kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

State of Sui

1046 BCE – 400 BCE (approx.) · capital Sui (Suizhou)

A Ji-clan state in Hubei, now identified with the Zeng of the bronzes, whose Marquis Yi was buried with the most famous set of chime bells in China.

Origins

Sui was founded early in the Western Zhou by a branch of the royal Ji clan at Suizhou in northern Hubei, guarding the corridor to the copper mines of the middle Yangtze. Excavated bronzes call the state Zeng, and most scholars now treat Sui and Zeng as the same state.

Rule and society

In the 8th and 7th centuries BCE Sui led the small states of the Han River region against the State of Chu; King Wu of Chu died on campaign against it in 690 BCE. It later became a close Chu ally and sheltered King Zhao of Chu when Wu armies took Ying in 506 BCE. The tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, buried around 433 BCE, held 65 bronze bells, lacquerware and early writing on bamboo.

Decline and legacy

Sui faded from the record and was absorbed by Chu, probably in the 4th century BCE. The excavation of Marquis Yi's tomb in 1978 transformed knowledge of early Chinese music and court life.

Connections (1)

  • State of Sui was a vassal of State of Chu640 BCE – 400 BCE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻