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The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history following the Spring and Autumn period and concluding with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to the Qin state's victory in 221 BC as the first unified Chinese empire known as the Qin dynasty. Although different scholars point toward different dates ranging from 481 BC to 403 BC as the true beginning of the Warring States, Sima Qian's choice of 475 BC is generally the most often cited and popularly accepted one. The Warring States era also overlaps with the second half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, though the Chinese sovereign, known as the king of Zhou, ruled merely a figurehead and served as a backdrop against the machinations of the warring states. The "Warring States Period" derives its name from the ''Record of the Warring States'', a work compiled early in the Han dynasty. ==Geography== The political geography of the era was dominated by the Seven Warring States, namely: *Qin: The State of Qin was in the far west, with its core in the Wei River Valley and Guanzhong. This geographical position offered protection from the states of the Central Plains and it also limited its initial influence. *The Three Jins: Northeast of Qin, on the Shanxi plateau, were the three successor states of Jin. These were: * *Han, south, along the Yellow River, controlling the eastern approaches to Qin. * *Wei, middle. * *Zhao, the northernmost of the three. *Qi: located in the east of China, centred on the Shandong Peninsula, described as east of Mount Tai but whose territory extended far beyond. *Chu: located in the south of China, with its core territory around the valleys of the Han River and, later, the Yangtze River. *Yan: located in the northeast, centred on modern-day Beijing. Late in the period Yan pushed northeast and began to occupy the Liaodong Peninsula Besides these seven major states, some minor states also survived into the period. *Yue: On the southeast coast near Shanghai was the State of Yue, which was highly active in the late Spring and Autumn era but was eventually annexed by Chu. *Sichuan: In the far southwest were the States of Ba and Shu. These were non-Zhou states that were conquered by Qin late in the period. * In the Central Plains comprising much of modern-day Henan Province, many smaller city states survived as satellites of the larger states, though they would eventually be absorbed as well. *Zhongshan: Between the states of Zhao and Yan was the state of Zhongshan which was eventually annexed by Zhao in 296 BC. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Warring States period」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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