Wai Ren
King of Shang dynasty
About Wai Ren
Lived 1600 BC – 1534 BC.
Wai Ren or Bu Ren , personal name Zi Fa, was a Shang dynasty King of China.
In the Records of the Grand Historian he was listed by Sima Qian as the eleventh Shang king, succeeding his brother Zhong Ding . He was enthroned in the year of Gengxu with Ao as his capital. During his reign there was a rebellion from Shang's vassals of Pei and Xian peoples. He ruled for 15 years (although the Bamboo Annals claim 10 years) before his death. He was given the posthumous name Wai Ren and was succeeded by his son He Dan Jia .
Oracle bone script inscriptions on bones unearthed at Yinxu alternatively record that he was the tenth Shang king, given the posthumous name Bu Ren and succeeded by his youngest brother Jian Jia.
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Important facts
People in Wai Ren's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Wai Ren's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Wai Ren?
king of Shang dynasty
When was Wai Ren born?
Wai Ren was born in 1600 BC in China.
When did Wai Ren die?
Wai Ren died in 1534 BC.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Wai Ren. https://biography.guide/wai-ren/
MLA: "Wai Ren." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/wai-ren/.
Chicago: "Wai Ren." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/wai-ren/.
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