This is a list of the various polities that existed during the Shang dynasty in ancient China, attested in oracle bones, bronze inscriptions, and the Chinese classics.
Background
The Shang dynasty was the earliest archaeologically attested dynasty of China, dating back to around 1,600 BCE. During this time, numerous polities coexisted with the Shang people, including Predynastic Zhou, all of which had differing relations with them at different times. The Shang called differing polities fang (), which in Modern Standard Chinese means "place." The names for these polities comes from the Chinese classics (e.g. Records of the Grand Historian) written after the Shang dynasty was defeated at the Battle of Muye, Shang-Zhou dynasty ritual bronzes, and oracle bones unearthed at Yinxu and other sites. The latter two were written in bronze script and oracle bone script, respectively, which are ancient versions of the modern Han script used to write Chinese. Therefore, some names may not be stable. In oracle bone inscriptions, different polities were often referred to as name + "方", from which contemporary state names are derived. Modern scholarship often refers to these polities as fangguo (方國), translating to “fang polities” or “regional states,” though the precise status of each named group is debated.
Identifying states While formulaic, the grammar and handwriting seen in bronze and oracle bone inscriptions is not always straightforward, and conflicting interpretations may lead to difficulties in conclusively verifying a Fang polity's existence. Tang Yingjie gives several criteria that can be used to identify them in different settings:Tang Yingjie 唐英傑. 2021. 商代甲骨文地名統計與地望研究. 西南大學博士學位論文. Doctoral dissertation. Available at: https://lib.swu.edu.cn/uploads/2021-06-04/140885544d304751bf87afba64c27bbf.pdf
It is called X方 in oracle bone inscriptions. Someone holds the title wang 王 "king," hou 侯 "marquess" or bo 伯 "earl or count" in oracle bones or bronze inscriptions; usually, the character before these will involve a polity name. A small number of cases called 子 may count. It fought a large-scale war with the Shang royal house (e.g. Verbs for invasion, such as wang 往 or fa 伐, are used. Archaeological materials prove it was a Fang polity. Transmitted texts mention it, and that record is corroborated by oracle bones, bronze inscriptions, or archaeology.
The “nine bang” 九邦 in the Shanghai Museum bamboo-slip text Rong Cheng Shi 《容成氏》 are also included.
List of states
The Latin names of these states are pronounced according to the Pinyin system established by the People's Republic of China in 1958, which is different from their ancient pronunciations in Old Chinese given the thousands of years of language change.
Romanized name Chinese name Period of existence Rough geographical location Relationship with the Shang dynasty Attested in Shang 商方 Xia dynasty, Shang dynasty Yinxu (大邑商 "Da Yi Shang", "Shang, the Great City") (present Anyang) Records of the Grand HistorianOracle bonesRitual bronzes Zifang 子方 Shang dynasty ally? Oracle bones Tufang 土方 Early to middle Shang dynasty, conquered by Wu Ding Northwest of Yin, east of Hong Fang (present Fen River Basin, Shanxi Province) enemy Book of Poetry (Chang Fa ()Oracle bones甲骨文合集00559正.5：戊辰卜𬆩貞王循土方甲骨文合集06446正：貞勿惟土方征 Gongfang 𢀛方 Shang dynasty, to period of Zu Geng Northwest of Yin, west of Tu Fang (north of present Shaanxi Province, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) swing Oracle bones Guifang 鬼方 Shang dynasty Northwest of Yin (present central Shanxi Province and northern Shaanxi province, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) ally Records of the Grand HistorianBamboo Annals Qiang 羌方 Shang dynasty Northwest of Yin (present Shaanxi Province, the area around Gansu Province, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) swing Records of the Grand HistorianBook of PoetryOracle bones Northern Qiang 北羌 Shang dynasty Northwest of Yin, north of Qiangfang swing Oracle bones Renfang 人方 Shang dynasty Southeast of Yin, coast of the Donghai (present Huai River basin and coast of the Yellow Sea at the Shandong Peninsula, northern Anhui and southern Shandong)) enemy Oracle bones Zhou 周方 Middle to late Shang dynasty, overthrew Di Xin and established the Zhou dynasty. West of Yin (present Qishan County) swing Records of the Grand Historian Dapeng 大彭 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present Tongshan) swing Records of the Grand HistorianBamboo AnnalsOracle bones Tangfang 唐方 Shang dynasty Northwest of Yin Jingfang 井方 Shang dynasty East of Yin ally Oracle bones Linfang 林方 Shang dynasty South of Mount Tai and north of Wen River swing Records of the Grand Historian Xingfang 興方 Shang dynasty Unknown swing Oracle bones Mafang 馬方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Shilou County) enemy Possibly in bronze inscriptions (e.g. Ma gui (). Shifang 豕方 Shang dynasty Weifang or Xiawei 危方 or 下危 Shang dynasty enemy, later conquered Oracle bones Yufang 盂方 Shang dynasty East of Yin Oracle bones Zhifang 沚方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau); arguments are made for the east. swing Oracle bones Pangfang 旁方 Shang dynasty swing Oracle bones旁 in 漢語多功能字庫, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2026. https://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%97%81 Gefang 戈方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present south of Shanxi Province) ally Oracle bones Mufang 木方 Shang dynasty Bronze inscriptionsOracle bones合集 Heji 33193 Bafang 巴方 Xia dynasty, Shang dynasty Sichuan Province, also argued to be to be southern Shaanxi or Jianghan enemy Bamboo AnnalsOracle bones Shu 蜀 Shang dynasty Sichuan Province enemy Bamboo AnnalsOracle bones，Yizhoushu Genfang 亙方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) enemy, suppressed Oracle bones Longfang 龍方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau); arguments are made for an eastern location. swing Oracle bones Jifang 基方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Puxian) enemy Oracle bones Jianfang 湔方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) enemy Oracle bones Jifang 祭方 Shang dynasty West of Yin, between Shang and Zhou swing Oracle bones Shifang 示方 Shang dynasty Maofang 髳方 Shang dynasty enemy Bamboo Annals Zhaofang 召方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) enemy Oracle bones Yinfang 印方 Shang dynasty Hufang 虎方 Shang dynasty East of Yin swing Records of the Grand HistorianBronze inscriptions Weifang 微方 Shang dynasty Bamboo AnnalsOracle bones Xifang 息方 Shang dynasty South of Yin (Luoshan County) ally Oracle bones王長丰, 〈“息”方國族氏考〉, 《中原文物》2007年第2期, pp. 59–65闫孟莲. 息国历史与地理论考[J]. 信阳师范学院学报(哲学社会科学版), 2010, 30(1): 93-96. DOI: 1003-0964(2010)01-0093-04. Available at: http://xb.xynu.edu.cn/article/id/e9180d18-0aa0-4f0d-ab74-1bc02ea52b1a Miefang 眣方 Shang dynasty Zhifang 止方 Shang dynasty Yinfang 尹方 Shang dynasty Bufang 步方 Shang dynasty Oracle bones Guifang 歸方 Shang dynasty South of Yin (present Zigui) enemy Oracle bones?李瑾, 〈殷代甲骨刻辞中“夔方”地理释证〉, 《人文杂志》1959年第4期, pp.71–77 Zengfang 曾方 Shang dynasty Zhufang 祝方 Shang dynasty Nongfang 弄方 Shang dynasty Chuifang 吹方 Shang dynasty Oracle bones Chefang 屮方 (艸方?) Shang dynasty Yuejifang 月丮方 Shang dynasty Chengefang? 10px方 Shang dynasty West of Yin, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau enemy 方 Shang dynasty ally Qifang 㠱方 Shang dynasty North of Yin (present Beijing and northeastern Hebei, to the west of Liaoning) ally Oracle bones?㠱 in 漢語多功能字庫. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2026. https://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E3%A0%B1 方 Shang dynasty 方 Shang dynasty 方 Shang dynasty 方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) swing 方 Shang dynasty Gu 雇 Shang dynasty South of Yin (present southwest of Yuanyang County, northwest of Yuanwu Town, Henan Province) ally Oracle bones Bao 暴 Shang dynasty South of Yin (present Yuanyang County) ally Oracle bones through a Marquess name Lu 盧 Shang dynasty South of Yin (present Zhushan County and Ankang City) enemy Oracle bones盧 in 漢語多功能字庫. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2026. https://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E7%9B%A7 Shi 矢方 Shang dynasty Unknown enemy You 攸 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present southern part of Yongcheng City and northwestern part of Suzhou City) ally Oracle bones Yuan 元 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present Yongcheng City) ally Jifang 及 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present Yongcheng City) ally Shen 侁 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present Cao County) Gao 告 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present Chengwu County) ally Dun 盾 Shang dynasty East of Yin ally Tui 魋 Shang dynasty East of Yin enemy Yachou 亞醜 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present Qingzhou, Shandong) ally Bronze inscriptions Jifang 紀 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present Shouguang) Xue or Pi 薛 or 邳 Shang dynasty East of Yin (present Tengzhou) ally Records of the Grand HistorianBronze inscriptions Feng 豐 Shang dynasty East of Yin swing Pang 逢 Shang dynasty East of Yin ally Bogu 薄姑 Shang dynasty East of Yin ally Bamboo Annals Yufang 鬱方 Shang dynasty Unknown ally Oracle bones? Xuanfang 宣方 Shang dynasty Unknown ally Oracle bones? , Yizhoushu Xiufang 羞方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) swing Oracle bones方稚松：〈小臣墙骨版刻辞残缺文字拟补〉，《故宮博物院院刊》2019年第2期，第202期，頁40–48. Songfang 宋方 Shang dynasty North of Yin (present Zhao County) ally Oracle bones as an Earl張秉權：〈卜辭中所見殷商政治統一的力量及其達到的範圍〉，《中央研究院歷史語言研究所集刊》第50本第1分，1979年3月，頁175–229. Beifang 貝方 Shang dynasty South of Yin Cangfang 倉方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Shangzhou District) ally Oracle bones Quanfang 犬方 Shang dynasty West of Yin swing Oracle bones王立新. 2025. 商王朝国家形式的考古学观察. 《中国社会科学》2025年第10期P187—P203 Yangfang 昜方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Hongdong) Foufang 缶方 Shang dynasty West of Yin Oracle bones滕興建〈武丁時期伐缶方戰役的時間排譜〉, 《殷都學刊》2018年第2期, pp.12–18 Danfang 丹方 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Qinyang) ally Oracle bones丹 in 漢語多功能字庫, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2026. https://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=丹 Qu 去 Shang dynasty West of Yin ally Shangsi 上絲 Shang dynasty West of Yin ally Hefang 禾 Shang dynasty West of Yin Guang 光 Shang dynasty West of Yin, in modern-day Guang County, Henan ally Oracle bones光 in 漢語多功能字庫, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2026. https://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=光 Ke 可 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Xiuwu County) ally Er 耳 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) swing Lü 呂 Shang dynasty West of Yin (Northern Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) enemy Bing 丙 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Lingshi) Xian 先 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Fushan) Na 郍 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Xinzheng, Zhengzhou, Henan Province) Lu 鹿 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Song County) swing Bamboo Annals Qi 耆 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Licheng) swing Chong 崇，琮，虫 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Xi'an) swing Records of the Grand Historian胡厚宣．卜辞中所见之殷代农业．台湾大通书局，1972年：52韩江苏 江林昌 等．《中国商代史第二卷》．中国社会科学出版社，2006：478-482 Mixu 密須 Shang dynasty West of Yin (present Lingtai) swing Bamboo Annals Jian 戔 Shang dynasty Unknown ally Ban 班 Shang dynasty Unknown ally? Bamboo Annals Gufang 榖方 Shang dynasty ally Oracle bonesHuo霍Shang dynastyAllyYizhoushu Mo磨Shang dynastyAllyYizhoushu Ai艾Shang dynastyAllyYizhoushu Yi佚Shang dynastyAllyYizhoushu Li厲Shang dynastyAllyYizhoushu
See also
Ancient Chinese states List of Zhou dynasty states
Notes
References