Zheng: A Mirror to the Spring and Autumn Period

The four-hundred-year history of Zheng, from its rise to its fall, reflects the ways small states survived during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It experienced the glory of “Duke Zhuang of Zheng’s brief hegemony” as well as the humiliation of “serving Jin in the morning and Chu by night.” It was governed by worthy ministers such as Zichan, yet also suffered the chaos of the Seven Mu clans’ monopoly on power.

Though Zheng was eventually conquered by Han, its cultural legacy had a far-reaching influence. The love poems in the Zheng section of The Book of Songs captivated countless writers and scholars over the centuries. Zichan’s reformist spirit foreshadowed Legalist thought, while Zheng merchants’ traditions laid the foundation for commercial culture in the Central Plains.

Study Zheng’s history, and you will understand the rise and fall of states. Reflect on it, and you will learn what was gained and lost. This history deserves careful appreciation and thought.

Centered on Zheng’s twenty-one rulers, this book recounts the full story of the troubled vassal state’s rise and decline during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Its pages contain both the clash of arms on the battlefield and political intrigue in the palace; rulers and ministers striving to strengthen the state, as well as princes fighting for power; diplomatic maneuvering and brilliant cultural achievements.

Though Zheng was ultimately conquered by Han, its four centuries of rise and decline stand as a miniature of how small states struggled to survive during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The history of Zheng is half the history of the Spring and Autumn era. In this sweeping historical account, we see not only the fate of a nation, but also the patterns behind the rise and fall of an age.