Yan (state)

Yan
燕
Kingdom/Principality
11th century BCE–222 BCE
Capital		Ji
Government		Monarchy
Historical era		Zhou Dynasty
•	Established	11th century BCE
•	Conquered by Qin	222 BCE
Currency		knife money spade money other ancient Chinese coinage
Succeeded by Qin Dynasty

Yān
"Yān" in ancient seal script (top) and modern (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese	燕
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yān Bopomofo ㄧㄢ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Ian Wade–Giles Yen1 IPA [i̯ɛ́n] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Yin or Yīn Jyutping Jin3 or Jin1 Southern Min Tâi-lô Ian Old Chinese Baxter-Sagart *ʔˤa[n]

Yan (Chinese: 燕; pinyin: Yān; Old Chinese pronunciation: *ʔˤa[n]) was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing). During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xiadu at times.

The history of Yan began in the Western Zhou in the early first millennium BC. After the authority of the Zhou king declined during the Spring and Autumn period in the 8th century BC, Yan survived and became one of the strongest states in China. During the Warring States period from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, Yan was one of the last states to be conquered by the armies of Qin Shihuang: Yan fell in 222 BC, the year before the declaration of the Qin Empire. Yan experienced a brief period of independence after the collapse of the Qin dynasty in 207 BC, but it was eventually absorbed by the victorious Han.

According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, King Wu of Zhou deposed King Zhou of Shang at the Battle of Muye |c. 1046 BCE and conferred titles to nobles within his domain, including the rulers of the Yan.

In the 11th century BC, Yan's capital was based in what is now Liulihe Township, Fangshan District, Beijing, where a large walled settlement and over 200 tombs of nobility have been unearthed. Among the most significant artifacts from the Liulihe Site is a bronze ding with inscriptions that recount the journey of the eldest son of the Duke of Yan, who delivered offerings to the King of Zhou in present-day Xi'an and was awarded a position in the king's court.