Qi (state) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Qi 齊 *Dzəj
1046 BCE–221 BCE
Qi in 260 BCE
Status	Regional State (1046–323 BCE ) Kingdom (323–221 BCE )
Capital	Yingqiu (11 c.–866 BCE ) Bogu (866–859 BCE ) Linzi (859–221 BCE )
Religion	ancestor worship Chinese folk religion
Government	Monarchy
Lord of Qi
• 685–643 BCE	Duke Huan of Qi
• 547–490 BCE	Duke Jing of Qi
Chancellor
• 685–645 BCE	Guan Zhong
• 556–500 BCE	Yan Ying
History
• Enfeoffment of Duke Tai	1046 BCE
• Conquered by Qin	221 BCE
Currency	Knife money
Preceded by Succeeded by Pugu 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 IPA [tsʰɐ̏i] 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, also spelled Ch'i, was an important state in ancient China. It existed during the Zhou dynasty period. Its rulers started as "Lords" (called Hou and then Gong). Later, they became independent "Kings." The capital city of Qi was Ancient Linzi, which is in today's Shandong province.

Qi was founded around 1046 BCE, soon after the Zhou dynasty defeated the Shang dynasty. Its first ruler was Jiang Ziya, a famous minister and legendary figure. His family ruled Qi for many centuries. Later, another family, the Tian family, took over in 386 BCE. Qi was the very last state to be conquered by the state of Qin when Qin united all of China.

History of Qi

Bronze knife-shaped coins from the State of Qi, found in Shandong Museum

How Qi Began

Qi was created after the Zhou dynasty won the Battle of Muye against the Shang dynasty. Jiang Ziya, a top advisor to King Wu of Zhou, was given control of the lands that became Qi. These lands covered much of the Shandong peninsula.

After King Wu died, Jiang Ziya stayed loyal to the new young king's regent. Some local groups, including the Pugu people within Qi's borders, rebelled. These rebellions were put down around 1039 BCE. However, the Pugu people continued to fight for about ten more years before they were fully defeated.

During the early Zhou period, not much is known about Qi. We do know that King Yi of Zhou (Xie) attacked Qi and killed one of its rulers, Duke Ai of Qi. Over time, many local groups in the area became part of the Zhou culture.

The Spring and Autumn Period

After a big crisis in the Zhou royal family, the central government lost much of its power. This allowed states like Qi to become very strong. Qi became powerful under Duke Huan of Qi, who ruled from 685 to 643 BCE.

Duke Huan and his minister, Guan Zhong, made Qi stronger. They did this by giving more power to the central government. They created a system of counties ruled directly by state officials. Qi took over 35 smaller states and made others follow its lead. Guan Zhong also set up state control over salt and iron, which helped the state earn a lot of money.

In 667 BCE, Duke Huan was chosen as the leader of several important states. The Zhou King even called him Bà, meaning "hegemon-protector." This meant he was sworn to protect the Zhou royal family. He was the first of the Five Hegemons, powerful leaders who kept peace among the states. Duke Huan received tribute from other states and had the honor of paying more tribute to the king than anyone else. His calls for military help were as important as the king's own.

Using this power, Duke Huan helped other states. He stopped a power struggle in Lu and protected Yan from northern nomads. He also drove away northern invaders from Wey and Xing, providing help and protection. He led an alliance of eight states to conquer Cai, stopping the expansion of the Chu state.

After Duke Huan died, a fight for who would rule next greatly weakened Qi. This ended its time as the main hegemon. In 632 BCE, Qi helped Jin defeat Chu. However, Jin later defeated Qi in 589 BCE. In 579 BCE, the four biggest powers – Qin, Jin, Chu, and Qi – agreed to a truce and limited their armies.

The Warring States Period - Tian Qi

At the start of this period, Qi took over several smaller states. Qi was also one of the first states to support scholars and thinkers. In 532 BCE, the Tian family became very powerful in Qi. They took control from other families.

By 485 BCE, the Tian family killed the heir to the old ruling family. Four years later, the Tian chief killed the puppet ruler and most of his family. He took control of most of the state. The old ruling family was left with only the capital city of Ancient Linzi and the area around Mount Tai. In 386 BCE, the Tian family completely replaced the old Jiang family as rulers of Qi.

The Warring States period ended when the Qin state conquered all other states. Qi was the last state to fall in 222 BCE. This marked the end of Qi and the beginning of Imperial China.

Culture of Qi

Before China was united by Qin, each state had its own customs, culture, and even different ways of writing. The Yu Gong (or Tribute of Yu), an ancient text, describes nine different cultural regions in China.

Another text, The Book of Master Wu, talks about these cultural differences. The author, Wu Qi, said that a state's government and people were shaped by their land. About Qi, he said:

Even though Qi has many soldiers, their organization is not strong. The people of Qi are naturally stubborn and their country is rich. But the rulers and officials are proud and don't care about the people. The state's rules are not always the same and are not strictly followed. Pay is unfair, causing disagreements. Qi's army puts its strongest fighters at the front, with others behind. So, even if they look powerful, they are actually weak. To beat them, we should split our army into three groups. Two groups should attack the left and right sides of Qi's army. Once their battle lines are broken, the middle group can attack, and we will win.

When Confucius visited Qi, he was very impressed by the perfect performance of Shao music there.

During the Warring States period, Qi was famous for the Jixia Academy in Linzi. This was a place where famous scholars from all over China would gather. Today, we understand the Jixia Academy as a group of sponsored scholars who worked together on ideas, rather than a single building. One important work from this group is the Yanzi Chunqiu.

Qi Architecture

Remains of an Ancient Linzi city sewer passing under the former city wall of the Qi kingdom.

The state of Qi was known for its well-planned cities. They were often nearly rectangular with roads laid out in a neat grid pattern. The main palace was usually placed facing south. To the left (east) of the palace was the ancestral temple, and to the right (west) was the temple of the gods. Both were about one hundred paces away. This design helped create balance. In front of the palace was the court, also one hundred paces away, and behind the palace was the rest of the city. This city layout greatly influenced how cities were designed in later times.

Smaller estates called chengyi were common throughout Qi. These were typically about 450 meters from north to south and 395 meters from east to west. They were usually surrounded by a wall, with living quarters inside and a nearly perfect square-shaped courtyard in the middle.

The Great Wall of Qi is the oldest existing Great Wall in China. Building the wall started in 441 BCE to defend against attacks from the states of Jin and Yue. Construction finished during the Warring States period. The wall helped Qi defend itself from enemies like Ju, Lu, and Chu. It stretches about 600 kilometers (370 miles) from Guangli village in Jinan to the Yellow Sea in Qingdao. Most of the wall can still be seen today.

Qi in Astronomy

In ancient Chinese astronomy, Qi is represented by the star Chi Capricorni in the "Twelve States" star group. This group is part of the "Girl" lunar mansion within the "Black Turtle" symbol. Qi is also shown by the star 112 Herculis in the "Left Wall" star group within the "Heavenly Market" area.

Rulers of Qi

House of Jiang

House of Tian

Famous People from Qi

All dates are BCE.

• Guan Zhong (720–645): A very important prime minister to Duke Huan of Qi. He helped make Qi one of the most powerful states.
• Yan Ying (578–500): A prime minister to Duke Jing of Qi. He is known from the Yanzi Chunqiu, a book sometimes said to be written by him.
• Sun Tzu (544–496): A Chinese strategist and writer. He is famously believed to have written The Art of War. Some historians are not sure if he truly existed.
• Sun Bin (?–316): A military strategist known for his book Sun Bin's Art of War.
• Chunyu Kun (386–310): An official and master scholar at the Jixia Academy.
• Mencius (372–289): An official and one of the most famous Confucian philosophers.
• Xun Kuang (313–238): A philosopher who joined the Jixia Academy when he was 50 years old. He is known for the book Xunzi.