King Mu of Zhou
| King Mu of Zhou 周穆王 |
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| King of China | |||||
| Reign | 976–922 BC or 956-918 BC | ||||
| Predecessor | King Zhao of Zhou | ||||
| Successor | King Gong of Zhou | ||||
| Died | 922 BC | ||||
| Issue |
King Gong of Zhou King Xiao of Zhou |
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| Father | King Zhao of Zhou | ||||
| Full name | |
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Ancestral name: Jī (姬) Given name: Mǎn (滿) |
King Mu of Zhou (Chinese: 周穆王; pinyin: Zhōu Mù Wáng) was the fifth king of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. The dates of his reign are 976-922 BC or 956-918 BC.
King Mu came to the throne after his father King Zhao’s death during his tour to the South. King Mu was perhaps the most pivotal king of the Zhou Dynasty, reigning nearly 55 years, from ca. 976 BC to ca. 922 BC. He was reputed to have lived until the age of 105. He liked to travel and in particular visited the Kunlun Mountains several times during his reign, and is said that he traveled 90,000 kilometers to the west. Mu was more ambitious than wise, yet he was able to introduce reforms that changed the nature of the Zhou Dynasty government, transforming it from a hereditary system to one that was based on merit and knowledge of administrative skills.
During Mu’s reign, the Zhou Dynasty was at its peak, and Mu tried to stamp out invaders in the western part of China and ultimately expand Zhou’s influence to the east. In the height of his passion for conquests, he led an immense army against the Quanrong, who inhabited the western part of China. His travels allowed him to contact many tribes and swayed them to either join under the Zhou banner or be conquered in war with his army. This expedition may have been more of a failure than a success, judging by the fact that he brought back only four white wolves and four white deer. Unintentionally and inadvertently, he thus sowed the seeds of hatred which culminated in an invasion of China by the same tribes in 771 BC. In his thirteenth year the Xu Rong, probably the state of Xu in the southeast, raided near the eastern capital of Fenghao. The war seems to have ended in a truce in which the state of Xu gained land and power in return for nominal submission.
However, despite his success, traditional historiography viewed him with controversy. While some praise his victories against the Qun Rong, others criticized him for from his time, the fourth border state no longer entered into a relationship with the Zhou Dynasty. While the Shang Shu credited him with establishing the first systematic legal code in China; on the other hand, had he been a virtuous king there would have been no need for laws.
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