Dan, Duke Wen of Zhou, commonly known as the Duke of Zhou, was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu. He was renowned for acting as a capable and loyal regent for his young nephew King Cheng, and for successfully suppressing the Rebellion of the Three Guards and establishing firm rule of the Zhou dynasty over eastern China. He is also a Chinese culture hero, with the authorship of the I Ching and the Classic of Poetry having traditionally been attributed to him, as well as the establishment of the Rites of Zhou.
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👉 Duke of Zhou in the context of State of Lu
Lu (Chinese: 魯; c. 1042 – 249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern southwest Shandong. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji (姬) that ruled the Zhou dynasty. The first duke was Boqin, a son of the Duke of Zhou, who was brother of King Wu of Zhou and regent to King Cheng of Zhou.
Lu was the home state of Confucius as well as Mozi, and, as such, has an outsized cultural influence among the states of the Eastern Zhou and in history. The Annals of Spring and Autumn, for instance, was written with the Lu rulers' years as their basis. Another great work of Chinese history, the Zuo Zhuan or Commentary of Zuo, was traditionally considered to have been written in Lu by Zuo Qiuming.
In this Dossier
Duke of Zhou in the context of Solar terms
A solar term (or jiéqì, simplified Chinese: 节气; traditional Chinese: 節氣) is any of twenty-four moments in traditional Chinese lunisolar calendars that matches a particular astronomical event and signifies some natural phenomenon. The points are spaced 15° apart along the ecliptic and are used by lunisolar calendars to stay synchronized with the seasons, which is crucial for agrarian societies. The solar terms are also used to calculate intercalary months; which month is repeated depends on the position of the sun at the time.
According to the Book of Documents, the first determined term was Dongzhi (Winter Solstice) by Dan, the Duke of Zhou, while he was trying to locate the geological center of the Western Zhou dynasty, by measuring the length of the sun's shadow on an ancient type of sundial called tǔguī (土圭). Then four terms of seasons were set, which were soon evolved as eight terms; not until the Taichu Calendar of 104 BC were all twenty-four solar terms officially included in the Chinese calendar.
Duke of Zhou in the context of Ritual and music system
The Chinese ritual music is the music used in the rituals of traditional Chinese religion. It is also described as the ritual and music system (Chinese: 礼乐制度; pinyin: Lǐ yuè zhìdù) because of its perceived importance in Chinese culture since the Zhou dynasty— particularly within Confucianism—to establishing and maintaining social order. Together with the patriarchal system, it constituted the social system of the entire ancient China and had a great influence on the politics, culture, art and thought of later generations. The feudal system and the Well-field system were two other institutions that developed at that time. According to legend it was founded by the Duke of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou.
The Ritual Music System is divided into two parts: ritual and music. The part of ritual mainly divides people's identity and social norms, and finally forms a hierarchy. The music part is mainly based on the hierarchical system of etiquette, using music to alleviate social conflicts.
Duke of Zhou in the context of Boqin
Bo Qin (Chinese: 伯禽; pinyin: Bóqín), also known as Qin Fu (禽父), also known by his posthumous name as the Duke Tai of Lu (魯太公), was the founder of the Lu state, a dynastic vassal state of the Zhou dynasty.
Born into the royal Ji family, he was the eldest son of Dan, the Duke of Zhou. Instead of inheriting his father's estate in Zhou, he was granted the newly established State of Lu centered at Qufu. He is thought to have ruled Lu from around 1042 to 997 BC.
Duke of Zhou in the context of King Cheng of Zhou
King Cheng of Zhou (Chinese: 周成王; pinyin: Zhōu Chéng Wáng; Wade–Giles: Chou Ch‘êng Wang; 1055–1021 BC), personal name Ji Song, was the second king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1042–1021 BCE or 1042/35–1006 BCE. Ji Dan, Duke of Zhou served as regent during his minority. His parents were King Wu of Zhou and Queen Yi Jiang.