The capitals of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period were once prosperous. Where are they now and how are they developed?

Article | Feiyu Shuo Shi

There is a saying in "Lu's Spring and Autumn Period·Shen Shi":

The ancient kings chose to build a country among the world, and chose Build a palace in the country, and build a temple in the palace.

The meaning of this sentence is that in the thinking of the ancients, the place where the king founded his country should be at the center of the world, the location of the palace should be at the center of the country, and the location of the temple should be built at the center of the palace.

Therefore, the central location was very important in the thinking of the ancients, and as the capital of a country, it is natural that it should be built in the center of the country.

However, choosing a location to build a capital is a big deal, and the ancients did not have an exact concept of the center. Naturally, they took it for granted in the world, plus the topography, topography, river direction, etc. Due to the influence of other factors, the capital may not necessarily be located in the center of the country.

In the ancient people's opinion, the location of the capital affects a country's destiny, and must be carefully considered.

However, in ancient times, the capital was often moved. Once a more suitable living place was found or other political factors changed, the capital would be moved, but a lot of preparations had to be done before moving the capital.

For example, when King Zhou Cheng planned to move the capital to Luoyi, he first sent Duke Zhao to the prime minister's house, and then sent Duke Zhou Dan to inspect it. Later, he even moved the Jiuding, which symbolizes the emperor, here. Then the capital was officially moved to Luoyi.

The Duke of Zhou believed: In this (Luoyi) world, all tribute roads from all directions are equal.

To establish a capital within the world and govern from the center can be said to be the core principle and historical tradition of ancient Chinese political order. Although the locations of the capitals of subsequent dynasties were different, they all claimed to the outside world that they were the unified capital of the world. Work hard to build it into the world.

However, during the Warring States Period, the situation changed, because the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period appeared at that time. They could all be called independent countries, and naturally they also had their own independent capitals.

So where are the capitals of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period now, and what have they developed into now?

Let’s take a look. Qin State: My capital is in Xianyang, now it is a third-tier city

As the Qin State that unified six countries, it moved its capital nine times and finally settled in Xianyang. It can be said that Xianyang is a beautiful city. Xianyang is located in Shaanxi The province covers an area of ​​800 miles in the Qinchuan hinterland, with the Wei River running through it to the south and Mount Wei to the north. In Feng Shui, mountains and water both belong to Yang, so it is called Xianyang.

Now Xianyang is only a third-tier city. Although the historical and cultural atmosphere is still very strong, compared with the style of the Qin State and even the Qin Dynasty, its current influence has been greatly reduced.

However, at that time, Xianyang was just a city, not an administrative unit in the current sense. The exact location was between Yaodian Street and Zhengyang Street, Weicheng District, Qinhan New City, Xixian New District today. between.

Looking at it now, it is just a relatively prosperous place locally. When walking there, who can appreciate the domineering and majestic power of the capital of China's first feudal dynasty? ? South Korea: My capital is in Xinzheng, which is now only a county-level city managed by Zhengzhou City

Among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, South Korea is at the bottom in terms of its influence and presence. The real little brother, because he borders the Qin State, has been the target of being beaten by the Qin State for a long time.

In the process of Qin unifying the six countries, South Korea was also the first target to be destroyed. Despite this, South Korea was still influential at the time, such as South Korea's weapon smelting technology. The weapons he produced were beyond the reach of other princes.

The capital of South Korea is Xinzheng. This name still exists, but it is just a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou City. If you calculate it carefully, it can barely be called a fourth-tier town. It has already been It is no longer as prosperous as it was back then. Zhao State: My capital is in Handan, which is now a third-tier city

If you want to find a country among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period that can compete with Qin, it must be Zhao State. In history, Zhao State has twice The highlight moment was the first time during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao, when he almost destroyed the Qin State, and the second time was at the end of the Warring States Period, when he relied on his own efforts to resist the Qin State.

Among the four famous generals of the Warring States Period, Qin State accounted for two, and Zhao State also accounted for two. Especially Li Mu in the late Warring States Period, after the Battle of Changping, he completely defeated Qin State. Xingya and Wang Jian, one of the four famous generals, did not dare to confront Li Mu head-on.

However, King Zhao was stupid and eventually cut off the Great Wall and killed Li Mu, thereby losing his country.

The capital of Zhao State is Handan, which is now a prefecture-level city in Hebei Province and a third-tier city. However, Handan is different from other cities. These two characters have been used as place names for three thousand years and have not been changed. , and these two characters are almost inseparable. The combined name represents the only place, and there is no place with the same name. This is also a special case in the Chinese place name culture. Wei State: My capital is in Kaifeng, now a fourth-tier city

Wei State was the first overlord during the Warring States Period. It once defeated Qin State until it could not find its way to the north. South Korea and Zhao State even followed Wei State's lead. , but unfortunately, Wei State only became strong for two and a half generations and never rose again.

The last capital of Wei State was located in Daliang, so Wei State was also called Liang State for a time. The former Daliang City was located northwest of Kaifeng City, Henan Province. Later, Kaifeng also became the capital of the Eight Dynasties. , has become the center of China many times.

However, it has lost its former glory. In terms of the city's recent comprehensive strength, it has only been rated as a fourth-tier city, which is really disappointing.

Of course, if you go traveling, there are still many places in Kaifeng. Qingming Riverside Garden has become a local landmark. Have you been there? Chu State: My capital is in Jingzhou, now a third-tier city

The Chu State during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period once aspired to dominate the Central Plains. It was also the most difficult vassal state to deal with among the seven heroes of the Warring States Period, except Zhao. King Qin Ying When Zheng Zhi destroyed Chu, he only sent 200,000 troops for the first time. As a result, the Chu State was devoured and no one was left.

Ying Zheng had no choice but to ask the veteran Wang Jian to come out of the mountain and gave him 600,000 people before destroying the Chu State.

The capital of Chu State is Yingdu, which is located in Jingzhou District, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province. This place is now only a third-tier city. However, after this place was captured by the fierce general Bai Qi, the capital of Chu State became Moved east again and again. Qi State: My capital is Zibo, which is now a third-tier city

Qi State was the richest vassal state for a long time during the Warring States Period. , the kings of the two countries once went to the king and proclaimed themselves emperors, and people in the world gave them the nickname "East and West Emperors".

However, the Qi State later embarked on a path of decline. Especially at the end of the Warring States Period, the Qin State implemented distant relations and close attacks, while the Qi State stayed in a corner and no longer interfered with the war in the Central Plains. Surrendered.

The capital of Qi State is Linzi, located in what is now Zibo City, Shandong Province. It is only a third-tier city, and its glory has long lived up to the Warring States Period. Yan State: My capital is in Beijing, and it is now an international metropolis

It is really a miracle that Yan State can be among the seven heroes of the Warring States Period. Its national power is the same as South Korea, and it is at the bottom of the seven heroes. However, This place has produced many famous people, such as Jing Ke, who dared to assassinate King Yingzheng of Qin, and is still known as one of the four great assassins in ancient times.

The capital of Yan State was Jicheng. According to expert research, Jicheng should be located in the area from Xuanwumen to Hepingmen in the southwest of Beijing.

Beijing is now the capital of our country, the political, economic and cultural center of the country, and of course a world-class metropolis. Who would have thought that the capital of Yan State, which was extremely inconspicuous at that time, would now be But it has become the "center" of the country.

It can be seen that among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, except for the capital of Yan State, which is now developing very well, several other capitals are now only third- and fourth-tier cities, which is really amazing.

Today’s topic: If you were from the Warring States Period, which country would you be from? Let’s talk about it~