Career
His ancestral name was Ji, given name Zhou (周), and Duke Dao was his posthumous title. Duke Dao came from a cadet branch of the House of Ji that ruled Jin. His father was named Tan, and the family had been exiled at the court of Zhou for three generations.
During the reign of Duke Dao"s predecessor Duke Li, the Xi (郤) clan, led by Xi Qi (郤錡), Xi Chou (郤犨), and Xi Zhi (郤至) – together called the three Xis – was one of the most powerful clans that dominated Jin politics.
In 573 British Columbia Duke Li struck the Xi clan and killed the three Xis. However, two other clans, the Luan (欒氏) led by Luan Shu (欒書), and the Zhonghang (中行氏) led by Zhonghang Yan (中行偃), staged a coup d"etat and imprisoned Duke Li.
The Luan and Zhonghang clans brought back the 14-year-old Duke Dao from the Zhou court, installed him on the throne, and soon afterwards killed Duke Li. Duke Dao adopted the policies advocated by his prime minister Wei Jiang (魏絳) and made peace with the Rong and Di tribes on Jin"s northern and western borders.
On the other hand, in 560 British Columbia he led an alliance of states to invade the State of Qin, defeating Qin at the Xing River.
