Haojing facts for kids

Haojing, also known as Hao or Zongzhou, was an important ancient city in China. It was one of the two main parts of the capital city for the Western Zhou dynasty. This dynasty ruled China a very long time ago, from 1066 to 770 BCE. The other part of the capital was called Fēngjīng. Together, these two cities were known as Fenghao. They were built on opposite sides of the Feng River. Haojing was on the east side, and Fēngjīng was on the west. Today, you can find the ruins of Haojing near the Feng River in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. It was the main place where King Wu of Zhou ruled his kingdom.

History of Haojing

The story of Haojing begins with King Wen of Zhou. He ruled from 1099 to 1056 BCE. King Wen moved the Zhou capital from a place called Qíyì to Fēngjīng. Later, his son, King Wu of Zhou, moved the main government buildings across the river to Haojing. Haojing was built next to a lake called Hao.

Fēngjīng became a special place for the Zhou royal family. It held their ancestral shrines and beautiful gardens. Meanwhile, Haojing became the center of power. It was where the king lived and where the government made its decisions. Haojing was also called Zōngzhōu. This name showed its importance as the main capital for all the smaller states that were part of the Zhou kingdom.

Changes to the Capital's Role

During the time of King Cheng of Zhou, who ruled from 1042 to 1021 BCE, a new city was built. The Duke of Zhou built this second capital, called Luoyi, also known as Chengzhou. This new city was in the eastern part of the kingdom. It helped the Zhou rulers keep better control over their large territory.

Even though King Cheng often stayed in Chengzhou, Haojing remained very important. It was still the main place for running the kingdom's daily business.

Later, under King Zhao of Zhou (996–977 BCE), the eastern part of the Zhou kingdom became even more important. Because of this, Chengzhou grew to be the major center for the kingdom's operations.

The Fall of Haojing

The end of Haojing as a capital came during the reign of King You of Zhou. He ruled from 781 to 771 BCE. The Marquess of Shen, a powerful lord, attacked Haojing. He had help from the Quanrong nomads, who came from the west. They took over Haojing, and this event marked the end of the Western Zhou dynasty.

All the royal buildings in Haojing were completely destroyed. We don't know if the buildings in Fēngjīng survived the attack. The new king, King Ping of Zhou, had no choice but to move the capital. He moved it east to Chengzhou. For some time after, people still remembered the "Western Zhou" and sometimes called Chengzhou by the old name Zōngzhōu.

See also

• Historical capitals of China