Warring States475–221 BC

Warring States: Timeline of Events (475–221 BC)

Seven rival states, sweeping reforms and the Hundred Schools of Thought

Events in this period

• Wu–Yue Rivalry (Goujian Destroys Wu)Late Spring and Autumn

  Wu and Yue contended for hegemony on the lower Yangtze; King Goujian of Yue, after defeat, endured hardship, rebuilt his state, and destroyed Wu in 473 BC before moving north to become hegemon.

• Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng433 BCE

  The tomb yielded the renowned bells of Marquis Yi.

• Partition of Jin and the Seven Warring StatesEarly Warring States

  Jin was divided among Han, Zhao and Wei, and Qi passed to the Tian clan; in 403 BC the Zhou king recognized the three as lords, forming the Seven Warring States.

• Wu Qi386 BCE

  Wu Qi led political and military reforms in Chu.

• Shang Yang's Reforms356 BC

  In 356 BC Duke Xiao of Qin had Shang Yang reform the state: abolishing the well-field system, rewarding military merit and favoring agriculture, making Qin the strongest state.

• Hundred Schools of ThoughtWarring States period

  In the Warring States, Confucian, Mohist, Daoist, Legalist and other schools wrote and debated freely, forming the “Hundred Schools of Thought” that shaped Chinese culture.

• Jixia Academy350 BCE

  The Jixia Academy gathered scholars in the state of Qi.

• Battle of Maling342 BCE

  Qi forces defeated Wei at the Battle of Maling.

• Qu Yuan and the ChuciLate Warring States

  Qu Yuan, a poet of Chu in the late Warring States, drew on folk songs and Chu dialect to create the new verse form of the Chuci; his Li Sao began the romantic tradition in poetry.

• Kaogong Ji300 BCE

  Kaogongji records early Chinese crafts and techniques.

• Battle of Changping260 BC

  In the Qin–Zhao Battle of Changping (262–260 BC), Zhao replaced Lian Po with the armchair strategist Zhao Kuo; over 400,000 Zhao troops were destroyed, and Qin's unification became assured.

• Building the Dujiangyan256 BC

  Around 256 BC Li Bing, governor of Shu, led construction of the Dujiangyan, with its Fish Mouth, Flying Sand Weir and Bottle-Neck Channel, which has served for over 2,000 years.

• Lüshi Chunqiuc. 239 BCE

  Lü Buwei sponsored this Warring States compendium.