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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

Modern usage retains Shu as a regional name connected to Sichuan; in classical literature and archaeology the

Linguistically, Shu is also a syllable in Mandarin that can represent many different characters depending on

In popular culture, the term Shu is widely known from historical fiction and folklore surrounding the Three

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.
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.
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.
Kingdoms
era,
as
well
as
in
modern
Chinese
place
names,
literature,
and
film.