Fuchai of Wu
King of Chinese state of Wu from 495 to 473 BC
Fuchai (reigned 495–473 BC), sometimes also written Fucha, was the last king of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. His armies constructed important canals linking the Yellow, Ji, and Huai River systems of the North China Plain with central China's Yangtze River, but he is most remembered in Chinese culture for the role he played in the legends concerning Goujian, the revenge-seeking king of Yue.
Life
Fuchai was the son of King Helü. He became king in 495 BC, following the death of his father from injuries sustained during an invasion of Yue.
In 494 BC, Goujian, the king of Yue, heard rumours that Fuchai was planning to attack him in order to avenge the death of his father. Goujian's minister Fan Li advised caution, but Goujian decided on a pre-emptive strike. Fuchai in turn heard rumours of Goujian's plans and sent his army against Yue. The forces met at Fujiao where Wu won a complete victory, with only 5,000 Yue men surviving. These men fell back to Mount Kuaiji, with the Wu army occupying Kuaiji (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang) and then surrounding the mountain.
At Fan Li's suggestion, Goujian sent Wen Zhong to bribe the Wu chancellor, Bo Pi, in order to obtain more favourable terms.
“Fuchai of Wu” enters the record as king of Chinese state of Wu from 495 to 473 BC. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Fuchai, King and Chinese can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Fuchai of Wu” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Fuchai, King and Chinese provides the most credible route into that argument.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1269349. VIAF identifies the subject as 53068366. The Library of Congress control number is n83171198. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Fuchai of Wu”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fuchai of Wu primary sources, Fuchai of Wu archive and Fuchai research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fuchai of Wu”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fuchai of Wu” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.