A Comprehensive Study of Xing in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties

This book conducts a comprehensive and systematic study on some major academic problems related to Xing state’s territory, its kingdom history and the origin and development of the Xing state. Based on a systematic collection of archaeological finding and ancient writing, the author has referred to a vast amount of Ancient literature works and made a detailed textual research over the migration led by Zuyi, one of the Xing’s emperors. The research has led the author to deny the possibility for Geng and Bi to be the capital of Xing state, while Xingtai was believed to be capital of the kingdom. A special research over “Jing Fang” of the Shang dynasty was also covered in this book. Many new viewpoints are put forward through in-depth studies and verifications over the origin of Xing Kingdom, the Xing’s territory and “Jing Fang” and their complicated correlations. What’s most important is the research carried out on the evolution from the “Jing” in oracle characters and bronze inscriptions to the “Xing” in ancient works of literature, which has offered a clear clue to this long process of variation and basically solved the academic debate. In addition, from the perspective of archaeology, the book even probes into the Rongdi people, who are considered to have interacted with the Xing Kingdom in Western Zhou Dynasty, which has enlarged the scope of research.

In short, this is a professional academic research, rare to be found, on the history of the territorial kingdoms and the vassal states in the Pre-Qin period.