# Jizi Chaoxian

Part of a series on the :
History of Korea :
Prehistoric period Palaeolithic 700,000 BC-8000 BC Neolithic 8000 BC–1500 BC* Jeulmun Bronze Age 1500 BC–300 BC* Mumun* Liaoning dagger :
Ancient period Gojoseon 2333 BC–108 BC* Dangun* Gija* Wiman Jin 4th–2nd century BC Yemaek :
Proto–Three Kingdoms period
Takri
Dongye
Buyeo
Eastern
Galsa
Okjeo
Samhan
Ma
Byeon
Jin
Goguryeo
Tamna
Nakrang
Four Commanderies of Han :
Three Kingdoms period Goguryeo 37 BC–668 AD Baekje 18 BC–660 AD Silla 57 BC–935 AD Gaya confederacy 42–562 Tamna (Tributary of Baekje) 498–660 Usan 512–930 :
Northern and Southern period United Silla (Unified Silla) 668–892 Balhae 698–926 Little Goguryeo 699–820 Tamna (Tributary of Silla) 662–925 :
Later Three Kingdoms period Later Baekje 892–936 Taebong (Later Goguryeo) 901–918 Unified Silla (Later Silla) 892–935 Later Sabeol 919–927 Dongdan Kingdom 926–936 Later Balhae 927–935 Jeongan 938–986 :
Dynastic period Goryeo 918–1392 Tamna (Vassal of Goryeo) 938–1105 Heungyo 1029–1030 Joseon 1392–1897 Korean Empire 1897–1910 :
Colonial period Japanese occupation 1910–1945 Provisional Government 1919–1948 :
Modern period People's Republic of Korea 1945 Military governments 1945–1948 North-South division 1945–present* North 1948–present* South 1948–present :
By topic
Architecture
Art
Cuisine
Currency
Education
Geography
Historiography
Language
Military (List · Goguryeo)
Monarchs (Family tree)
Names (Era names)
Naval
Newspapers
Politics (Joseon · North · South)
Religion
Buddhism
Christianity
Islam
Science and technology
Women
World Heritage Sites (North · South) :
Timeline :
Korea portal :
vte :
Jizi Chaoxian (1120–194 BC), or Gija Joseon was a marquisate founded by the sage Jizi (Gija) in Liaoning, called Ji's Marquisate. After being defeated by Yan, Jizi led his people to migrate to what is now the Korean Peninsula and changed the country's name to Chaoxian (Joseon), which means that the morning(朝) sunshine(日) is very fresh(鲜) and bright(明). It's also a dynasty of Gojoseon, a member of the Shang (Yin) dynasty royal house.

## Understanding before 20th century
### Chinese records

Chinese records before the Qin dynasty describe Gija (箕子) as the paternal uncle (or brother in other records) of the last king of the Shang dynasty, the tyrannical King Zhou, but contain no mention of king Zhou's relationship with Gojoseon. Gija was imprisoned by the tyrant until the downfall of Shang Kingdom, when King Wu of Zhou released him.
Records written after the Qin dynasty, when the Han dynasty and Gojoseon were at war, add that Gija led 5,000 to the east of present-day Beijing, as written in the "Geography" section of the Book of Han (although some, especially in China, believe him to have moved to present-day Korea), and became the founding king of Gija Joseon. In Sima Qian's Shi Ji, Gija is mentioned in the following sentence:
   於是武王乃封箕子於朝鮮而不臣也
   [King Wu enfeoffed Gija to Joseon, though he was not a vassal (of Zhou)]

### Korean historiography

No contemporary Korean sources existed for Gija Joseon, and the oldest sources produced in Korea were from the Goryeo dynasty. The earliest Korean record about Gija Joseon can be seen from Samguk Yusa,
   御國一千五百年. 周虎{武}王卽位己卯, 封箕子於朝鮮, 壇君乃移於藏唐京, 後還隱於阿斯達爲山神, 壽一千九百八歲
   [Later Dangun moved his capital to Asadal on T'aebaek-san and ruled 1500 years, until king Wu of Chou (ancient Chinese dynasty) placed Kija on the throne (traditional date 1122 BC). When Kija arrived, Dangun moved to Changtang-kyong and then returned to Asadal, where he became a mountain god at the age of 1908.]
It was widely believed that Gija Joseon was located on the Korean Peninsula, replacing Gojoseon of Dangun. But some Korean scholars believed that Gija settled west of Gojoseon, based on records from "Geography" section of the Book of Han, and the Korean Samguk Yusa that suggests that Gojoseon continued to coexist with Gija Joseon after the migration of Gija. These scholars believed that Gija's influence was limited to western part of Gojoseon.
The Genealogy of the Cheongju Han Clan (청주한씨세보) lists the names of 73 rulers of Gija Joseon and their periods of reign; however, it is not widely accepted by current Korean mainstream historians.
Wiman Joseon is said to begin with the usurpation of the throne from Jun of Gojoseon and the line of kings descended from Gija.

## Shin Chaeho's opinion

Shin Chaeho said that Gija Joseon (323 BC-194 BC) refers to the putative period of Beonjoseon, one of the Three Confederate States of Gojoseon, after the Marquess of Joseon from the Gi clan was invaded by Yan as shown in the records of Weilüe. Chinese traditional accounts indicate that Gihu's ancestor, Gija, was the same person as Jizi (both written as 箕子 in Hanzi/Hanja).
According to Sin Chaeho's Joseon Sangosa, Beonjoseon began disintegrating after its king had been killed by a rebel from the Chinese state of Yan at around 323 BC. With this, the five ministers of Beonjoseon began contending for the throne. Marquess of Joseon from the Gi clan joined in this struggle, and emerged victorious as the new king of Beonjoseon, defeating the competitors for the throne. He established Gija Joseon, named after his ancestor Gija. During Gija Joseon, the king enjoyed strong sovereign powers. Eventually, in 94 BC, Gija Joseon fell after King Jun was overthrown by Wiman, who established Wiman Joseon in its place.

## Controversy on whether Gija and Jizi were the same person

The Korean historian Kim Jung-bae claims that the association between Jizi and Joseon is wrong. He believed that the existence of Gija Joseon as a state established by Jizi was fabricated during Han dynasty. He further claims that the Bamboo Annals, and Confucius's Analects, which was the earliest extant text that referred to Jizi, did not say anything about his going to Gojoseon. Similarly, the Records of the Grand Historian, written soon after the conquest of Wiman Joseon by the Han dynasty, made no reference to Joseon in its discussions about Jizi and no reference to Jizi in its discussions about Joseon.
According to some sources, ancient Koreans claimed that Gija came from the Zhou dynasty but there is no archaeological evidence to support early involvement of the Chinese.