Investigating Taibo and Zhongyong's Migration to Wu and the Related Fiefdoms
Taibo and Zhongyong's migration to Wu,which is located in Jiangnan(south of the Yangtze River),has been questioned by many modern scholars,who have proposed various new theories.However,an examination of historical documents shows that the genealogy of the state of Wu and the division of the fiefdoms after Yu Zhong are quite clear.The internal logic and narrative principles of historical records should not be dismissed lightly.Zhongyong,the brother of Taibo,also known as Yu Zhong,is not the same person as another Yu Zhong,the brother of Zhou Zhang.The former is a figure retrospectively constructed,while the latter was named after his initial fiefdom in Yu.Wu was located in Jiangnan,and the genealogy of the rulers of Wu,from Taibo and Zhongyong down to Zhou Zhang,is clearly traceable.Yu,located in Shanxi,was where Zhou Zhang's brother Yu Zhong was first en-feoffed,but it was later destroyed by Jin.The"Yi 宜"mentioned in the inscriptions in the early Western Zhou yihou cegui 宜侯夨簋 vessel refers to the relocation of the Yu fiefdom.Shiji 史记(Records of the Grand Historian)combines the accounts of Wu and Yu because both states were descended from Taibo and Zhongyong.Newly unearthed vessels from the early Spring and Autumn pe-riod,such as those inscribed with"Wu Ji"and"Wu Shu"are unrelated to the state of Wu and should not be included in this discussion.Taibo's migration to Wu significantly promoted the interaction and integration between the Wu region and the Central Plains,and its historical significance is profound.
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