Royals › Monarch / Emperor
Gugong Danfu
Late Shang leader of the Zhou people who led his clan from Bin to the foot of Mount Qi to escape raids, laying the foundation of Zhou power.
In a side chamber of a palace, a yellow ceremonial robe embroidered with a dragon hangs on a wooden stand, its hem worked with waves and rocks, before a carved folding screen, while a black lacquer chest sits on a low table by a lattice window and no person is in view.
Also known as King Tai of Zhou · King Tai
- Roles
- Monarch / Emperor
Gugong Danfu, a descendant of Houji and Gong Liu, led the Zhou people in the late Shang and was the grandfather of King Wen. The Shiji's Basic Annals of Zhou says that when the Xunyu and Rong-Di raided, he would not let his people die in battle and left Bin with his household, crossing the rivers and Mount Liang to settle below Mount Qi; the people of Bin followed him en masse and he built walled settlements there, beginning the rise of Zhou. After the conquest of Shang he was honoured as King Tai. The ode Mian celebrates his move to Qi.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; c. 12th century BCE (late Shang)