The period of development of Chu culture

@秦楚刊号

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During the 800 years of the existence of the Chu State, the Chu culture experienced four different periods of development, namely:

1. Period of Indulgence

It began at the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty and lasted until the time of the two weeks (Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou). It is roughly equivalent to the Western Zhou period in the history of the mainland. There are nearly 300 years before and after. The so-called promiscuity is the meaning of origin, that is to say, the promiscuity period of Chu culture is the period of the origin of Chu culture, and this period is also the period when the Chu State has grown from grass to self-reliance. The major historical events that occurred in the state of Chu during this period were: Mane Xiong was the teacher of King Wen of Zhou; Xiong Yi was enthroned; Xiong Qu claims to be the king.

Brief introduction to the history of Chu during this period: Xiong Yi was feuded and established, when the fief of Chu was narrow and the environment was harsh, Xiong Yi led the people of Chu to start a hard business, from Xiong Yi to Xiong Qu for more than 100 years, Chu from weak to strong, gradually got rid of the shackles of the Zhou royal family, and embarked on the road of independent development. Here we will focus on Xiongqu.

Xiong Qu succeeded to the throne and continued to make the power of Chu go south, to the Han River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin, at that time Xiong Qu was "even the people of the Jiang and Han Dynasty", that is, the support of the ethnic minorities in the Jianghan River Basin, when Xiong Qu opened up a new living space in the Jianghan Plain, he began to fight against the Zhou Dynasty, Xiong Qu regarded himself as a barbarian, he said, "I am a barbarian, not with the name of China." "It means that the Chu people are now barbarians, and we no longer accept the division of the Zhou Dynasty, so he divided his three sons into kings, and he regarded himself as the Son of Heaven, and sat on an equal footing with the Son of Zhou.

The basic appearance of Chu culture during this period: generally speaking, it was in the initial stage of economic and national strength development. Its entire culture inherits the Chinese culture of the Central Plains, and it is deeply influenced by the Central Plains culture. Although in the process of opening up the Jianghan River valley in the south, the cultural factors of the ethnic minorities in the south were constantly absorbed, but in general, at this time, the Chu culture had not yet formed its own characteristics.

2. Growth period

The growth period of Chu culture lasted from the time of the two weeks to the turn of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, which is equivalent to the Spring and Autumn Period in history. The major historical events that occurred in the state of Chu during this period were: King Wu of Chu claimed to be the king; King Wen of Chu "Shidu Ying"; King Chuzhuang competed for hegemony in the Central Plains.

Brief introduction to the history of Chu during this period: In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou royal family has begun to decline, and the princes continue to attack each other, during this period, Xiong Tong, the monarch of Chu, felt that the strength of Chu has become stronger, and proposed to the Zhou royal family, asking to increase the level of Chu State, in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Zhou royal family gave Chu the title of viscount. The Chu people have always been dissatisfied with this. Xiong Tong asked the Zhou royal family to raise the title level of Chu Jun, but the Zhou royal family refused. Xiong Tong simply did not do anything, and he also imitated the practice of Xiong Qu in the Western Zhou Dynasty, claiming to be a barbarian and establishing himself as the king. From then on, the kings of the state of Chu all inherited the title of king. After Xiong Tong died of illness, his nickname was King Wu of Chu. Therefore, before King Wu of Chu, the monarch of Chu was called king, and the king after him was called king.

King Chu Wen, the son of King Wu of Chu, was also a very accomplished king. After King Wen of Chu succeeded to the throne, he made a major strategic decision for the development of the Chu State, which was to move the capital of the Chu State to Ji Nan City in Jingzhou City, Hubei Province today. In 689 BC, King Wen of Chu moved his capital to Jinan City, which is historically known as "King Wen of Chu's first capital Ying". Chu Yingdu Ji Nancheng is located in the hinterland of the Jianghan Plain, the transportation is very convenient, rich in products, since the Chu Wen King was the first capital Ying, Chu after the state of Chu in the period of up to 411 years, a total of 20 generations of Chu kings set the capital here, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the capital of Chu Ying became the political, economic and cultural center of southern China. After King Wen of Chu, King Cheng of Chu and King Mu of Chu, these two kings began to compete for hegemony in the Central Plains. By the time of the King of Chuzhuang, the national strength of the State of Chu was rising all the way, and the King of Chuzhuang drank the Yellow River, won the Central Plains, defeated the powerful Jin State at that time, and successfully ranked among the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. The Spring and Autumn Period was a period of rapid rise in the national strength of the Chu State, and it was also an important period of growth of the Chu culture.

The cultural outlook of the growth period of Chu culture: the economic development of Chu State has played a great role in promoting Chu culture, and Chu culture began to show some of its own characteristics during this period, which is manifested in the following aspects: the formation of an independent official system, so that Yin, Mo Ao and other official positions are unique to Chu State; (Founder) Lao Tzu (a native of Kuxian County, Chu State) and his disciples wrote books and said that in the late Spring and Autumn Period, they founded (formed) the Taoist school of thought in Chu State, which was the earliest school among the hundred schools of thought in China. The advanced silk weaving technology in the north was introduced into the Chu State, which had an important impact on the rapid development of the silk weaving industry in the Chu State later.

3. Heyday

The heyday of Chu culture lasted from the turn of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Qin general Bai Qiqi in 278 BC, which corresponds to the early and middle Warring States periods. The major historical events that occurred in the state of Chu during this period were: Wu Qi changed the law; Xuanwei Shengshi; White uplifting.

Introduction to the history of Chu during this period: In the middle of the Warring States period, the reign of King Xuan of Chu and King Wei of Chu was the most powerful period in the history of Chu and the most extensive territory. During this period, the state of Chu was known as a place of 5,000 li, with a million armor. The state of Chu successfully ranked among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. After King Xuan of Chu and King Wei of Chu, the national power of Chu began to decline, and the two monarchs of Chu Huai and Chu Xiang, in the face of the strong Qin rising in the west, were conservative in their thinking and did not want to forge ahead, and finally led to the encroachment of Chu by Qin step by step, and finally in 278 BC, Bai Qi, the general of Qin, captured Yingdu, the capital of Chu.

The cultural outlook of the heyday of Chu culture: the middle of the Warring States period was the most powerful period of Chu State, and this period was also the peak period of Chu culture, so it was called the heyday of Chu culture, and the Chu culture during this period has made rapid progress in terms of material civilization and spiritual civilization, reaching the highest level at that time, which is specifically manifested in the following aspects: Chu State reached its peak in the fields of bronze smelting and casting, silk weaving and embroidery, lacquer technology and technology (the highest level at that time); The literature of Chu flourished, and the writers of Chu represented by Qu Yuan and Song Yu founded new literary genres such as "Chu Ci Style" and "Sao Style"; Confucianism, Taoism, Moism, Jurisprudence, and other schools of thought went south to Chu, making Chu the center of thought and scholarship in southern China.

4. Decline period

The period of decline of Chu culture began in 278 BC when the Chu capital moved east to Chencheng, and ended in 203 BC when the Qin state destroyed Chu. The major historical events that occurred in the state of Chu during this period were: the capital of Chu moved eastward; Chun Shenjun is in power; Qin annihilated the state of Chu.

Introduction to the history of Chu during this period: After Bai Qi pulled Ying, King Xiang of Chu led his ministers to protect Chencheng in the east, that is, to move the capital to Huaiyang, Henan today, which was called Chen Ying at that time. Since then, after 20 generations of Chu kings have painstakingly operated for more than 400 years, Ji Nancheng, the capital of Chu Ying, fell into the hands of the Qin State. During this period, due to the eastward relocation of the Chu state to Chencheng, it lost this area of the Jianghan Plain, and the economy of the whole country was greatly impacted. Huang Xie (314–238 BCE) was a native of Jiangxia in the state of Chu and originally from the state of Huang (present-day Huangchuan County, Henan Province).

During the reign of King Chu Kaolie, he was an official to the order of the state of Chu, and was a famous politician in the Warring States period. Together with Wei Guoxinlingjun Wei Wuji, Zhao Guopingjun Zhao Sheng, and Qi State Meng Weijun Tianwen, he was known as the "Four Princes of the Warring States" and served as the prime minister of Chu. Huang Xie is well-informed and good at arguing; In the first year of King Chu Kaolie (262 BC), with Huang Xie as the prime minister, he was named Chunshenjun and gave 12 counties in the northern part of Huai. In 238 BCE, when King Chukaoli died of illness, Chun Shenjun went to mourn, and Li Yuan had people ambush in the Thorn Gate, killing Chun Shenjun and his entire family. King Xiang of Chu died, and Xiong Wan ascended the throne and was called King Chu Kaolie. After King Chu Kaolie, there is King Chu You. (Huang Xie, Li Yuan)

The cultural outlook of the decline period of Chu culture: The economy of Chu was hit hard, and Chu culture also entered a period of decline. The Chu culture of this period can be praised as a branch of the Taoist school, Huang Lao Taoism, which quietly rose in the Chu State. During this period, a number of works of the Huang Lao school appeared, such as "The Silk Book of the Yellow Emperor" and "The Crown". In other areas, the achievements of Chu culture have not been as glorious as in their heyday.

In 278 B.C., when the Qin generals were in charge of the Qin Dynasty, a person from the Yin and Yang family named Nangong in the state of Chu said such a deafening sentence: "Although Chu has three households, the death of Qin will be Chu" ("Historical Records: Xiang Yu Benji"). After the state of Chu was wiped out by the state of Qin, it took only two years for the state of Qin to unify China, but the history of the Qin dynasty to unify China was only 15 years. In the great peasant uprising of the Qin Dynasty, it was three Chu people, one was Chen Sheng, one was Xiang Yu, and the other was Liu Bang, and the peasant rebel army led by them wiped out the Qin Dynasty. The Han Dynasty was established by Liu Bang, and after entering the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty's cultural policy was to inherit the Chu system from the Han Dynasty, that is to say, to comprehensively inherit the Chu culture in culture, such as Chu song, Chu dance, Chu Ci, Chu Fu and other cultural forms, which made further development in the early Han Dynasty, and the Chu culture also entered a new period of development and transformation.