or Ch'u One of the states contending for power in China, 770-221 BC. Chu emerged in the 8th century BC in the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) valley, then not a part of China. It struggled with other states for supreme control over China in the 3rd century BC but lost out to Qin, which formed the first great Chinese empire. Ch'eng Chu school Chu Teh Chu Hsi Chu ko Liang Ch'iu Ch'u chi Yeh lü Ch'u ts'ai