Gonghe
Encyclopedia
The Gonghe Regency ruled China from 841 BC to 828 BC after King Li of Zhou
was exiled by his nobles. (The Cambridge History of Ancient China gives the starting date as 842.)
According to the Han Dynasty
historian Sima Qian
(in his Records of the Grand Historian
), who read Gonghe as 'joint harmony', during the Gonghe regency, the Zhou Dynasty was ruled jointly by two dukes—the Duke of Zhou (not to be confused with the first and most well-known Duke of Zhou
, who must have been his ancestor) and the Duke of Zhao (召公—similarly, not to be confused with the first and most well-known Duke of Zhao). But according to the Bamboo Annals
, the Gonghe regency was ruled by a single person—the Count of Gong (共伯), whose name was He (和). This reading has almost certainly been confirmed by a bronze inscription.
The term "Gonghe" was borrowed in modern times to translate the concept of the "republic
" in Western political theory. The Gonghe period during the Zhou Dynasty does not confer any republican connotations.
The first year of the Gonghe regency, 841 BC, is highly significant in ancient Chinese history, in that the dates for the rulers prior to the Gonghe regency are not and have never been clearly dated, ever since Sima Qian's time—as Sima himself found the dates for the rulers prior to the Gongehe regency to be so unreliable that he chose not to adopt them in his work. Only after 841 BC could events in Chinese history be reliably dated. Currently, the government of the People's Republic of China
is sponsoring the Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project
, a multidisciplinary project that seeks to give better estimates for dates prior to 841 BC, but the project's draft report, published in 2000, has been criticized by various sources.
King Li of Zhou
King Li of Zhou was the tenth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. Estimated dates of his reign are 877–841 BC or 857–842 BC ....
was exiled by his nobles. (The Cambridge History of Ancient China gives the starting date as 842.)
According to the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
historian Sima Qian
Sima Qian
Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to...
(in his Records of the Grand Historian
Records of the Grand Historian
The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
), who read Gonghe as 'joint harmony', during the Gonghe regency, the Zhou Dynasty was ruled jointly by two dukes—the Duke of Zhou (not to be confused with the first and most well-known Duke of Zhou
Duke of Zhou
The Duke of Zhou played a major role in consolidating the newly-founded Zhou Dynasty . He was the brother of King Wu of Zhou, the first king of the ancient Chinese Zhou Dynasty...
, who must have been his ancestor) and the Duke of Zhao (召公—similarly, not to be confused with the first and most well-known Duke of Zhao). But according to the Bamboo Annals
Bamboo Annals
The Bamboo Annals is a chronicle of ancient China. It begins at the earliest legendary times and extends to the Warring States Period , particularly the history of the Wei state...
, the Gonghe regency was ruled by a single person—the Count of Gong (共伯), whose name was He (和). This reading has almost certainly been confirmed by a bronze inscription.
The term "Gonghe" was borrowed in modern times to translate the concept of the "republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
" in Western political theory. The Gonghe period during the Zhou Dynasty does not confer any republican connotations.
The first year of the Gonghe regency, 841 BC, is highly significant in ancient Chinese history, in that the dates for the rulers prior to the Gonghe regency are not and have never been clearly dated, ever since Sima Qian's time—as Sima himself found the dates for the rulers prior to the Gongehe regency to be so unreliable that he chose not to adopt them in his work. Only after 841 BC could events in Chinese history be reliably dated. Currently, the government of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
is sponsoring the Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project
Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project
The Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project was a multi-disciplinary project commissioned by the People's Republic of China in 1996 to determine with accuracy the location and time frame of the Xia Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty...
, a multidisciplinary project that seeks to give better estimates for dates prior to 841 BC, but the project's draft report, published in 2000, has been criticized by various sources.