kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

State of Jiang

1046 BCE – 623 BCE (approx.) · capital Jiang

A small Ying-clan state on the upper Huai River that allied with Qi against Chu and was destroyed by Chu in 623 BCE.

Origins

Jiang was ruled by the Ying clan, which claimed descent from Boyi, an adviser of Yu the Great. It lay near modern Zhengyang in southern Henan, among several small Huai River states recognised by the Zhou.

Rule and society

Almost nothing is recorded of its government. Jiang appears in the Zuo zhuan when, with the State of Huang, it joined the covenant led by Duke Huan of Qi in the 650s BCE, a gesture of defiance towards the State of Chu, its powerful southern neighbour.

Decline and legacy

Once Qi's protection faded, Chu took revenge. King Mu of Chu destroyed Jiang in 623 BCE, and Duke Mu of Qin was said to have worn mourning for it. The surname Jiang is traditionally traced to its people.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Jiang. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-jiang
MLA
“State of Jiang.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-jiang. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Jiang.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-jiang.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Jiang’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-jiang (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻