Minyue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Minyue
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| 306 BC–110 BC | |||||||||
The location of Minyue
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Map of Minyue
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| Status | Kingdom | ||||||||
| Capital | Dongye (東冶, modern Fuzhou) Chengcun Han Castle (城村漢城, modern Wuyishan) |
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| Common languages | Minyue language Old Chinese |
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| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
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• ？ – before 192 BC
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Wuzhu (無諸) | ||||||||
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• ? – 135 BC
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Ying (郢) | ||||||||
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• 135 BC– ？
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Chou (丑) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
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• Established
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306 BC | ||||||||
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• Defeated and annexed by the Han dynasty
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110 BC | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
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• 110 BC estimate
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400,000 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | People's Republic of China ∟ Fujian (majority) Republic of China ∟ Fuchien (Kinmen and Matsu) |
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| Minyue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 閩越 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 闽越 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Minyue (Chinese: 閩越; Pinyin: Mǐnyuè) was an ancient kingdom in what is now the Fujian province in southern China. It existed for about 200 years, from 306 BC to 110 BC. Minyue was a neighbor of the powerful Han dynasty. Eventually, the Han empire grew and took over Minyue as it expanded south.
Contents
History of Minyue
How Minyue Began
The kingdoms of Minyue and Dong'ou were started by members of the royal family from the State of Yue. They had to flee after their state was defeated by other states in 334 BC.
Later, when the Qin dynasty fell in 206 BC, a powerful leader named Xiang Yu did not make Zou Wuzhu and Zou Yao kings. Because of this, they decided not to support him. Instead, they joined Liu Bang in fighting against Xiang Yu.
When Liu Bang won the war in 202 BC, he made Zou Wuzhu the king of Minyue. A few years later, in 192 BC, Liu Bang made Zou Yao the king of Dong'ou.
In 154 BC, a Han prince named Liu Pi rebelled against the Han emperor. He tried to get Minyue and Dong'ou to join him. Minyue refused, but Dong'ou decided to help the rebels. However, when Liu Pi was defeated, he fled to Dong'ou. To avoid trouble with the Han, Dong'ou killed Liu Pi. This saved them from punishment. Liu Pi's son, Liu Ziju, then fled to Minyue. He tried to start a war between Minyue and Dong'ou.
Minyue Attacks Dong'ou
In 138 BC, Minyue attacked Dong'ou and surrounded their capital city. Dong'ou managed to send someone to ask the Han dynasty for help.
Some Han officials thought they should not get involved in fights between these smaller states. But others argued that not helping Dong'ou would make the Han empire look weak. In the end, the Han sent an army by sea to Dong'ou. By the time the Han forces arrived, Minyue had already left.
The king of Dong'ou no longer wanted to live there. He asked the Han emperor if his people could move into Han territory. The emperor agreed. So, the people of Dong'ou moved to an area between the Changjiang (Yangtze) and Huai River.
Wars with Han and Minyue's End
In 137 BC, Minyue invaded another kingdom called Nanyue. The Han emperor sent an army to stop them. But before the Han army could do much, the Minyue king was killed by his own brother, Zou Yushan. Zou Yushan then made peace with the Han.
The Han emperor then made Zou Wuzhu's grandson, Zou Chou, the new king of Minyue. But after the Han army left, Zou Yushan secretly declared himself king. Zou Chou had no real power. When the Han emperor found out, he decided it was too much trouble to punish Zou Yushan and let it go.
In 112 BC, Nanyue rebelled against the Han. Zou Yushan pretended to send his army to help the Han fight Nanyue. But he secretly stayed in touch with Nanyue and didn't really help the Han. A Han general wanted to attack Minyue for this betrayal. However, the emperor felt his army was too tired for more fighting, so he sent them home.
The next year, Zou Yushan learned that the Han general still wanted to attack him. He also saw Han forces gathering near his border. So, Zou Yushan attacked the Han first. He captured some Han cities and killed three commanders.
In the winter, the Han fought back with a large attack from many directions. When the Han army reached the Minyue capital, a local leader named Wu Yang rebelled against Zou Yushan and killed him. The Han then appointed Wu Yang as a marquis.
The Han emperor decided it was too difficult to control Minyue because it had many narrow mountain passes. He ordered the army to move the people out of Minyue and resettle them between the Yangtze and Huai River. Legend says this left the region (modern Fujian) empty.
An ancient stone city in the mountains of Fujian is believed to have been the Minyue capital. Tombs nearby show similar burial customs to those in the Yue state, suggesting it was an important Minyue center.
Minyue Culture and Traditions
The native people of Minyue in Fujian province had customs similar to some of the Taiwanese indigenous people. These traditions included:
- Snake totemism: This means they believed snakes were sacred or had a special connection to their group.
- Short hair-style.
- Tattooing.
- Teeth pulling.
- Pile-dwellings: Houses built on stilts, often over water or marshy ground.
- Cliff burials: Burying their dead in coffins placed on cliffs.
- Uxorilocal post-marital residences: This means that after marriage, the husband would move to live with his wife's family.
Some experts believe that the original people of Taiwan might have come from the Minyue area. This idea is supported by how their languages are related. It is thought that many sea travelers lived along the southeast coast of China during the Neolithic era (New Stone Age). Many of these people spoke early Austronesian languages and were skilled sailors. There is even some evidence that an Austronesian language was still spoken in Fujian as late as 620 AD.
See also
