King Xiao of Zhou

King Xiao of Zhou 周孝王
King of China
Reign	891–886 BC
Predecessor	King Yì of Zhou
Successor	King Yí of Zhou
Died	886 BC
Full name Ancestral name: Jī (姬) Given name: Bìfāng (辟方)
House	Zhou Dynasty
Father	King Mu of Zhou[1]

King Xiao of Zhou (Chinese: 周孝王; pinyin: Zhōu Xìao Wáng) or King Hsiao of Chou was the eighth king of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty.^[2] Estimated dates of his reign are 891–886 BC or 872–866 BC (Cambridge History of Ancient China). He was a son of King Mu and brother of King Gong.^[3][4]

His reign is poorly documented. He was preceded on the throne by his nephew King Yi of Zhou (Jian) and followed by his nephew's son, King Yi of Zhou (Xie). Sima Qian says that the second Yi was 'restored by the many lords'. This hints at a usurpation, but the matter is not clear.^[5][6]

Noble Feizi was granted a small fief at Qin by King Xiao.^[7] King Xiao learned of his reputation and put him in charge of breeding and training horses for the Zhou army. To reward his contributions, King Xiao wanted to make Feizi his father’s legal heir instead of his half-brother Cheng.^[8][9]

Sources

1. Sources of Western Zhou History: Inscribed Bronze Vessels by Edward L. Shaughnessy
2. Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 2. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd.
3. Mathieu, Rémi. Le Mu Tianzi Zhuan. p. 198.
4. Nienhauser, "Origins of Chinese Literature," page 201
5. China: From Neolithic cultures through the Great Qing Empire 10,000 BCE-1799 CE by Harold M. Tanner
6. Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian. 4.
7. Li, Feng (2006). Landscape And Power In Early China. Cambridge University Press. Page 263. ISBN 978-0-521-85272-2.
8. Han, Zhaoqi (2010). Annals of Qin (in Chinese). Annotated Shiji. Zhonghua Book Company. Pages 345–346. ISBN 978-7-101-07272-3.
9. Li, Feng (2006). Landscape And Power In Early China. Cambridge University Press. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-521-85272-2.