Cause & Context
Around 1075 BCE, took () of Su into the court, making the palace a later symbol of late-Shang excess and political imbalance.
Epochal Overview
built Lutai, staged lavish banquets, and deepened levies while court music and drinking consumed his attention. Later tradition places at the center of this palace tableau, but blaming late-Shang failure on one consort is a simplified ‘beauty brings ruin’ interpretation.
Civilizational Impact
The memory of Lutai links luxury, popular resentment, and royal loss of virtue. After Shang fell at Muye in 1046 BCE, the story became a lasting case study in responsibility and the making of historical memory.
Key Figures
Da Ji represents a court woman repeatedly reshaped by later storytelling, while represents the late-Shang ruler whose decisions joined Lutai revelry to political breakdown.













