| King Ping of Zhou 周平王 | |
| Succession: | King of the Zhou dynasty |
| Reign: | 770–16 April 720 BC |
| Predecessor: | King You of Zhou |
| Successor: | King Huan of Zhou |
| Full Name: | Ancestral name Jī (姬) |
| House: | Ji |
| Dynasty: | Zhou (Eastern Zhou) |
| Death Date: | 16 April 720 BC[1] |
| Posthumous Name: | King Ping (平王) |
| Father: | King You of Zhou[2] |
| Mother: | Queen Shen |
| Issue: | Crown Prince Xiefu Prince Hu Ruizu of Zhou (周睿祖) |
King Ping of Zhou (; died 16 April 720 BC), personal name Ji Yijiu, was the thirteenth king of China's Zhou dynasty and the first of the Eastern Zhou dynasty.[3]
He was the son of King You of Zhou and Queen Shen (申后).
King You had exiled Queen Shen and Ji Yijiu after the king became enamoured with his concubine Bao Si and made her queen and his son Bofu his heir.[4] As a result, Queen Shen’s father, the Marquess of Shen, teamed with the Quanrong nomads and local satellite states to overthrow King You.[5] In the Battle of Mount Li King You and Bofu were killed, and Bao Si captured. Ji Yijiu ascended the throne. At about the same time, Jī Hàn (姬翰), Duke of Guó (虢公), elevated Jī Yúchén (姬余臣) to the throne as King Xie of Zhou (周携王), and the Zhou Dynasty saw a period of two parallel kings until King Xie was killed by Marquis Wen of Jin (晋文侯) in 750 BCE.
King Ping moved the Western Zhou dynasty's capital east from Haojing to Luoyang,[6] thus ending the Western Zhou and beginning the Eastern Zhou dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period. He is the first Zhou king to be mentioned in the chronological account of the Zuo Zhuan.
Over 14 centuries after King Ping’s death, Tang dynasty Empress regnant Wu Zetian claimed ancestry from King Ping through his son Prince Wu, and changed the dynastic name to Zhou, which was reverted to Tang after her death.[7]
Sons: