–323 BC) Kingdom (323–221 BC)
Capital	Yingqiu (Zibo) Bogu (Binzhou)
Religion	Chinese folk religion ancestor worship
Government	Monarchy
King of Qi
Chancellor
• 685–645 BC	Guan Zhong
History
• Enfeoffment of Duke Tai	1046 BC
• Conquered by Qin	221 BC
Currency	Knife money
Preceded by Succeeded by Bogu Qin dynasty

Qi
"Qi" in seal script (top), Traditional (middle), and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	齊
Simplified Chinese	齐
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qí Gwoyeu Romatzyh Chyi Wade–Giles Ch‘i2 IPA [tɕʰǐ] Wu Suzhounese Zí Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Chàih Jyutping Cai4 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chê Tâi-lô Tsê Eastern Min Fuzhou BUC Cà̤ Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *[dz]ˤəj

The Great Wall of Qi on Dafeng Mountain

Qi was a state of the Zhou Kingdom in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Yingqiu, located within present-day Zibo in Shandong.

Qi was founded shortly after the Zhou overthrow of Shang in the 11th century BC. Its first marquis was Jiang Ziya, minister of King Wen and a legendary figure in Chinese culture. His family ruled Qi for several centuries before it was replaced by the Tian family in 386 BC. In 221 BC, Qi was the final major state annexed by Qin during its unification of China.

History

Bronze knife-shaped coins of State of Qi, collected in Shandong Museum

Foundation

During the Zhou conquest of Shang, Jiang Ziya served as the chief minister to King Wu. After Wu's death, Jiang remained loyal to the Duke of Zhou during the Three Guards' failed rebellion against his regency. The Shang prince Wu Geng had joined the revolt along with the Dongyi states of Yan, Xu, and Pugu. These were suppressed by 1039 BC and Jiang was given the Pugu lands in what is now western Shandong as the march of Qi. Little information survives from this period, but the Bamboo Annals suggest that the native people of Pugu continued to revolt for about another decade before being destroyed a second time c. 1026.

In the mid-9th century BC, King Yi (r. 865–58 BC) attacked Qi and boiled Duke Ai to death. Under the reign of King Xuan (r. 827–782), there was a local succession struggle. During this time, many of the native Dongyi peoples were absorbed into the Qi state.

Spring and Autumn period

In 706 BC, Qi was attacked by the Shan Rong. Qi rose to prominence under Duke Huan of Qi (685–43 BC). He and his minister Guan Zhong strengthened the state by centralizing it. He annexed 35 neighboring states including Tan and brought others into submission. In 667 BC, Duke Huan met with the rulers of Lu, Song, Chen and Zheng and was elected leader. Subsequently King Hui of Zhou made him the first Hegemon. He attacked Wei for supporting a rival of the Zhou king and intervened in the affairs of Lu. In 664 BC, he protected Yan from the Rong. In 659 BC, he protected Xing and in 660, Wei, from the Red Di. In 656 he blocked the northward expansion of Chu. After his death, his sons quarrelled and the hegemony passed to Jin.

In 632 BC, Qi helped Jin defeat Chu at the Battle of Chengpu. In 589 BC, Qi was defeated by Jin. In 579 BC, the four great powers of Qin (west), Jin (center), Chu (south) and Qi (east) met to declare a truce and limit their military strength. In 546 BC, a similar four-power conference recognized several smaller states as satellites of Qi, Jin and Qin.

Sacrificial horses discovered in the tomb of Duke Jing of Qi

Warring States period

Early in the period, Qi annexed a number of smaller states. Qi was one of the first states to patronize scholars. In 532 BC, the Tian clan destroyed several rival families and came to dominate the state. In 485 BC, the Tian killed the ducal heir and fought several rival clans. In 481 BC, the Tian chief killed a puppet duke, most of the ruler's family, and a number of rival chiefs. He took control of most of the state and left the Duke with only the capital of Linzi and the area around Mount Tai. In 386 BC, the House of Tian fully replaced the House of Jiang as rulers of Qi. In 221 BC, Qi was the last of the warring states to be conquered by Qin, thereby putting an end to the wars and uniting China under the Qin Dynasty.

Culture of Qi

Before Qin unified China, each state had its own customs and culture. According to the Yu Gong or Tribute of Yu, composed in the 4th or 5th century BC and included in the Book of Documents, there were nine distinct cultural regions of China, which are described in detail in this book. The work focuses on the travels of the titular sage, Yu the Great, throughout each of the regions. Other texts, predominantly military, also discussed these cultural variations.

One of these texts was The Book of Master Wu, written in response to a query by Marquis Wu of Wei on how to cope with the other states. Wu Qi, the author of the work, declared that the government and nature of the people were reflective of the terrain of the environment in which they inhabited. Of Qi, he said:

Although the Qi people are strong and the country is prosperous, the ruler and officials are arrogant and do not care about the people. The state's policies are not uniform and not strictly enforced. Salaries and wages are not fair. This causes disharmony and disunity. Although they are numerous, they are not strong. To defeat them, we should divide our army into three groups and have our left and right groups attack on the left and right wings of Qi's army. Once their battle formations are thrown into disarray, our central group will be in position to attack and victory will follow.

— Wuzi, Master Wu Chen Song translation

While visiting Qi, Confucius was deeply impressed with perfection of performance of Shao music 韶 therein.

During the Warring States period, Qi was famous for its capital's academy Jixia, renowned scholars of the era from all over China visited the academy.

Qi architecture

The state of Qi was known for having well organized cities that were nearly rectangular in shape, with roads that were neatly knit into a grid-like pattern. The palace was strategically positioned facing the south. To the left (eastwardly direction) of the palace resided the ancestral temple, to its right (westward) the temple of the gods, both one hundred paces away. This ensured that balance was achieved. In front of the palace was the court also one hundred paces away and to the back of the palace was the city. This type of layout influenced greatly the way cities were designed in subsequent generations.

Smaller cities known as chengyi (城邑) were abound throughout Qi. They typically stretched 450 meters from south to north and 395 meters from east to west. The perimeter was usually surrounded by a wall with the living headquarters situated within and a nearly perfect square-shaped courtyard occupying the center.

Qi in astronomy

Main article: Chinese constellations

Qi is represented by the star Chi Capricorni in the "Twelve States" asterism in the "Girl" lunar mansion in the "Black Turtle" symbol. Qi is also represented by the star 112 Herculis in the "Left Wall" asterism in the "Heavenly Market" enclosure.

Rulers

House of Jiang

See also: House of Jiang family tree

Title	Name	Reign (BC)	Relationship	Notes
Duke Tai 齊太公	Lü Shang 吕尚	11th century		Enfeoffed by King Wu of Zhou, with capital at Yingqiu
Duke Ding 齊丁公	Lü Ji 吕伋	10th century	5th-generation descendant of Duke Tai	Traditionally believed to be son of Duke Tai
Duke Yǐ 齊乙公	De 得	10th century	Son of Duke Ding
Duke Gui 齊癸公	Cimu 慈母	c. 10th century	Son of Duke Yǐ
Duke Ai 齊哀公	Buchen 不辰	9th century	Son of Duke Gui	Boiled to death by King Yi of Zhou
Duke Hu 齊胡公	Jing 靜	9th century	Son of Duke Gui	Moved capital to Bogu, killed by Duke Xian
Duke Xian 齊獻公	Shan 山	859?–851	Son of Duke Gui	Moved capital back to Linzi
Duke Wu 齊武公	Shou 壽	850–825	Son of Duke Xian
Duke Li 齊厲公	Wuji 無忌	824–816	Son of Duke Wu	Killed by supporters of Duke Hu's son.
Duke Wen 齊文公	Chi 赤	815–804	Son of Duke Li
Duke Cheng 齊成公	Yue 說	803–795	Son of Duke Wen
Duke Zhuang I 齊前莊公	Gou 購	794–731	Son of Duke Cheng	Reigned for 64 years
Duke Xi 齊僖公	Lufu 祿甫	730–698	Son of Duke Zhuang I
Duke Xiang 齊襄公	Zhu'er 諸兒	697–686	Son of Duke Xi	Committed incest with sister Wen Jiang, murdered her husband Duke Huan of Lu, conquered the state of Ji, murdered by cousin Wuzhi
none	Wuzhi 無知	686	Cousin of Duke Xiang, grandson of Duke Zhuang I	Killed by Yong Lin.
Duke Huan 齊桓公	Xiaobai 小白	685–643	Younger brother of Duke Xiang	First of the Five Hegemons, when Qi reached zenith of its power. Starved to death by ministers
none	Wukui or Wugui 無虧 or 無詭	643	Son of Duke Huan	Killed by supporters of Duke Xiao
Duke Xiao 齊孝公	Zhao 昭	642–633	Son of Duke Huan	Crown prince of Qi
Duke Zhao 齊昭公	Pan 潘	632–613	Son of Duke Huan	His supporters murdered the son of Duke Xiao
none	She 舍	613	Son of Duke Zhao	Murdered by uncle Shangren
Duke Yì 齊懿公	Shangren 商人	612–609	Uncle of She, son of Duke Huan	Killed by two ministers
Duke Hui 齊惠公	Yuan 元	608–599	Son of Duke Huan	Defeated Long Di invaders
Duke Qing 齊頃公	Wuye 無野	598–582	Son of Duke Hui	Defeated by Jin at the Battle of An
Duke Ling 齊靈公	Huan 環	581–554	Son of Duke Qing	Annexed the State of Lai; defeated by Jin at the Battle of Pingyin, capital Linzi burned
Duke Zhuang II 齊後莊公	Guang 光	553–548	Son of Duke Ling	Ascended throne by killing Prince Ya with the help of Cui Zhu; committed adultery with Cui's wife, killed by Cui
Duke Jing 齊景公	Chujiu 杵臼	547–490	Half brother of Duke Zhuang II	Killed Cui Zhu. Had famous statesman Yan Ying as prime minister
An Ruzi 安孺子	Tu 荼	489	Youngest son of Duke Jing	Deposed by Tian Qi and killed by Duke Dao. Also called Yan Ruzi
Duke Dao 齊悼公	Yangsheng 陽生	488–485	Son of Duke Jing	Killed by a minister, possibly Tian Heng
Duke Jian 齊簡公	Ren 壬	484–481	Son of Duke Dao	Killed by Tian Heng
Duke Ping 齊平公	Ao 驁	480–456	Brother of Duke Jian
Duke Xuan 齊宣公	Ji 積	455–405	Son of Duke Ping
Duke Kang 齊康公	Dai 貸	404–386	Son of Duke Xuan	Deposed by Duke Tai of Tian Qi, died in 379

House of Tian

See also: House of Tian family tree

Subject to the House of Jiang

Posthumous name	Personal name	Leadership (BC)	Relationship	Notes
Tian Jingzhong 田敬仲	Chen Wan 陳完		Son of Duke Li of Chen	Exiled to Qi from the State of Chen
Tian Mengyi 田孟夷	Tian Zhi 田穉		Son of Chen Wan
Tian Mengzhuang 田孟莊	Tian Min 田湣		Son of Mengyi
Tian Wenzi 田文子	Tian Xuwu 田須無		Son of Mengzhuang
Tian Huanzi 田桓子	Tian Wuyu 田無宇		Son of Wenzi
Tian Wuzi 田武子	Tian Kai 田開	?–516	Son of Huanzi
Tian Xizi 田僖子	Tian Qi 田乞		Brother of Wuzi	Deposed An Ruzi
Tian Chengzi 田成子	Tian Heng 田恆		Son of Xizi	Killed Duke Jian, became de facto ruler of Qi
Tian Xiangzi 田襄子	Tian Pan 田盤		Son of Chengzi
Tian Zhuangzi 田莊子	Tian Bai 田白	?–411	Son of Xiangzi
Tian Daozi 田悼子	unknown	410–405	Son of Zhuangzi

As rulers of Qi

Title	Name	Reign (BC)	Relationship	Notes
Duke Tai 齊太公	Tian He 田和	404–384	Son of Tian Bai	Officially recognized as Qi ruler in 386 BC
none	Tian Yan 田剡	383–375	Son of Duke Tai	Killed by Duke Huan.
Duke Huan 齊桓公	Tian Wu 田午	374–357	Brother of Tian Yan
King Wei 齊威王	Tian Yinqi 田因齊	356–320	Son of Duke Huan	Most powerful Qi ruler of the Warring States.
King Xuan 齊宣王	Tian Bijiang 田辟彊	319–300	Son of King Wei
King Min 齊愍王	Tian Di 田地	300–283	Son of King Xuan	Temporarily declared himself "Emperor of the East".
King Xiang 齊襄王	Tian Fazhang 田法章	283–265	Son of King Min
none	Tian Jian 田建	264–221	Son of King Xiang	Qi conquered by Qin

Famous people

• Guan Zhong (720-645 BC), prime minister to Duke Huan of Qi and known for making the state of Qi one of the most power Hegemons at the time.
• Yan Ying (578-500 BC), prime minister to Duke Jing, known for Yanzi Chunqiu.
• Sun Bin (??-316 BC), military strategist known for Sun Bin's Art of War.
• Chunyu Kun (386-310 BC), official and master scholar at the Jixia Academy.
• Mencius (372-289 BC), official and one of the most renowned Confucian philosophers.
• Xun Kuang (313-238 BC), philosopher who joined the Jixia Academy when he was 50 years old, known for the Xunzi.

Further reading

• Michael Loewe, ed. (2006). The Cambridge history of ancient China: from the origins of civilization to 221 BC. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-521-47030-8.
• Glessner Creel, Herrlee (1979). The birth of China: a study of the formative period of Chinese civilization. New York: Ungar Publ. ISBN 0-8044-6093-0.