State of Chao 巢 | |||||||
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Unknown–c. 580 BC | |||||||
Capital | Chao (modern-day Chaohu or near Huainan)[1] | ||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||
Historical era | Late Shang period Western Zhou period Spring and Autumn period | ||||||
• Established | Unknown | ||||||
• Conquered by Chu | c. 580 BC | ||||||
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Today part of | China |
Chao (Chinese: 巢) was a minor state of the Chinese Bronze Age, whose people belonged[1] to the Shu tribes (群舒, literally "Many Shu") that lived south of the Huai River.[2] Chao's exact location is unknown; traditionally, it was assumed that the state had existed in the vicinity of modern-day Chaohu, Anhui,[1][3] but more recent sinologists like He Hao and Barry Blakeley consider it more likely that Chao was located further north, near the Huai River.[3]