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Chinese Name: 商朝
English Name: Shang Dynasty; Shang Chao
Other Name: Yin Shang 殷商; Yin 殷
Duration: About 1600 BC – 1046 BC
King: Cheng Tang 成汤; Pan Geng 盘庚; Wu Ding 武丁; Di Xin (Zhou) 帝辛(纣)
Brief Introduction
The Shang Dynasty 商朝, the second Dynasty in Chinese history, is the first dynasty in China with direct written records of the same period. After the Battle of Mingtiao 鸣条之战 ended the Xia Dynasty, Cheng Tang 成汤 established the Shang Dynasty in Bozhou 亳州 (now An Hui 安徽). After that, the capital of the Shang dynasty moved frequently until its descendant Pan Geng 盘庚 moved to Yin 殷 (now An Yang, He Nan 河南安阳). He built the capital in Yin for 273 years.
During the fifty years of Wuding’s 武丁 rule, the Shang Dynasty was the most powerful period. Di Xin 帝辛, the last monarch of the Shang Dynasty, burned himself to death after being defeated by King Wu of Zhou 周武王 in The Battle of Muye 牧野之战.
The Shang Dynasty was in the heyday of slavery, the state power in the Chengtang period had been preliminarily established, and the social order of slavery had also been stable.
Major Historical Events
Yi Yin Exiled Tai Jia 伊尹放太甲
At that time, Yi Yin 伊尹, the founding father of Shang, helped Tai Jia 太甲 inherit the throne. At the beginning of Tai-Jia’s succession, Yi Yin assisted Taijia in his administration. Yi Yin wrote several articles in succession, including “Si Ming 肆命” and “Zu Hou 祖后”, instructing Tai Jia to follow the legal system of his ancestors and strive to be a wise king.
Under the supervision of Yi Yin, Tai Jia was able to do well in the first two years after he succeeded to the throne, but not since the third year. He issued orders arbitrarily, indulged in pleasure, tyrannized the people, confused the government, and destroyed the laws and regulations formulated by Shang Tang. Although Yi Yin tried to persuade him, he couldn’t listen to it. Yi Yin had to exile him to Tonggong Palace 桐宫 near ShangTang cemetery and let him reflect on himself. At the same time, Yi Yin was the Regent of the country. It was called “Yi Yin Exiled Tai Jia” in history.
Tai Jia has been in Tonggong Palace for three years, repenting and blaming himself. Therefore, Yi Yin brought him back to Bozhou and return the power to him. From then on, Tai Jia was able to cultivate morality. All the feudal princes were subordinate to the king of Shang so that the people were at peace.
Pan Geng Moved to Yin 盘庚迁殷
In ancient China, capital establishment and capital relocation were national events. In order to stabilize political power, the rulers of all dynasties paid great attention to maintaining the stability of the capital. However, the capital of the Shang Dynasty was often migrated before Pan Geng came to power. From the Book of Documents 尚书, we can know that the reason for frequent migration is to avoid natural disasters.
Pan Geng was a capable monarch. In order to get rid of difficulties and avoid natural disasters, he decided to move his capital from Yan 奄 (now Qufu, Shandong 山东曲阜) to Yin. For there are three advantages to going to Yin. First, the land in Yindi is relatively fertile. Second, after moving, everything has to start from scratch, and the royal family and nobles will be restrained, so those class contradictions can be alleviated. Third, moving the capital can avoid the attacks of those rebel forces.
However, due to the frequent relocation before, people sighed with each other and complained that they didn’t want to move. After a period of struggle, Pan Geng finally completed the plan of moving the capital by means of both soft and hard.
From then on, the capital of the Shang Dynasty was permanently established in Yin. Pan Geng reorganized the politics of the Shang Dynasty here. At this time, the Shang Dynasty was relatively stable politically, and the social economy and culture had greater development.
Wu Ding Zhong Xing 武丁中兴
When Wu Ding was young, he lived in the folk for a period of time and was well aware of the difficulties and hardships of people’s life. After he ascended the throne, he was conscientious, worked hard, and determined to revitalize the Shang Dynasty.
It is said that after Wu Ding ascended the throne, he was determined to make the Shang Dynasty prosperous, but he couldn’t find talented people to assist him. Therefore, Wu Ding was indifferent to political affairs for three years. And all government affairs were decided by Suzuka Zai, while he was secretly observing the atmosphere of the country.
Through decades of renovation, the country has become more and more prosperous.
Important Influences
The First Slavery Class Society
China’s slave society of the Shang Dynasty has the dominant class relationship. Its basic class is noble slave owners and slaves.
The king of Shang was the general representative of the noble slave owner class and the largest slave owner.
Mature Development of Characters
Archaeologists have found a large number of Oracle Bone Inscriptions from Xiaotun village 小屯村 in An Yang 安阳, which shows that the characters of the Shang dynasties have been fully and widely used and developed relatively mature.
The structure of Chinese characters has been basically formed in oracle bone inscriptions. Through the study of oracle bone inscriptions, future generations will have a more detailed and reliable understanding of the Shang Dynasty.
