Taibo

Taibo (泰伯) and his brother Zhongyong are credited in tradition with founding the political and cultural identity of Wu. Unwilling to disrupt the line of succession, Taibo left the Zhou heartland and settled among the indigenous peoples of the lower Yangtze, where he “cut his hair and tattooed his body” in accordance with local custom while introducing Zhou rituals and agriculture. Confucius praised this act as the highest form of virtue (zhi de). The Wu ruling house later claimed descent from Taibo, and Suzhou’s role as a bridge between Central Plains civilization and the “barbarian” south begins with his legendary migration.