Shu

Shu is a historical and geographic term in Chinese history. It originally referred to the region and state centered in the Sichuan Basin, in what is now Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality. The name comes from the ancient state of Shu (蜀), which yielded a distinct cultural and political identity in early Chinese history.

In the historical record, Shu is most associated with Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms. Founded in 221 CE by Liu Bei, Shu Han had its capital at Chengdu and lasted until 263 CE, when it was conquered by the state of Wei during the wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Modern usage retains Shu as a regional name connected to Sichuan; in classical literature and archaeology the term Shu marks the heartland of the Sichuan Basin. The term also appears in the name of cultural artifacts such as Shu brocade and in regional nomenclature.

Linguistically, Shu is also a syllable in Mandarin that can represent many different characters depending on tone and context, such as shu, meaning book (书), tree (树), or to transport (输). The character 蜀, used for the ancient state, is a distinct, unrelated origin.

In popular culture, the term Shu is widely known from historical fiction and folklore surrounding the Three Kingdoms era, as well as in modern Chinese place names, literature, and film.