Fenghao
{{Short description|Capital of the Western Zhou dynasty of Ancient China}}
{{Infobox ancient site
|name = Fenghao
|map_caption = Location in northern China
|map_type = China Northern Plain |relief=1
|location = China
|region = Shaanxi
|coordinates = {{coord|34.21|108.72|display=inline}}
|built = {{Circa|1051 BC}}
|abandoned = 771 BC
}}
{{coord|34.21|N|108.72|E|display=title|region:CN-61_type:landmark_dim:1800}}
Fenghao ({{zh|t=灃鎬|s=沣镐|p=Fēnghào}}) is the modern name for the twin city comprising the capitals of the Chinese Western Zhou dynasty ({{circa|1046}}{{snd}}771 BCE), Feng and Hao. The cities were located on opposite banks of the Feng River near its confluence with the Wei, corresponding to modern Xi'an, Shaanxi.
History
As King Wen (ruled {{circa|1099}}–1050 BCE) expanded the territory of the Predynastic Zhou east into Shanxi in preparation for an assault on his nominal Shang overlords, he constructed a new capital on the west bank of the Feng about {{convert|100|km}} downstream from Zhou's original capital on the Wei River below Mount Qi. This city was called Feng, Fengxi, or Fengjing ({{lang|zh|灃{{linktext|京}}}}, Fēngjīng).{{Cite journal |last1=Guo |first1=Zhiyu |last2=Liu |first2=Kexin |last3=Yuan |first3=Sixun |last4=Wu |first4=Xiaohong |last5=Li |first5=Kun |last6=Lu |first6=Xiangyang |last7=Wang |first7=Jinxia |last8=Ma |first8=Hongji |last9=Gao |first9=Shijun |last10=Xu |first10=Lianggao |date=July 18, 2016 |orig-date=2005 |title=AMS Radiocarbon Dating of the Fengxi Site in Shaanxi, China |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/ams-radiocarbon-dating-of-the-fengxi-site-in-shaanxi-china/0D395CEA465E775E10E00204D41E6848 |journal=Radiocarbon |language=en |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=221–229 |doi=10.1017/S003382220001972X |issn=0033-8222}}
After his son Fa defeated the Shang at Muye and ascended the throne as King Wu (ruled {{circa|1046}}–1043 BCE) of the Zhou dynasty, the capital was moved to a new establishment on the east bank called Hao or Haojing.{{Cite journal |last=Khayutina |first=Maria |date=2008 |title=Western "Capitals" of the Western Zhou Dynasty: Historical Reality and Its Reflections Until the Time of Sima Qian |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24048045 |journal=Oriens Extremus |volume=47 |pages=25–65 |jstor=24048045 |issn=0030-5197}} The two formed a twin capital, with Feng continuing to serve the rituals of the Zhou ancestral shrine and gardens{{clarify|date=October 2012}} and Hao containing the royal palace and government administration.
Both were abandoned in 771 BC during the Quanrong invasion that drove the Zhou out of the Wei River Valley and brought an end to its Western dynasty. The capital of the Eastern Zhou was located at Chengzhou.
Ruins
The ruins of Fenghao lie in present-day southwest Xi'an in Shaanxi Province.{{Cite web |title=Fenghao Site |url=http://en.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/15/content_39279.htm |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=en.chinaculture.org}}{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Jiaqi |last2=Zhang |first2=Lei |last3=Zhao |first3=Jieyu |last4=Liang |first4=Yuan |last5=Han |first5=Qingxi |last6=Chirwa |first6=Sambirani |date=2023-05-18 |title=Exploration of the spatial relationship between Xi'an City and its mausoleums from the perspective of time evolution |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |language=English |volume=11 |doi=10.3389/fevo.2023.1158563 |doi-access=free |issn=2296-701X}} The site was declared an important national cultural heritage site by the State Council of the People's Republic of China in 1961.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
Category:Ancient Chinese capitals
Category:11th-century BC establishments
Category:Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC
Category:Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shaanxi
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