Bo Qin

Bo Qin (Chinese: 伯禽; pinyin: Bóqín), also known as Duke Tai of Lu (魯太公), was the founder and first ruler of the State of Lu, a significant vassal state of the Zhou dynasty in ancient China. He was a member of the royal Ji family and the eldest son of the highly influential Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan), who served as a regent during the early Western Zhou dynasty. Bo Qin's birth date is estimated around 1068 BC, and he is believed to have ruled from around 1042 to 997 BC.

Instead of inheriting his father's estate in the Zhou heartland, Bo Qin was granted the newly established State of Lu, centered at Qufu (in modern Shandong province). This move was strategic, as Lu served as a critical military stronghold for the Zhou to control the native peoples and remnants of the conquered Shang dynasty in the east. His father, the Duke of Zhou, remained in the capital to serve the young King Cheng of Zhou as regent, leaving Bo Qin to govern the frontier state. The eminent position of his father allowed the future dukes of Lu unique privileges, such as the sole right among regional states to perform certain royal ancestral rites and music.

Bo Qin ruled the State of Lu for over four decades and successfully established a stable dynastic line. He was succeeded first by his son, Duke Kao of Lu, and then by another son, Duke Yang of Lu. Bo Qin's descendants played a significant role in Chinese history; the philosopher Mencius, for instance, was a descendant of Bo Qin through a later lineage.