The list of states refers to the various vassal tribes and states during the Shang dynasty in ancient China. Today, scholars' understanding of these states (Chinese："方") primarily comes from oracle bone inscriptions unearthed from the late Shang dynasty Yinxu. In these inscriptions, these tribal states are often referred to as name + "方".[1] In modern style Chinese the term can be duplicated to Fangguo (Traditional Chinese: 方國).
| Name of Fang | Period of existence | Rough geographical location | Relations with the Shang dynasty | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shang Fang (商方) | Xia dynasty, Shang dynasty | Yinxu (「大邑商」"Da Yi Shang", "Shang, the Great City") (Present Anyang, Henan Province) | ||
| Zi Fang (子方) | Xia dynasty, Shang dynasty | Near the Yin (Present Shangqiu, Henan Province) | swing | |
| Tu Fang (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 | |
| Hong Fang (方) | Shang dynasty, to period of Zu Geng | Northwest of Yin, West of Tu Fang (Present Shaanxi Province北部, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| Gui Fang (鬼方) | Shang dynasty | Northwest of Yin (Present central Shanxi Province and northern Shaanxi province, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | ally | |
| Qiang Fang (羌方) | Shang dynasty | Northwest of Yin (Present Shaanxi Province、the area around Gansu Province, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| Northern Qiang (北羌) | Shang dynasty | Northwest of Yin, north of Qiang Fang | swing | |
| Ren Fang (人方) | Shang dynasty | Southeast of Yin, 東海之濱 (Present 淮河流域以及山東半島黃海之濱, 安徽北部、山東南部) | swing | |
| Zhou Fang1 (周方) | Middle to late Shang dynasty, overthrew King Zhou of Shang and established the Zhou dynasty. | West of Yin (Present Qishan County, Baoji, Shaanxi Province) | swing | |
| Dapeng (大彭) | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present Tongshan, Xuzhou, Jiangsu) | swing | |
| 唐方 | Shang dynasty | Northwest of Yin | ||
| 井方 | Shang dynasty | Northwest of Yin (Present Shanxi Province運城市河津市之西、Shaanxi Province寶雞市岐山縣之南) | ally | |
| 林方 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (淮河以南) | swing | |
| 興方 | Shang dynasty | Unknown | swing | |
| 馬方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shanxi Province呂梁市石樓縣) | enemy | |
| 豕方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 危方 | Shang dynasty | swing | ||
| 盂方1 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin | ||
| 東盂方 | Shang dynasty | swing | ||
| 西盂方 | Shang dynasty | swing | ||
| 沚方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| 旁方 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present 山東省曲阜市) | swing | |
| 戈方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shanxi Province南部) | ally | |
| 木方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 巴方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | enemy | |
| 亙方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| 龍方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| 基方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shanxi Province臨汾市蒲縣) | enemy | |
| 湔方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | enemy | |
| 亞方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Jiyuan, Henan Province) | ally | |
| 祭方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin, 位於商周之間 | swing | |
| 示方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 髳方 | Shang dynasty | enemy | ||
| 召方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| 印方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 虎方 | Shang dynasty | ally | ||
| 微方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 息方 | Shang dynasty | South of Yin (Henan Province信陽市羅山縣) | ally | |
| 眣方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 止方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 尹方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 步方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 歸方 | Shang dynasty | 殷之 (Present湖北省宜昌市秭歸縣) | enemy | |
| 曾方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 祝方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 弄方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 吹方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 屮方 (艸方？) | Shang dynasty | |||
| (月丮) 方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 10px方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin, Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau | enemy | |
| 方 | Shang dynasty | ally | ||
| 㠱方 | Shang dynasty | North of Yin (Present北京市、河北省東北部至遼寧省西部一帶) | ally | |
| 方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 方 (古方？) | Shang dynasty | |||
| 方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| 方 | Shang dynasty | |||
| 下危 | Shang dynasty | North of Yin | enemy | |
| 雇 | Shang dynasty | South of Yin (PresentHenan Province原陽縣西南、原武鎮西北) | ally | |
| 暴 | Shang dynasty | South of Yin (PresentHenan Province原陽縣) | ally | |
| 盧 | Shang dynasty | South of Yin (Present 湖北省十堰市竹山縣與Shaanxi Province安康市之間) | ||
| 雀方 | Shang dynasty | South of Yin (Present 江西省鄱阳湖地区) | ally | |
| 矢方 | Shang dynasty | Unknown | enemy | |
| 奠 | Shang dynasty | Unknown | ally | |
| 黍 | Shang dynasty | Unknown | ally | |
| 竹 | Shang dynasty | North of Yin (以河北省秦皇島市盧龍縣為中心地區, Present河北省東北部、遼寧省西部、內蒙古自治區東南角) | ally | |
| 攸 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (PresentHenan Province永城市南部、安徽省宿州市西北) | ally | |
| 元 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (PresentHenan Province永城市) | ally | |
| 及 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present Henan Province永城市) | ally | |
| 侁 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present 山東省菏澤市曹縣) | ||
| 告 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present 山東省菏澤市成武縣) | ally | |
| 盾 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin | ally | |
| 魋 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin | enemy | |
| 醜 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present 山東省濰坊市青州市) | ally | |
| 紀 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present 山東省濰坊市壽光市) | ||
| 薛 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present 山東省滕州市) | ||
| 兒 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present 山東省滕州市) | swing | |
| 豐1 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin | swing | |
| 逢 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin | ally | |
| 薄姑 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin | ally | |
| 鬱方 | Shang dynasty | Unknown | ally | |
| 宣方 | Shang dynasty | Unknown | ally | |
| 羞方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| 杞方 | Shang dynasty | East of Yin (Present Qi County, Kaifeng, Henan Province) | ally | |
| 宋方 | Shang dynasty | North of Yin (Present Zhao County, Shijiazhuang, Hebei province) | ally | |
| 貝方 | Shang dynasty | South of Yin | ||
| 倉方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shaanxi Province商洛市商州區) | ally | |
| 犬方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin | swing | |
| 昜方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shanxi Province臨汾市洪洞縣) | ||
| 缶方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin | ||
| 彭方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| 丹方 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Henan Province焦作市沁陽市) | ally | |
| 去 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin | ally | |
| 上絲 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin | ally | |
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| 禾 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin | ||
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| 光 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin | ally | |
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| 可 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Xiuwu County, Jiaozuo, Henan Province) | ally | |
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| 耳 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| 呂 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Shanxi-Shaanxi Plateau) | swing | |
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| 丙 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shanxi Province晉中市靈石縣) | ||
| 先 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shanxi Province臨汾市浮山縣) | ||
| Shang dynasty | West of Yin | |||
| 豐2 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shaanxi Province灃河以西) | ally | |
| 鎬 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shaanxi Province灃河以東) | swing | |
| 郍 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Xinzheng, Zhengzhou, Henan Province) | ||
| 盂方2 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Northwest of Qinyang, Jiaozuo, Henan Province) | ||
| 鹿 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Song County, Luoyang, Henan Province) | swing | |
| 耆 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Shanxi Province長治市黎城縣) | swing | |
| 崇國 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present Xi'an, Shaanxi Province) | swing | |
| 密須 | Shang dynasty | West of Yin (Present 平涼市靈台縣, Gansu province) | swing | |
| 戔 | Shang dynasty | Unknown | ally |