Zheng (state)

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Zheng (鄭) was a Zhou city-state in the middle of ancient China, modern Henan Province. Zheng was founded in 806 BC by Duke Huan of Zheng. Duke Huan of Zheng was named Ji You and all subsequent dukes took the name Ji. Sensing that the Western Zhou dynasty was in decline, Duke Huan moved his property, family members and merchants eastward. His successor, Duke Wu of Zheng, annexed the states of Eastern Guo and Kuai and made Xin Zheng his capital. Duke Wu and his successor Duke Zhuang of Zheng both served as advisors for kings of the Zhou Dynasty. Descendants of the duke's family has the surname of Zheng. Go to Chinese surname to see the mordern variations of the surname.

The state of Zheng was one of the strongest at the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period. Zheng was the first Zhou state to annex another state, Xi, in 712 BC. Throughout the Spring and Autumn Period, Zheng was one of the wealthiest states, relying on its central location for inter-state commerce and having the largest number of merchants of any state. Zheng often used its wealth to bribe itself out of difficult situations. Zheng was also home to many skilled statesmen, the most famous being Zi Chan. By the later stages of the period, Zheng had no room to expand; due to its centralized location, Zheng was hemmed in on all sides by larger states.

During the later stages of the Spring and Autumn Period, Zheng frequently switched its diplomatic alliances. Zheng was the center of diplomatic contention between Chu and Qi, then later Chu and Jin. Although Zheng was forced to become a bit player in the later stages of the Spring and Autumn Period, it was still quite strong, defeating a combined alliance of Jin, Song, Chen and Wei by itself in 607 BC.

Under the statesman Zi Chan, Zheng was the first state to clearly establish a code of law in 543 BC. Zheng later declined until it was annexed by the state of Han in 375 BC.