Editing Zhejiang (section)

===Ancient history===
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The area of modern Zhejiang was outside the major sphere of influence of [[Shang dynasty|Shang civilization]] during the second millennium BC. Instead, this area was populated by peoples collectively known as Dongyue.

The [[Yue (state)|kingdom of Yue]] began to appear in the chronicles and records written during the [[Spring and Autumn period]]. According to the chronicles, the kingdom of Yue was in Northern Zhejiang. [[Shiji]] claims that its leaders were descended from the [[Xia dynasty|Xia]] founder [[Yu the Great]]. The "[[Song of the Yue Boatman]]" ({{lang-zh|c=越人歌|p=Yuèrén Gē|l=Song of the man of Yue}}) was transliterated into Chinese and recorded by authors in North China or inland China of Hebei and Henan around 528 BC. The song shows that the Yue people spoke [[Old Yue language|a language]] that was mutually unintelligible with the dialects spoken in north and inland China. The [[Sword of Goujian]] bears [[bird-worm seal script]]. [[Yuenü]] ({{lang-zh|c=越女|p=Yuènǚ|w=Yüeh-nü|l=the Lady of Yue|links=no}}) was a swordswoman from the state of Yue. To check the growth of the [[Wu (state)|kingdom of Wu]], [[Chu (state)|Chu]] pursued a policy of strengthening Yue.

Under [[Goujian|King Goujian]], Yue recovered from its early reverses and fully annexed the lands of its rival in {{nowrap|473 BC}}. The Yue kings then moved their capital center from their original home around [[Mount Kuaiji]] in present-day [[Shaoxing]] to the former Wu capital at present-day [[Suzhou]]. With no southern power to turn against Yue, Chu opposed it directly and, in 333&nbsp;BC, succeeded in destroying it. Yue's former lands were annexed by the [[Qin Empire]] in 222&nbsp;BC and organized into a [[commandery (China)|commandery]] named for Kuaiji in Zhejiang but initially headquartered in [[Wu County|Wu]] in [[Jiangsu]].