Yan (state)

Yan
11th century BC–222 BC
StatusKingdom/Principality
CapitalJi (蓟)
Xiadu
GovernmentMonarchy
Historical eraZhou dynasty
• Established
11th century BC
• Conquered by Qin
222 BC
Currencyknife money
spade money
other ancient Chinese coinage
Succeeded by
Qin dynasty
Yan
"Yān" in ancient seal script (top) and modern (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese
Hanyu PinyinYān
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYān
Bopomofoㄧㄢ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhIan
Wade–GilesYen1
IPA[jɛ́n]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationYin or Yīn
JyutpingJin3 or Jin1
Southern Min
Tâi-lôIan
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)*ʔˤe[n]
Yan State knife money has been found in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Shaanxi, South Korea, Kyūshū and Naha.[1]

Yan (Chinese: ; pinyin: Yān; Old Chinese pronunciation: *ʔˤe[n]) was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty.[2][3] Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing).[4] During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xiadu at times.[5]

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.

During its height, Yan stretched from the Yellow River to the Yalu River and from the mountains of Shanxi to the Liaodong Peninsula. As the northernmost of all the Chinese states during this time period, Yan faced incursions from steppe nomads and as such, built great walls.

  1. ^ Wang Jijie (September 1, 2005). 燕国明刀分期研究及相关问题探讨 [Research on Yan Knife-Money and Related Topics]. Beijing Municipal Cultural Office (in Chinese). Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  2. ^ "The History of Yanshan". Yanshan Central Information Office (in Chinese). Beijing Municipal Government. October 18, 2008. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  3. ^ Chen Zhi (September 30, 2010). 從王國維. 学灯 (in Chinese) (16). Confucius 2000. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  4. ^ "Ji, the Capital of the State of Yan". Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage. June 16, 2006. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  5. ^ "Site of the Second Capital of State of Yan". The People's Government of Hebei Province. China Daily. December 29, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2011.