Tai Jia

Tai Jia or Da Jia, personal name Zǐ Zhì, was the son of Prince Da Ding and a king of the ancient Chinese Shang dynasty.

Family Tai Jia was the son of Da Ding and grandson of Tang of Shang, who himself was a descendant of Xie, Emperor Ku, and the Yellow Emperor. He had at least one consort, Bi Xin,

Sima describes Tai Jia as an autocratic ruler who treated his people badly and broke his own laws. A few years into his reign, internal disorder was prevalent in his the court. His Prime Minister, Yi Yin, advised him to change his ways, but the headstrong king ignored the advice of the elder statesman. Eventually, Yi Yin had no other choice but to exile the king to Tonggong in present-day southwest Yanshi county, Henan to repent. Following the exile, Yi Yin ruled the country as regent for three years, until he felt that the king had sufficiently changed and invited him back to the capital to reclaim his throne. From that point on, the king took care of his people and managed the government well. So that in the 10th year of his reign Yi Yin resigned from his post and retired, honoring the king, after his death, as Zhong Zong (中宗).

As archaeological evidence shows that Yi Yin was still worshipped by the Shang people several hundred years after his death, the account given by Sima Qian is widely considered more reliable. According to both sources the king ruled for 12 years before death. He was given the posthumous name Tai Jia and was succeeded by his son Wo Ding .