Ruins of Youli City
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Youli City, or what remains of it, is situated about 2 kilometers from the city of An'yang, between the You and Tang Rivers. It is said to be the place where Xibo Marquis Ji Chang, better known as King Wen of Zhou (NB: the state, not the dynasty), founder of the Zhou (BCE 1027-221) Dynasty, was imprisoned for a number of years (the number 7 is usually mentioned) by King Zhou of the Shang (BCE 1700-1027) Dynasty who was jealous of King Wen's power and popularity. King Wen was eventually released, partially on popular demand and partially in exchange for a number of handsome gifts, including fine horses and women. King Wen's second son went on to become King Wu of Zhou (the state still), before toppling the Shang Dynasty and becoming the first king, King Zhou Wuwang, of the Zhou Dynasty, who ruled from BCE 1046-1043.*
While held in captivity in Youli City by King Zhou of Shang, King Wen of Zhou penned the book, the Gua Ci ("Explanation of Hexagrams"), as an explanatory text to the I Ching (the I Ching ("Classic of Changes"), full of coded "Hexagrams", was first fully understood when a second "explanatory" text, the Yao Ci ("Explanation of Horizontal Lines"), appeared, written, some say, by none other than the second son of King Wen, the newly crowned King Wuwang of the new Zhou Dynasty). The outlines of the site of King Wen's house arrest measure 106 meters from north to south and 103 meters from east to west, and occupies some 11,000 square meters. The buildings that remain include, among others: Wen Emperor Temple, Yanyifang Memorial Arch and Yanyitai, or Yanyi Platform, the two-storey stone-and-brick structure where King Wen spent most of his time during captivity. Each of the storeys of the Yanyi Platform consists of three rooms.
At the southern edge of the former city stands the Yanyifang Memorial Arch in blue stone, upon which are engraved three large Chinese characters, "Yan Yi Fang". On the western edge is a stele, or stone tablet, on which is engraved, by later generations, "Wen Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, Youli City". On the opposite edge, the eastern edge, is a stone tablet with the following words: "Yu Bei". There are a number of other steles on the grounds, one of which is dedicated to King Wen's book and entitled "Yijing by Wenwang", the latter being a familiar name under which King Wen was known.
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* Note that King Wen is sometimes referred to as Emperor Wen, just as many rulers of the early "dynasties" are often referred to as emperors. However, strictly speaking, the difference between a king and an emperor is that the latter rules over a unified empire. King Wen and the other rulers of ancient China, down to the end of the Zhou Dynasty and the beginning of the Qin (BCE 221-207) Dynasty, were kings, not emperors – that is, they did not rule over a unified China. In fact, there have been periods in between proper dynastic periods replete with genuine emperors, where the local/ regional ruler was nothing more than the king of a state. The Three Kingdoms (CE 220-280) period, the Western and Eastern Jin (CE 265- 420) Dynasty period, and the Southern and Northern (CE 386-588) Dynasties period all come to mind, as they were each characterized by numerous smaller states that competed for power. The first ancient Chinese ruler who proclaimed himself as emperor was the king cum emperor, Emperor Shi Huang, whose Qin Dynasty regime defeated the Zhou Dynasty, putting an end to the Spring & Autumn and Warring States periods, and unifying China for the very first time.
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