王國維在〈北伯鼎跋〉中，因北國銅器出於河北而提出「邶即燕，鄘即魯」的重要論斷，然徵之商周史事，紂子武庚與三監據以叛之地，不當遠自燕魯求之，故陳夢家復提出「邶入於燕」的主張。本文考察王國維與陳夢家二氏所據以論斷之證據，又根據上世紀後來發現的考古與古文字資料，指出邶國始封仍在朝歌之北故殷之地，武庚與三監之亂起，國與殷遺俱移，先徙入商奄之地，復遁「入於燕」。至召公北定燕地，殷遺之叛始平，其子亦獲封於燕。

Wang Guowei, in his “Postscript to Bei Bo Ding”, identifies the state of Bei with the state of Yan, the early Chou state founded by Duke of Shao. While supplying us with a new vision of the early history of the states of Yan and Bei, Wang’s theory offers no explanation as to why the state of Yan would also be named Bei, and how Wu Geng, the crown heir of Di Xin, the last king of Shang, would have been related to Yan.
Chen Mengjia locates the State of Bei at a place north of Zhaoge but within the former domain of the Yin. He also postulates that the state of Bei was moved to Yan, in modern Hebei, after the Duke of Zhou and King Cheng’s suppression of the rebellion led by Wu Geng.
This paper reviews the literature and various sources regarding the State of Bei and the founding of the State of Yan since Wang Guowei published his celebrated paper. While partly agreeing with Chen Mengjia’s opinion that the state of Bei moved to the location of Yan, this paper shows that the first place where Wu Geng took refuge after his defeat in the rebellion was not modern Hebei, but modern Shandong. He fled to the north after his second failure, in the rebellion of Eastern States of the Shang. From reading bronze inscriptions and consulting historical records, one sees that the rebellion of Wu Geng was not put down until fairly late. Yan was a place both of origin and of refuge for the Shang people. Duke of Shao adopted the place name Yan for his state partly for the sake of pacifying the Shang loyalists.