Wo Ding

Who is Wo Ding?

Wo Ding is traditionally held to be a Shang Dynasty King of China but recent archaeological evidence has thrown this into doubt.

In the Records of the Grand Historian he was listed by Sima Qian as the fifth Shang king, succeeding his father Tai Jia. He was enthroned in the year of Guisi with Qinshi as his prime minister and Bo as he capital. In the 8th year of his reign, he conducted ceremonies to honour Yi Yin, the previous prime minister. He ruled for 19 years before his death. He was given the posthumous name Wo Ding and was succeeded by his brother Tai Geng. Oracle script inscriptions on bones unearthed at Yinxu do not list him as one of the Shang kings.