CHOU

born c. 1154 BC, , China died 1111, China Pinyin Zhou, also called Ti-hsin, or Ti-hsin-shou last sovereign of the Shang, or Yin, dynasty (18th-12th century BC), who, according to legend, lost his empire because of his extreme debauchery. To please his concubine, Ta-chi, Chou is said to have built a lake of wine around which naked men and women were forced to chase one another. His cruelty was such that the nearby forests were strung with human flesh. Moreover, he provoked the resentment of the people by levying taxes to build, over the course of seven years, the elaborate Deer Tower Palace. It was supposed to have been 600 feet high and a half mile in circuit, with doors and chambers constructed of precious stones. When Wu Wang, founder of the succeeding Chou dynasty (1111-255 BC), overthrew the Shang, Chou set fire to his palace and committed suicide by leaping into the flames.