Hunting Qi: The Rise of the Tian Clan During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Zhou royal house declined and the feudal lords rose. The power of senior ministers and great clans frequently threatened that of their rulers, giving rise to two broad kinds of crises: partition and replacement. The “Partition of Jin by the Three Families” exemplifies the former, while the “Tian Clan’s Replacement of Qi” exemplifies the latter. This book focuses on the latter, tracing the rise of the Tian (Chen) clan through the stories of its twelve heads in the state of Qi. The author gives particular attention to Tian Wuyu, Tian Qi, Tian Heng, and Tian He, whose lives form the clan’s rise, consolidation, transformation, and culmination. Together, they underpin the roughly 286-year history of the Tian clan’s journey from entering Qi to usurping it, while also sketching a panorama of the transition from the Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States period.