The Shang dynasty (商朝, Shāng Cháo, c. 1600 BC – 1046 BC), also known as the Yin dynasty, is the earliest Chinese dynasty firmly supported by archaeological evidence.
Preceded by the only vaguely known (and semi-legendary) Xia Dynasty (c. 2100 BC – 1600 BC) and the legendary 3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors. A relatively small state centred on the Yellow River valley, this was a Bronze Age culture mostly known today for the workmanship of its artefacts (including many exquisite items in cast bronze) and its position in the development of Chinese culture. And also oracle bones. Lots of oracle bones.
A brother of the last king of Shang was later given a piece of land named 'Song' (宋), and thus his descendants became dukes of Song during the Zhou Dynasty.
Of the 24 Histories, "Records of the Grand Historian" (史記/史记, Shǐjì) covers this period. Modern historians (particularly Western ones, but some Chinese as well) used to believe this dynasty was semi-legendary at best until the discovery and decipherment of the oracle bones; the king list developed based on the bones so closely matched the Shǐjì that the historicity of the Shang was quickly accepted.
The Ruins of Ying near the modern city of Anyang have been identified as the remains of the last Shang capital. Excavations there have unearthed royal tombs, palaces, weapons, evidence of animal and human sacrificenote , many artefacts, and the earliest known examples of Chinese writing (the aforementioned oracle bones).
Notable monarch
- Di Xin, King Zhou of Shang (商紂王帝辛/商纣王帝辛) (1075 BC – 1046 BC): the fact that his death year is the same as the year the dynasty ended and that he is known as "the crupper
king" should tell you something. Despite a promising early reign, his immoral behaviour in later years earned him the place as a proverbial terrible ruler.
Notable individual
- Su Daji (蘇妲己/苏妲己) (1076 BC – 1046 BC): A woman of the Jǐ clan from a noble family of Yǒusū (有蘇/有苏), and the final, most beloved concubine of Di Xin. She might look unassuming, but sources say that she's basically a sadistic Lady Macbeth that influenced Di Xin's descent into terrible ruler territory and enjoyed the screams of tortured humans. Little wonder that she's immediately executed after the dynasty's fall.
Depictions in fiction
- Age of Empires features the Shang as a playable faction.
- First non-tutorial campaign in Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom is dedicated to Shang dynasty.
- Fengshen Yanyi: A work detailing the final days of the Shang dynasty, in which the corrupt and lecherous King Zhou of Shang was eventually overthrown by the virtuous King Wu of Zhou. In the war, a great many generals, Taoist and Buddhist immortals, and heroes of all sorts were slain and promoted to deities, hence the name of the story. This is usually the work that upgraded the normally sadistic Su Daji into the mythological sadistic nine-tailed fox-monster (just named Daji).
- Jiang Ziya: The beginning of the movie shows the downfall of the Shang dynasty as the gods wage a war against demons led by the nine-tailed demon-fox Daji (妲己), who had seduced King Zhou and turned him into an immoral tyrant before killing him.
- Ne Zha
- Xuan Yuan Sword EX: The Gate Of Firmament is explicitly set in 1341 BC. One of the reasons why the hero's village is always on the run is because it consists of former Xia Dynasty loyalists, and the Shang Dynasty may want to hunt them down even after generations.
