Zhong Ren

Who is Zhong Ren?

Zhòng Rén 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 third Shang king, succeeding his father Tang and elder brother Wai Bing.

He was enthroned in the year of Dingchou with Yi Yin as his prime minister and Bo as his capital. He ruled for 4 years before his death.

He was given the posthumous name Zhong Ren and was succeeded by his nephew Tai Jia.

Oracle script inscriptions on bones unearthed at Yinxu do not list him as one of the Shang kings.