PA

Pinyin Ba ancient tribe and later an ancient Chinese feudal state that came into being in the 11th century BC, under the Western Chou. It was situated in the Chia-ling valley of what is now central Szechwan. Pa established relations with the mid-Yangtze kingdom of Ch'u in the 5th century BC. Shortly before 316 BC, the state was conquered by the Ch'in and incorporated into the Ch'in empire. In the middle of the 3rd century BC, the Pa region became part of the kingdom of Shu and was totally independent of northern and central China. The central region of Szechwan is still sometimes known as the Pa region.