Map Introduction

State of Chu (? – 223 BCE) was a vassal state located in the Yangtze River basin during the pre-Qin period. Its rulers bore the ancestral surname Mi and the clan name Xiong. During the reign of King Cheng of Zhou (according to one account, 1042–1021 BCE), the Chu leader Xiong Yi was granted the title of Viscount, establishing the State of Chu.

From its foundation in the early Western Zhou Dynasty through the Warring States period, Chu underwent a process of expansion from the Jianghan Plain towards the Central Plains. During the Western Zhou, the Chu people, with a pioneering spirit, gradually gained control over the Nanyang Basin and the Jianghan Plain. By the mid-Spring and Autumn period, King Zhuang of Chu challenged the authority of the Zhou court, becoming the dominant power in the south. In the early Warring States period, Chu continued its northward expansion, with its territory stretching west to the Wu Commandery, east to the East China Sea, and north to the Huai and Si River valleys. In 278 BCE, after Qin forces captured its capital Ying, Chu relocated its capital to Shouchun (present-day Shou County, Anhui). It remained a significant power until its eventual conquest by Qin.

State of Yue (2032 BCE – 222 BCE) was a vassal state in southeastern China during the Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods. Located in the Yangzhou region of the southeast, its founding ancestor was Wuyu, the son of the Xia king Shaokang, making it a branch of the direct descendants of the legendary Great Yu. The State of Yue was established with its capital in Shaoxing by Wuyu. In the late Spring and Autumn period, under King Goujian, it conquered the State of Wu and became a hegemon, its territory extending north to the regions of Qi and Lu and east to the East China Sea. In the early Warring States period, King Wuqiang of Yue, misled by an envoy from Qi, was defeated and killed in his campaign against Qi. Subsequently, Yue fragmented into various polities such as Eastern Yue and Minyue. In 222 BCE, Qin forces subdued the remaining Yue powers and established the Kuaiji Commandery.

During the Warring States period, Chu and Yue engaged in territorial disputes and military conflicts, yet there was also cultural exchange between them. After the fall of Yue, its descendants dispersed along the coastal areas of the lower Yangtze River, establishing new polities, and their cultural legacy continued within the broader Baiyue culture. Through its development of regions like the Jiang-Huai area (e.g., with water conservancy projects like the Quebei irrigation system), Chu helped lay the foundation for the pluralistic yet integrated structure of Chinese civilization. Its culture profoundly influenced the historical course of the early Han Dynasty.

Map Source

The Historical Maps of Chu and Yue Kingdom in the Warring States Period of China is sourced from The Historical Atlas of China, Volume 1(2)—Maps of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, published by SinoMaps Press on October 1, 1982, with Tan Qixiang as its author.

The Historical Atlas of China is an atlas focusing primarily on the historical administrative divisions and territories of China throughout its dynasties, compiled under the chief editorship of Tan Qixiang. The entire work spans from the primitive society to the end of the Qing dynasty, organized into 8 volumes and 20 sections according to historical periods, containing a total of 304 maps (not including illustrations). All maps juxtapose historical and modern geography. The compilation of this atlas began in the 1950s, it was seriously disturbed during the cultural revolution. The internal edition was published in 1975 but contained numerous errors. Publication of Volumes 1-8 occurred successively starting in 1982. The Historical Atlas of China is a rare and valuable resource for studying the historical administrative divisions of China.

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• Historical Map of the States of Qi, Lu, and Song during the Warring States Period in China
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• Historical Map of the States of Chu and Yue during the Warring States Period in China