Is “The cruel punishment of being burned to death on a bronze pillar and the pool of wine and forest of meat” true?
based on fact
The Records of the Grand Historian, 'Annals of Yin,' records that he used wine as a pool and hung meat as a forest; but the Analects, 'Zizhang,' quotes Zigong saying, 'The wickedness of Zhou is not as extreme as this,' suggesting many atrocities were later exaggerated.
King Zhou (Di Xin)
In official histories, the last emperor of the Shang dynasty is depicted as a ruler who expanded territory but was autocratic and obstinate, while in novels he is portrayed as a tyrannical villain bewitched by a fox spirit.
Other claims about King Zhou (Di Xin)
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