The State of Deng was a Chinese vassal state during the Shang

Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...

 and Zhou Dynasties and the Spring and Autumn Period (c. 1200 – 475 BCE) ruled by the Màn family (曼).

Territory

Sources conflict as to whether the State of Deng was situated in Dengzhou

Dengzhou

Dengzhou , formerly Deng County , is a city in Nanyang, Henan, China. it has an area of 2,294 km² and a population of 1,500,000. The urban area is 35 km², and the urban population is 300,000. The city is located in the southwest of Henan province, adjacent to the borders between Henan,...

 (鄧州/邓州), Henan Province or Xiangfan

Xiangfan

Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province of the People's Republic of China. It was formed from two famous ancient cities, Xiangyang and Fancheng...

 (襄樊), Hubei Province.

History

Shang Dynasty King Wu Ding

Wu Ding

Wu Ding was a Shang Dynasty King of China.His is the first historically verifiable name in the history of Chinese dynasties...

 (武丁) (reigned 1250–1192 BCE) conferred the lands of the State of Deng on his younger brother Zĭ Màn (子曼) who passed it down to later generations. During the reign of Wú Lí (吾离) Deng became rich and powerful for a time but its influence declined with the rise of the hegemonies during the Spring and Autumn Period.

In 688 BCE, King Wén of Chǔ had to pass through the State of Deng in order to attack the State of Shēn

Shen (state)

The State of Shen was a Chinese vassal state during the Zhou Dynasty ruled by the Jiāng family as an earldom. At the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period the State of Shen was annexed by the State of Chu and became one of its counties.-Territory:Located around the states of Chén and Zhèng,...

. Even though Dèng was the native area of Dèng Màn (邓曼), one of the wives of King Wén’s father King Wǔ of Chǔ

King Wu of Chu

King Wu of Chu was a ruler of the Zhou Dynasty vassal State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. He was the second son of Xiao'ao , and brother of former ruler Fenmao whom he is rumored to have murdered in 740 BCE in order to usurp the throne.-Biographical sketch:King Wu...

 (楚武王), the State of Deng lay on the borders of the State of Chu

Chu (state)

The State of Chu was a Zhou Dynasty vassal state in present-day central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States Period . Its ruling house had the surname Nai , and clan name Yan , later evolved to surname Mi , and clan name Xiong...

 such that its overthrow would prove convenient for the expansion of Chu. Three vigilant chancellors of the State of Deng, Zhuīshēng (騅甥/骓甥), Dānshēng (聃甥) and Yǎngshēng (養甥/养甥) urged their lord to kill King Wén The Marquess of Deng did not listen. King Wén of Chu passed through the State of Deng and attacked the State of Shen. On his return the King attacked Deng. With the annexation of the States of Shen and Deng, the State of Chu extended its territory into the Nanyang Basin

Nanyang Basin

Nanyang Basin is located in Henan Province of the People's Republic of China, a small part of the basin is in Hubei Province, the southern neighbor of Henan. Its total area is 46291 square kilometers....

.

In 678 BCE King Wén of Chu overthrew the State of Deng. Afterwards its people adopted the surname Deng (鄧/邓)

Deng (surname)

Deng is an East Asian surname. It is a transcription of 邓 or 鄧 . It is transliteted as Dèng in pinyin and Teng in Wade-Giles. In Cantonese, it is Dahng in Yale and Dang6 in Jyutping. In Minnan or Taiwanese, it is Tēng in Pe̍h-ōe-jī...

which is still common today.