Kingdom of Chu

Chu
楚 *S-r̥a
Viscounty (before 704 BC) Kingdom (704–223 BC)
c. 1030 BCE–223 BCE
Capital		Danyang (c. 1030–c. 680 BCE) Ying (c. 680–278 BCE) Chen (陈) (278–241 BCE) Shouchun (241–224 BCE) Pengcheng
Languages		Chu Chinese Bird-worm seal script
Religion		Chinese folk religion Ancestor veneration
Government		Monarchy
History
•	Founded by Xiong Yi	c. 1030 BCE
•	Xiong Tong proclaimed king	706 or 703 BCE
•	Conquered by Qin	223 BCE
Currency		Ancient Chinese coinage
Succeeded by Qin Dynasty

Chu
"Chu" in seal script (top) and regular (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese	楚
Literal meaning	Chu (place)
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chǔ Wade–Giles Ch'u3 IPA [ʈʂʰù] Wu Suzhounese Tshòu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Chó Jyutping Co2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chhóo Tâi-lô Tshóo Middle Chinese Middle Chinese tʂʰjó Old Chinese Baxter-Sagart *s-r̥aʔ

Chu (Chinese: 楚, Old Chinese: *s-r̥aʔ) was a hegemonic, Zhou dynasty era state. From King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE, the rulers of Chu declared themselves kings on an equal footing with the Zhou kings. Though initially inconsequential, removed to the south of the Zhou heartland and practising differing customs, Chu began a series of administrative reforms, becoming a successful expansionist state during the Spring and Autumn period. With its continued expansion Chu became a great Warring States period power.

Also known as Jing (荆), Jingchu (荆楚) and Shu (舒), Chu included most of the present-day provinces of Hubei and Hunan, along with parts of Chongqing, Guizhou, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. For more than 400 years, the Chu capital Danyang was located at the junction of the Dan and Xi Rivers near present-day Xichuan County, Henan, but later moved to Ying. The ruling house of Chu originally bore the clan name Nai (嬭) and lineage name Yan (酓), but they are later written as Mi (芈) and Xiong (熊), respectively.