Yan (state)

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Yan 燕
11th century BC–222 BC
Status	Kingdom/Principality
Capital	Ji (蓟) Xiadu
Government	Monarchy
Historical era	Zhou Dynasty
• Established	11th century BC
• Conquered by Qin	222 BC
Currency	knife money spade money other ancient Chinese coinage
Succeeded by Qin Dynasty

Yan
"Yān" in ancient seal script (top) and modern (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese	燕
Hanyu Pinyin	Yān
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yān Bopomofo ㄧㄢ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Ian Wade–Giles Yen1 IPA [jɛ́n] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Yin or Yīn Jyutping Jin3 or Jin1 Southern Min Tâi-lô Ian Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *ʔˤe[n]

Yan (Chinese: 燕; pinyin: Yān; Old Chinese pronunciation: *ʔˤe[n]) was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty.^[2][3] Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing).^[4] During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xiadu at times.^[5]

The history of Yan began in the Western Zhou in the early first millennium BC. After the authority of the Zhou king declined during the Spring and Autumn period in the 8th century BC, Yan survived and became one of the strongest states in China. During the Warring States period from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, Yan was one of the last states to be conquered by the armies of Qin Shihuang: Yan fell in 222 BC, the year before the declaration of the Qin Empire. Yan experienced a brief period of independence after the collapse of the Qin dynasty in 207 BC, but it was eventually absorbed by the victorious Han.

During its height, Yan stretched from the Yellow River to the Yalu River and from the mountains of Shanxi to the Liaodong Peninsula. As the northernmost of all the Chinese states during this time period, Yan faced incursions from steppe nomads and as such, built great walls.