Zou (state)

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Zou (鄒) was a small Chinese state that existed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of Chinese Antiquity. Its original name was Zhu (邾), but the name was later changed into Zou. The state of Zou was located in the southwest of modern-day Shandong province. Its territory is now the county-level city of Zoucheng (邹城市).

The ancestral name (姓) of the ruling family was Cao (曹). The state of Zou was conquered and annexed by the state of Chu during the reign of King Xuan of Chu (楚宣王) (369 BC–340 BC).

The small state of Zou is famed as the birthplace of the Chinese philosopher Mencius.