List of Shang dynasty states

The Shang dynasty was the earliest archaeologically attested dynasty of China, dating back to around 1,600 BCE. During this time, numerous polities coexisted with the Shang people, including Predynastic Zhou, all of which had differing relations with them at different times. The Shang called differing polities fang (方), which in Modern Standard Chinese means "place."^[1] The names for these polities comes from the Chinese classics (e.g. Records of the Grand Historian) written after the Shang dynasty was defeated at the Battle of Muye, Shang-Zhou dynasty ritual bronzes, and oracle bones unearthed at Yinxu and other sites. The latter two were written in bronze script and oracle bone script, respectively, which are ancient versions of the modern Han script used to write Chinese. Therefore, some names may not be stable.^[1] In oracle bone inscriptions, different polities were often referred to as name + "方", from which contemporary state names are derived.^[2] Modern scholarship often refers to these polities as fangguo (方國), translating to “fang polities” or “regional states,” though the precise status of each named group is debated.

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The Latin names of these states are pronounced according to the Pinyin system established by the People's Republic of China in 1958, which is different from their ancient pronunciations in Old Chinese given the thousands of years of language change.

More information Romanized name, Chinese name ...

Romanized name	Chinese name	Period of existence	Rough geographical location	Relationship with the Shang dynasty	Attested in
Shang	商方	Xia dynasty,[a] Shang dynasty	Yinxu (大邑商 "Da Yi Shang", "Shang, the Great City") (present Anyang)[1]		Records of the Grand Historian[4] Oracle bones Ritual bronzes[5]
Zifang	子方	Shang dynasty		ally?[b]	Oracle bones[6]
Tufang	土方	Early to middle Shang dynasty, conquered by Wu Ding	Northwest of Yin, east of Hong Fang (present Fen River Basin, Shanxi Province)	enemy	Book of Poetry (Chang Fa (長發)[7] Oracle bones[8][9]
Gongfang	𢀛方	Shang dynasty, to period of Zu Geng	Northwest of Yin, west of Tu Fang (north of present Shaanxi Province, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	swing	Oracle bones[10][11][12]
Guifang	鬼方	Shang dynasty	Northwest of Yin (present central Shanxi Province and northern Shaanxi province, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	ally	Records of the Grand Historian[4] Bamboo Annals[13]
Qiang	羌方	Shang dynasty	Northwest of Yin (present Shaanxi Province, the area around Gansu Province, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	swing	Records of the Grand Historian[4] Book of Poetry[7] Oracle bones[14]
Northern Qiang	北羌	Shang dynasty	Northwest of Yin, north of Qiangfang	swing	Oracle bones[15]
Renfang[c]	人方	Shang dynasty	Southeast of Yin, coast of the Donghai (present Huai River basin and coast of the Yellow Sea at the Shandong Peninsula, northern Anhui and southern Shandong))	enemy	Oracle bones[16]
Zhou[d]	周方	Middle to late Shang dynasty, overthrew Di Xin and established the Zhou dynasty.	West of Yin (present Qishan County)	swing	Records of the Grand Historian[4]
Dapeng	大彭	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present Tongshan)	swing	Records of the Grand Historian[4] Bamboo Annals Oracle bones[18][19]
Tangfang	唐方	Shang dynasty	Northwest of Yin		[citation needed]
Jingfang	井方	Shang dynasty	East of Yin[20]	ally	Oracle bones[20]
Linfang	林方	Shang dynasty	South of Mount Tai and north of Wen River[21]	swing	Records of the Grand Historian[4]
Xingfang	興方	Shang dynasty	Unknown	swing	Oracle bones[22]
Mafang	馬方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Shilou County)	enemy	Possibly in bronze inscriptions (e.g. Ma gui (馬簋).[23]
Shifang	豕方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Weifang or Xiawei	危方 or 下危	Shang dynasty		enemy, later conquered	Oracle bones[24]
Yufang	盂方	Shang dynasty	East of Yin		Oracle bones[21][25][26]
Zhifang	沚方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau); arguments are made for the east.	swing	Oracle bones[27]
Pangfang	旁方	Shang dynasty		swing	Oracle bones[28]
Gefang	戈方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present south of Shanxi Province)	ally	Oracle bones[29]
Mufang	木方	Shang dynasty			Bronze inscriptions[30] Oracle bones[31]
Bafang	巴方	Xia dynasty, Shang dynasty	Sichuan Province, also argued to be to be southern Shaanxi or Jianghan	enemy	Bamboo Annals[13] Oracle bones[32][33]
Shu	蜀	Shang dynasty	Sichuan Province	enemy	Bamboo Annals[13] Oracle bones[34]，Yizhoushu [35]
Genfang	亙方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	enemy, suppressed	Oracle bones[36]
Longfang	龍方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau); arguments are made for an eastern location.	swing	Oracle bones[27]
Jifang	基方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Puxian)	enemy	Oracle bones[37][38]
Jianfang	湔方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	enemy	Oracle bones[37]
Jifang	祭方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin, between Shang and Zhou	swing	Oracle bones[5][36]
Shifang	示方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Maofang	髳方	Shang dynasty		enemy	Bamboo Annals[13][36]
Zhaofang	召方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	enemy	Oracle bones[3]
Yinfang	印方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Hufang	虎方	Shang dynasty	East of Yin	swing	Records of the Grand Historian[4] Bronze inscriptions[3]
Weifang	微方	Shang dynasty			Bamboo Annals[13] Oracle bones[39]
Xifang	息方	Shang dynasty	South of Yin (Luoshan County)	ally	Oracle bones[40][41]
Miefang	眣方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Zhifang	止方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Yinfang	尹方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Bufang	步方	Shang dynasty			Oracle bones[42]
Guifang	歸方	Shang dynasty	South of Yin (present Zigui)	enemy	Oracle bones?[43]
Zengfang[citation needed]	曾方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Zhufang[citation needed]	祝方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Nongfang[citation needed]	弄方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Chuifang	吹方	Shang dynasty			Oracle bones[44]
Chefang[citation needed]	屮方 (艸方?)	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Yuejifang[citation needed]	月丮方	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Chengefang?[citation needed]	10px方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau	enemy	[citation needed]
	方	Shang dynasty		ally	[citation needed]
Qifang	㠱方	Shang dynasty	North of Yin (present Beijing and northeastern Hebei, to the west of Liaoning)	ally	Oracle bones?[45]
	方[citation needed]	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
	方[citation needed]	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
	方[citation needed]	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
	方[citation needed]	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	swing	[citation needed]
	方[citation needed]	Shang dynasty			[citation needed]
Gu	雇	Shang dynasty	South of Yin (present southwest of Yuanyang County, northwest of Yuanwu Town, Henan Province)	ally	Oracle bones[3]
Bao	暴	Shang dynasty	South of Yin (present Yuanyang County)	ally	Oracle bones through a Marquess name[46]
Lu	盧	Shang dynasty	South of Yin (present Zhushan County and Ankang City)	enemy	Oracle bones[3] [47]
Shi	矢方	Shang dynasty	Unknown	enemy	[citation needed]
You	攸	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present southern part of Yongcheng City and northwestern part of Suzhou City)	ally	Oracle bones[46]
Yuan	元	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present Yongcheng City)	ally	[citation needed]
Jifang	及	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present Yongcheng City)	ally	[citation needed]
Shen	侁	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present Cao County)		[citation needed]
Gao	告	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present Chengwu County)	ally	[citation needed]
Dun	盾	Shang dynasty	East of Yin	ally	[citation needed]
Tui	魋	Shang dynasty	East of Yin	enemy	[citation needed]
Yachou	亞醜	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present Qingzhou, Shandong)	ally	Bronze inscriptions[48]
Jifang	紀	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present Shouguang)		[citation needed]
Xue or Pi	薛 or 邳	Shang dynasty	East of Yin (present Tengzhou)	ally	Records of the Grand Historian[4] Bronze inscriptions[49][50]
Feng	豐	Shang dynasty	East of Yin	swing	[citation needed]
Pang	逢	Shang dynasty	East of Yin	ally	[citation needed]
Bogu	薄姑	Shang dynasty	East of Yin	ally	Bamboo Annals[13]
Yufang	鬱方	Shang dynasty	Unknown	ally	Oracle bones?[5]
Xuanfang	宣方	Shang dynasty	Unknown	ally	Oracle bones?[5] , Yizhoushu [35]
Xiufang	羞方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	swing	Oracle bones[51]
Songfang	宋方	Shang dynasty	North of Yin (present Zhao County)	ally	Oracle bones as an Earl[52][53]
Beifang	貝方	Shang dynasty	South of Yin		[citation needed]
Cangfang	倉方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Shangzhou District)	ally	Oracle bones
Quanfang	犬方[e]	Shang dynasty	West of Yin	swing	Oracle bones[54]
Yangfang	昜方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Hongdong)		[citation needed]
Foufang	缶方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin		Oracle bones[55][10]
Danfang	丹方	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Qinyang)	ally	Oracle bones[56]
Qu	去	Shang dynasty	West of Yin	ally	[citation needed]
Shangsi	上絲	Shang dynasty	West of Yin	ally	[citation needed]
Hefang	禾	Shang dynasty	West of Yin		[citation needed]
Guang	光	Shang dynasty	West of Yin, in modern-day Guang County, Henan	ally	Oracle bones[57]
Ke	可	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Xiuwu County)	ally	[citation needed]
Er	耳	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	swing	[citation needed]
Lü	呂	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (Northern Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau)	enemy	[58]
Bing	丙	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Lingshi)		[citation needed]
Xian	先	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Fushan)		[citation needed]
Na	郍	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Xinzheng, Zhengzhou, Henan Province)		[citation needed]
Lu	鹿	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Song County)	swing	Bamboo Annals[13]
Qi	耆	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Licheng)	swing	[citation needed]
Chong	崇，琮，虫	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Xi'an)	swing	Records of the Grand Historian[4][59][60][61]
Mixu	密須	Shang dynasty	West of Yin (present Lingtai)	swing	Bamboo Annals[13]
Jian	戔	Shang dynasty	Unknown	ally	[citation needed]
Ban	班	Shang dynasty	Unknown	ally?	Bamboo Annals[13]
Gufang	榖方	Shang dynasty		ally	Oracle bones[62]
Huo	霍	Shang dynasty		Ally	Yizhoushu [35]
Mo	磨	Shang dynasty		Ally	Yizhoushu [35]
Ai	艾	Shang dynasty		Ally	Yizhoushu [35]
Yi	佚	Shang dynasty		Ally	Yizhoushu [35]
Li	厲	Shang dynasty		Ally	Yizhoushu [35]

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• Ancient Chinese states
• List of Zhou dynasty states