Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The state of Wu straddled the mouth of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) east of the State of Chu. Considered a semi-barbarian state by ancient Chinese historians, its capital was Suzhou. The Spring and Autumn Period (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC to the first half of the 5th century). ... Chen (陳 Trần) was a minor state of the Spring and Autumn Period in Ancient China. ... State of Chu (small seal script, 220 BC) Chu (楚) was a kingdom in what is now southern China during the Spring and Autumn period (722-481 BCE) and Warring States Period (481-212 BCE). ... Huáguó (滑国) referred to a vassal state of Western Zhou that existed in what is now Henan, whose ruling elites belonged to the royal family but which was destroyed by the State of Qin in 627 BC[citation needed]. The population were the earlier Hua of the Spring and Autumn... Categories: Ancient Chinese states | China-related stubs ... Lu ( Chinese: 魯國; pinyin: ) was an ancient state in China during the Spring and Autumn Period. ... State of Qi (small seal script, 220 BC) See Qi (disambiguation) for other meanings of Qi. Qi (齊; pinyin: qi2) was a relatively powerful state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of the Warring States. ... Qin or Chin (Wade-Giles) (秦), pronounced something like Shin, (778 BC-207 BC) was a state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China. ... Shu (蜀) was an ancient state in Sichuan, China. ... Sòng (宋國) was a state during the Eastern Zhou Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC). ... Yan State knife money Yan (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) was a state during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods in China. ... Yue was a state in China which existed during the Spring and Autumn Period. ... Zheng (é„­) was a Zhou city-state in the middle of ancient China, modern Henan Province. ... The Three Kingdoms period (Traditional Chinese characters: 三國, Simplified Chinese characters: 三国, pinyin Sānguó) is a period in the History of China. ... The territories of Eastern Wu (in green), AD 262 Capital Jianye Language(s) Chinese Government Monarchy Emperor  - 222 - 252 Sun Quan  - 252 - 258 Sun Liang  - 258 - 264 Sun Xiu  - 264 - 280 Sun Hao Historical era Three Kingdoms  - Establishment 222  - Sun Quan declares himself emperor 229  - Conquest of Wu by Jin... Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (Traditional Chinese: 五代十國 Simplified Chinese: 五代十国 Hanyu pinyin: Wǔdàishíguó) (907-960) was a period of political upheaval in China, between the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty. ... Wu 吳 (also refered to as Huainan 淮南) was one of the Ten Kingdoms in south-central China which was in existance between the years of 904 and 937. ... Capital Qiantang Language(s) Middle Chinese Religion Buddhism Government Monarchy King  - 907-932 Qian Liu  - 932-941 Qian Yuanguan  - 941-947 Qian Zuo  - 947 Qian Zong  - 947-978 Qian Chu Historical era Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period  - Fall of the Tang Dynasty 907  - Submitted to Song 978  - Extinguishment 988... The Spring and Autumn Period (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC to the first half of the 5th century). ... The Yangtze River or Chang Jiang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), or Drichu in Tibetan (Tibetan: འབ; Wylie: bri chu) is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world, after the Nile in Africa, and the Amazon in South America. ... State of Chu (small seal script, 220 BC) Chu (楚), originally known as Jing (荆) and then Jingchu (荆楚), was an independent state that existed during Chinas Spring and Autumn period and, subsequently, the Warring States period. ... Suzhou (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; ancient name: 吳) is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. ...

According to Sima Qian, the rulers of Wu claimed to be descended from Taibo, the elder uncle of King Wen of Zhou. Realising that his younger brother, Jili, was wiser than him, and deserved to inherit the throne, Taibo would have fled to Wu and settled there. Three generations later, King Wu of Zhou defeated the last Yin emperor, and enfeoffed the descendents of Taibo in Wu. Sima Qian Si Ma Qian (司馬遷) (c. ...

The State of Jin aided Wu's rise to power as a useful ally against the State of Chu. In 584 BC, Wu rebelled against the State of Chu; the action occurred after being persuaded by Wuchen, a minister of the State of Jin who defected from Chu. Categories: Ancient Chinese states | China-related stubs ... Categories: Ancient Chinese states | China-related stubs ...

Afterwards, Wu would be a constant threat to the state of Chu on its southeastern flank until its demise. Wu curried relationships with Chu's vassals in the Yangtze river region to weaken support for Chu. In 506 BC, Wu launched a surprise attack and occupied the capital of Chu. Afterwards, Wu was briefly the most powerful nation, and turned to other campaigns, defeating the State of Qi in 484 BC. State of Qi (small seal script, 220 BC) See Qi (disambiguation) for other meanings of Qi. Qi (齊; pinyin: qi2) was a relatively powerful state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of the Warring States. ...

Ironically, Wu was later threatened by an upstart state to its south, the State of Yue; the State of Chu aided Yue's rise to power as a counter to Wu. Although Wu won a major victory against Yue in 494 BC, it failed to completely subjugate Yue, helped in part by Yue's bribing of an important Wu minister. While Wu was engaged in a military campaign in the north, Yue launched a surprise attack on Wu in 482 BC and conquered the capital. Eventually, the State of Yue conquered Wu in 473 BC. Yue was a state in China which existed during the Spring and Autumn Period. ...

The leaders of Yue and Wu were kings, not dukes because they were considered "barbarian" states and did not petition the nominal Zhou court for peerage.

Wu and Yue were masters of metallurgy, fabricating excellent swords, with incised messages, geometric patterns and inlaid gold or silver. Examples include the spearhead of King Fu Chai, the sword of Prince Guang or King He Lu of Wu. King Helü (Simplified Chinese: 阖闾; Traditional Chinese: 闔閭) of the state of Wu(Simplified Chinese: 吴; Traditional Chinese: 吳), a state in ancient China, was initially known as Prince Guang (Chinese: ). He reigned towards the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. ...

Possible connection with ancient Japan

A tattooed Haniwa statue, 5th-6th century, Kamiyasaku Tomb, Fukushima Fukushima Prefecture.

The first Wu Kingdom was united by Taibo during the Spring and Autumn Period. Originally considered a barbarian state, the people of the Wu Kingdom became Sinicized during the Warring States Period. Ambassadoral visits to Japan by the later Northern Chinese dynasties Wei and Jin Dynasty (265-420) recorded that the Wō people of Japan claimed to be descendants of the Grand Count (Tàibó) of the Kingdom of Wu.^[1] Historical records also show that the ancient Japanese had similar lifestyles and customs as pre-Sinicized inhabitants of the Wu Kingdom, including tattooing, ritual teeth-pulling, and baby-carrying on backs. The Japanese tradition of eating raw fish is common in the Wu area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, as well as in Manchuria. Tattooing examples are found on Haniwa statues with red paint on hands and faces. However, the Japanese language can be directly linked neither to the Wu dialect nor to any other Chinese language. It is probable that the Japanese language may have originated from a mixture of various ancient languages, including ancient Korean-related languages, native languages in Japan, and ancient Chinese dialects.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Fukushima Prefecture (福島県 Fukushima-ken) is located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island, Japan. ... The Spring and Autumn Period (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC to the first half of the 5th century). ... Sinicization, or less commonly Sinification, is to make things Chinese. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Northern Wei Buddha Maitreya, 443 AD. A Buddhist stela from the Northern Wei period, build in the early 6th century. ... The Jin Dynasty (晉 pinyin: jìn, 265-420), one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. ... Ideogram for Wa, formed by the radical for person (on the left), and the phonetic element Wei on the right (itself represented by a rice plant in the upper part and a woman in the lower part). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Haniwa (埴輪) are clay figures which were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th century CE) of Japanese history. ... Not to be confused with the Javanese language. ... Wu (吳方言 pinyin wú fāng yán; 吳語 pinyin wú yǔ) is one of the major divisions of the Chinese language. ... Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zhōngwén) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語, or 中文; Pinyin: Hànyǔ, Huáyǔ, or Zhōngwén) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... The Buyeo (Puyŏ) languages are a hypothetical language family that would relate the languages of Buyeo, Goguryeo, Baekje and the Japonic languages, and possibly place them together as a family under the hypothetical Altaic family. ...

This purported tie with Japan's origins turns ironic as during the start of World War II, the Wu region of China was the most devastated and took on the brunt of the fighting against the Japanese as other Chinese regions in the north fell (see the Battle of Shanghai and the Rape of Nanking). Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants Republic of China National Revolutionary Army Empire of Japan Imperial Japanese Army, Shanghai Expeditionary Force, Central China Theater Army, Imperial Japanese Navy Third Fleet Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Xie Jinyuan Heisuke Yanagawa, Iwane Matsui Strength 600,000 troops in 75 divisions and 9 brigades, 250 airplanes 300,000 troops... The Nanking Massacre (Chinese: 南京大屠杀, pinyin: Nánjīng Dàtúshā; Japanese: 南京大虐殺, Nankin Dai Gyaku-satsu), also known as the Rape of Nanking and sometimes in Japan as the Nanking Incident (南京事件, Nankin Jiken), refers...

See also

• King Liao of Wu
• King He Lu of Wu
• King Fu Chai of Wu
• Wu Zixu
• Sun Tzu

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