Di Xin (ca. 1105 - 1046 B.C.) - The last emperor of the Shang Dynasty, Xin ruled from ca. 1075 - 1046 B.C.. He is a semi-mythological figure, in that, almost all we know about him comes from Sima Qian (although he is mentioned in the writings of Confucius), the great historian of the Han Dynasty, and much of it is embellishment. For example, Qian records that Emperor Xin was so intelligent that he never lost an argument, and so strong that he was able to kill wild animals with his bare hands. Similar to Jie of Xia, Emperor Xin was a corrupt ruler which contributed to his eventual downfall. More than just corrupt, however, he is remembered as a highly immoral figure, given over to wine and women, and ignoring his duties as the head of state. There are more similarities to Jie, and one has to wonder if the characterization of the two has been intertwined to show the folly of a decadent lifestyle, particularly by monarchs. Just as Jie was influenced by a concubine named Mo Xi, Xin fell under the spell of his evil wife, Daji. And also like Jie, he had a lake of wine made. But he went even a step further. In the center of the lake was supposedly an island of trees bearing branches of roasted meat hanging from them. Emperor Xin and his cohorts would drink wine from the lake and eat meat of the tree day in and day out. But while this was going on, a vassal state to the west, the Zhou, was growing in strength.