Key Facts
- Duration
- c. 1046–221 BCE (~825 years)
- Capital
- Linzi (present-day Shandong province)
- Founding ruler
- Jiang Ziya (Lord Tai), r. 1046–1015 BCE
- Dynasty change
- Jiang (Lü) family replaced by Tian family, 386 BCE
- Annexation
- Last state conquered by Qin, 221 BCE
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
Qi was established around 1046 BCE following the Zhou conquest of the Shang dynasty. Its founder, Jiang Ziya, was a celebrated minister of King Wen of Zhou and a legendary figure in Chinese culture. Granted the region of present-day Shandong, his descendants, the Jiang (Lü) clan, ruled Qi for centuries, gradually expanding its influence as the Zhou central authority weakened during the Spring and Autumn period.
Phase II: Zenith
During the Spring and Autumn period, Qi rose to regional dominance under Duke Huan of Qi, who became the first acknowledged hegemon (ba) among the Zhou states around 685–643 BCE, aided by his minister Guan Zhong. Linzi flourished as a major cultural and commercial center, and Qi's economic strength derived from its coastal salt trade and agricultural productivity in the Shandong peninsula.
Phase III: Decline
The Jiang ruling house was gradually supplanted by the powerful Tian clan, which formally usurped the throne in 386 BCE with Zhou recognition, establishing the Tian Qi state. Despite remaining one of the seven major warring states, Qi was weakened by internal rivalry and a devastating invasion by Yan around 284 BCE. It ultimately failed to resist Qin's unification campaigns and was the last state annexed, in 221 BCE.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory