Fuhao

Chinese consort

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

Fuhao was a consort of Wuding, a king of the Shang dynasty in China, which ruled from approximately 1600 to 1046 BCE. While the Shang dynasty is the first Chinese dynasty with historical records, Fuhao is notable for her relatively undisturbed elite burial. Her grave, though smaller than those of the kings, contained a vast wealth of artifacts, including 468 bronze objects, 775 jades, and over 6,880 cowries. This discovery provides significant insight into the wealth and burial practices of the Shang elite, suggesting that royal tombs contained even greater riches.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

China
Royal burials
…most notable being that of Fuhao, a consort of Wuding. That her relatively small grave contained 468 bronze objects, 775 jades, and more than 6,880 cowries suggests how great the wealth placed in the far-larger royal tombs must have been.
Read More
…most notable being that of Fuhao, a consort of Wuding. That her relatively small grave contained 468 bronze objects, 775 jades, and more than 6,880 cowries suggests how great the wealth placed in the far-larger royal tombs must have been.
Read More