The State of Chǔ is a Zhou Dynasty vassal state in present-day central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period (722-481 BCE) and Warring States Period (481-221 BCE).
Its ruling house had the surname Mi, and clan name Yan.
Originally Chu's rulers were of the noble rank of Zi, roughly comparable to a viscount.Originally known as Jing and then as Jingchu, at the height of its power the Chu state occupies vast areas of land, including the present-day provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, Henan, Anhui and parts of Jiangsu and Jiangxi.
For more than 400 years the Chu capital is located at the junction region of Dan River and Xi River, near present-day Xichuan, Henan province.
