Yue in History
Ancient Chinese texts do not mention Yue until the wars which opposed it to its northern neighbour, the state of Wu, in the late 6th century BC. After several decades of conflict, King Goujian of Yue managed to destroy and annex Wu in 473 BC, and Yue became one of the powerful states in the early Warring States Period.
In 334 BC, the State of Yue, under the rule of Wujiang (Chinese: 無彊), the sixth generation descendant of Goujian, was eventually defeated and annexed by Chu. The second son of Wujiang, Mingdi, was appointed by the king of Chu to administer Wucheng (in present day Wuxing District of Huzhou, Zhejiang), which was situated south of the Ouyang Ting (pavilion), so named because it was built on the south and yáng (sunny) side of the Ouyu Mountain, and hence was given the title of Marquess of Ouyang Ting. After Chu was conquered by Qin in 223 BC, the title was abolished by Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Descendants of the former rulers took up the surname Ou (歐), Ouyang (歐陽) or Ouhou (歐侯, since disappeared) in remembrance of his official title.
The state was famous for the quality of its metalworking and in particular its swords. Examples include the extremely well preserved Sword of Goujian and sword of King Zhougou (州勾王). The beauty Xi Shi was also a native of the state.
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