Power and Politics in Tenth-Century China: The Former Shu Regime ...

Tibetan Plateau to the northwest. The landscape of the middle portion of Shu is quite different, consisting of a large basin with red soil. Fully surrounded by mountains—the Qionglai to the west, Daba along the north, and Dalou and Wu to the south and east respectively, this red basin is enriched by the upper Yangzi River and its tributaries. The Yangzi River forces an outlet through the mountain ranges on the eastern fringe of Shu, known as the “Three Gorges” (Sanxia ), which stretch about one hundred miles eastward into modern-day Hubei. A little west of the red basin lies the famous Chengdu Plain, which is about 3,500 square miles in size and has been the economic, political and cultural center of southwest China for over two millennia. The semitropical climate usually stays warm and humid for most of the year. Along with fertile soil, the climate has proven advantageous for agricultural growth, creating a reputation for productivity in Chinese history.⁴

Amazing civilizations were created by the native Shu peoples as early as the Shang dynasty (eighteenth to twelfth c. BCE), when Shu came into direct contact with North China.⁵ According to the Book of History (Shang shu ), in the year 1122 BCE, when King Wu of Zhou conducted an expedition against the Shang, his allied troops included warriors from the Shu area.⁶ During the late Spring and Autumn and early Warring States periods (ca. fifth century BCE), the Shu and Ba peoples founded states centering in the Chengdu Plain and the gorge area, respectively. Subsequently, the combined area was also called Ba-Shu . Later, the Shu state expanded its territory to the edge of the southern Wei River , an area known as Guanzhong in the current Shaanxi province, where it engaged in wars with the Qin state. But after the first half of the fourth century BCE, the Shu lost the strength to compete with the Qin and had to retreat to their base area. The Ba state to the east shared a similar fate in this period. Facing the bellicose Chu state to the east, Ba was forced to surrender its territory beyond the gorges.⁷

The states of Shu and Ba retained their autonomy until 316 BCE, when the powerful Qin conquered the Shu and later destroyed the Ba to the east, destroying the independence of the region and incorporating it into Chinese territory for the first time in history. Over the next few