He believed that Heaven ordains a certain course of life for each individual, including becoming a moral person. It is divided into two periods: Western Zhou (1046-771 BCE) and Eastern Zhou (771-256 BCE). The Zhou Dynasty era consisted of three periods: Western Zhou (1046-771 BC), the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), and the Warring States Period. All farming lands were owned by nobles, who then gave their land to their serfs, a situation similar to European feudalism. Zhou, Wade-Giles romanization Chou, also called Zi Zhou, or Dixin, (born early 11th century? With the decline of the feudal kings power, de facto power fluctuated among various of the feudal chiefs as they were able to make themselves overlords. The two most important early books belonging to this tradition are: the Laozi (Old Master) and Zhuangzi (Master Zhuang). For example, a piece of land was divided into nine squares in the well-field system, with the grain from the middle square taken by the government and that of surrounding squares kept by individual farmers. Noble lords loved to demonstrate their prowess and raise their prestige through success in hunting and battling. Living in hovels and with little opportunity to leave their lords manors, these farmers were required to work his lands and also to submit a portion of the harvest from their own small farms. The definition of the Way was broadened to include the idea that individuals have a spiritual essence in need of harmonizing and liberation. The Dao is mysterious: it is beyond sense-perception and yet the source of life and the universe, the ultimate truth transcending the polarities that make up life and yet pervades them, empty and yet the mother of all things. However, aside from the presence of royal overseers, a hereditary lord enjoyed relative sovereignty in his own domain. These hereditary classes were similar to Western knights in status and breeding, but unlike the European equivalent, they were expected to be something of a scholar instead of a warrior. One of the Zhou ruling houses devised a plan to conquer the Shang, and a decisive battle was fought, probably in the mid-11th century bce. As the empire was breaking up, arts and culture were flowering in the various component states, encouraged and stimulated by the highly localized interests that fed the impulse toward independence of the empire. The Analects not only shows a serious and learned man, but also someone capable in archery and horsemanship, who loved music and ritual, and who untiringly travelled the feudal states in the hopes of serving in a lords retinue (see Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)). There was also a great philosophical flowering: the schools of Confucianism, Daoism, and legalism developed in that period. This move marked the beginning of the Eastern Zhou (770 256 BCE). They killed the Zhou king and took control of the whole Wei River Valley. [27][28][f] According to the historian Li Feng, the term "Rong" during the Western Zhou period was likely used to designate political and military adversaries rather than cultural and ethnic "others". The duke passed over his two elder sons Taibo and Zhongyong to favor the younger Jili, a warrior in his own right. Trade was increased, towns grew up, coinage was developed, chopsticks came into use, and the Chinese writing system was created out of its primitive beginnings in the Shang period. Decorum was important to Confucius. It lasted for over 800 years and included the reigns of 37 emperors. These Daoists largely rejected Confucian ideas about human moral development and social order as artificial constructs. He held this title (duke) and fief (Qi) because his distant ancestor had served as a commander under King Wu during the Zhou founding. In matters of inheritance, the Zhou dynasty recognized only patrilineal primogeniture as legal. He held this title (duke) and fief (Qi) because his distant ancestor had served as a commander under King Wu during the Zhou founding. By the end of this period, largely owing to the demands of warfare, the Zhou feudal order had been supplanted by a small number of powerful territorial states with centralized monarchies. Because of this, the Zhou moved their capital city east to the North China Plain. So where did the other sons of Qin Shihuang finally go? He thought that a golden age existed in the past and wished to transmit the ethical values of that time. The most famous of these was Confucius, who taught a system of mutual duty between superiors and inferiors. [31][32][33] To maintain Zhou authority over its greatly expanded territory and prevent other revolts, he set up the fengjian system. Now, many generations later, his state was a formidable power on the east coast. The magistrates job would then be to register the population, maintain law and order, collect tax revenue, and conscript people for labor projects and military campaigns. King You was killed by the Quanrong when Haojing was sacked. Whenever new territory was added or a noble line was extinguished, kings created counties and appointed magistrates to manage the villages and towns in that area. Zhou Dynasty Timeline. Other states came to the rescue, relocating the kings son, Prince Ping, to the eastern capital at Luoyang. He taught how a person becomes moral because a good society only develops when composed of and led by virtuous people. The Warring States Period lasted 254 years. Major philosophies and religions emerged that were the basis of Chinese belief in later eras, such as Confucianism and Daoism. The Zhou agreed that since worldly affairs were supposed to align with those of the heavens, the heavens conferred legitimate power on only one person, the Zhou ruler. In the context of his time, Confucius was a dynamic individual who believed he was mandated by Heaven to return the world to a more socially and politically harmonious time. Chinas three major pre-modern philosophical and religious traditions are Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Over the next 250 years, during what is referred to as the Warring States Period (475 221 BCE), these states averaged one major battle per year until, at the very end, only the state of Qin [cheen] remained. During Confucius's lifetime in the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhou kings had little power, and much administrative responsibility and de-facto political strength was wielded by rulers of smaller domains and local community leaders. Second, they issued proclamations explaining to conquered peoples why they should accept Zhou rule. The king and his regent did so by implementing three policies. In later centuries, the Daoism of these early philosophers was taken in new directions. Two major philosophical traditions emerged to address these issues: Confucianism and Daoism. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. But this goal wont be accomplished through more seeking and more knowledge. For more than 800 years (9-17 centuries), the Central Plains dynasty failed to effectively control Xinjiang (the Xinjiang was directly under the jurisdiction of Chahe Tai Khan during the Yuan Dynasty). Traditionally, it has been given as 1122 bce, and that date has been successively revised as scholars have uncovered more archaeological evidence. Rather, they created a class of military commanders and specialists whose promotion was based on their ability to produce victories in the field. Among them, the most successful was the state of Qin, which eventually conquered all of China and became an empire. Taibo and Zhongyong had supposedly already fled to the Yangtze delta, where they established the state of Wu among the tribes there. [39] As the Zhou emulated the Shang's large scale production of ceremonial bronzes, they developed an extensive system of bronze metalworking that required a large force of tribute labor. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). If a duke took power from his nobles, the state would have to be administered bureaucratically by appointed officials. Confucius chose to become learned and seek office. At that point, when the individual is in accord with the ineffable Way, life becomes spontaneous, natural, and effortless. If those who lead do so by virtue and conduct themselves according to rules of propriety, people will learn from them and develop a sense of honor and shame. Fengjian. He believed that Heaven ordains a certain course of life for each individual, including becoming a moral person. Rather, they pointed to a natural condition that both individuals and society can recover, one that existed before desires trapped people in a world of strife. The Mandate determines whether an emperor of China is sufficiently virtuous to rule. This page titled 3.8: The Long Zhou Dynasty (1046- 256 BCE) is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by George Israel (University System of Georgia via GALILEO Open Learning Materials) . [30], King Wu maintained the old capital for ceremonial purposes but constructed a new one for his palace and administration nearby at Hao. Established during the Western period, the Li (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: l) ritual system encoded an understanding of manners as an expression of the social hierarchy, ethics, and regulation concerning material life; the corresponding social practices became idealized within Confucian ideology. The noble person is concerned with rightness, the small person is concerned with profit. (4.16) Confucius redefined the meaning of nobility. The first two had their origins in the later centuries of the Eastern Zhou, while Buddhism only began to arrive from South Asia in the first century C.E. However, in the course of doing so, he reinterpreted the past and imbued the virtues he stressed with rich, new meanings. We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. But they fought even more fiercely. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zhou-dynasty, World History Encyclopedia - Zhou Dynasty, Ancient Origins - The Zhou Dynasty: The Longest-Lasting Dynasty in Chinese History, Social Science LibreTexts Library - The Long Zhou Dynasty (1046- 256 BCE), Zhou dynasty - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Instead, this warrior nobility engaged in an escalating contest for power and prestige. These nobles were allowed to rule their own lands hereditarily, so long as they observed certain obligations to their king. Later, Confucius asked him, Why did you not say: As a man, when agitated in thought he forgets to eat, joyfully forgetting his cares, not realizing that old age is near at hand?. 5. The term Huj was probably a hereditary title attached to a lineage. Historians believe the Old Master was a fictional sage invented by Warring States Period philosophers who compiled the book attributed to him. 5. Zhou kings remained there for the next five hundred years, during the period called the Eastern Zhou. These lords dukes, marquis, earls, and baronsthen took their families, contingents of soldiers, and emblems of nobility to the granted territory and set up palaces and ancestral temples in walled towns. This way, the government was able to store surplus food and distribute it in times of famine or bad harvest. In the 8th century bce the political system, which had essentially consisted of a network of extended family, began to weaken seriously. He saw the practice of morality in the family as the root. Prior to the Warring States Period, it was the norm for nobility to hand out land in their states to kinsmen, just as it had been for the king during the Western Zhou. Eventually, these states acquired more power than the king, beginning a period of conflict that is known, appropriately, as the Warring States Period. Second, they issued proclamations explaining to conquered peoples why they should accept Zhou rule. One of the duties and privileges of the king was to create a royal calendar. Attending lords cemented their agreements by swearing oaths and drinking the blood of sacrificed animals. Rather, the mind must be emptied out, calmed, and purified, until desires are absent and a primordial, natural condition is restored. But it was his son King Wu (Martial King) who brought down the Shang Dynasty. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. [39] In this way, the Zhou sky god legitimized regime change. [35] When King You demoted and exiled his Jiang queen in favor of the beautiful commoner Bao Si, the disgraced queen's father the Marquis of Shen joined with Zeng and the Quanrong barbarians to sack Hao in 771 BC. Their embryonic bureaucracies included such features as a system of official posts, salaries paid in grain and gifts, administrative codes, and methods for measuring a servants performance. Relocated to Luoyang, King Ping ruled from a much smaller royal domain surrounded by approximately 150 feudal states and their lords. They presented a universe with multiple heavenly and hellish realms populated with divinities and demons. NB: Dates in Chinese history before the first year of the Gonghe Regency in 841 BC are contentious and vary by source. Then, King Wu returned to his capital in the Wei River Valley, where he passed away in 1043 BCE. 4: China and East Asia to the Ming Dynasty, Book: World History - Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500 (Berger et al. The Shang dynasty had begun with wise and benevolent rulers, but later kings were cruel and incompetent, and failed to see to the well-being of their subjects. Legal. As the main focus of his grandiose project, his canal work eventually diverted the waters of the entire Zhang River to a spot further up the Yellow River. The early Western Zhou supported a strong army, split into two major units: "the Six Armies of the west" and "the Eight Armies of Chengzhou". In this capacity, Duke Huan had the authority to resolve disputes between nobles on behalf of the king. The first qualification for a ruler or one who serves is moral rectitude. This manual of military strategy and tactics stresses the importance of formulating a strategy that ensures victory prior to any campaigning. Although Wu's early death left a young and inexperienced heir, the Duke of Zhou assisted his nephew King Cheng in consolidating royal power. Later kings' campaigns were less effective. Therefore, they devised better ways to control land in their realms. The Eastern Zhou was characterized by an accelerating collapse of royal authority, although the king's ritual importance allowed over five more centuries of rule. During the turmoil of the Warring States period, other individuals developed a philosophy very different from Confucianism called Daoism. In later centuries, the Daoism of these early philosophers was taken in new directions. Eventually, a Daoist church developed, with its own ordained priesthood, temples, and monasteries. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Over time, however, Zhou kinship feudalism failed to function as intended by the founding rulers. In the eleventh century BCE, the Zhou state was a minor power on the western periphery of the Shang realm, located along the Wei [way] River. Hence, it is hardly surprising that histories inform us that the many lords ceased to pay visits to the kings court. This page titled 4.7: The Long Zhou Dynasty (1046- 256 BCE) is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by George Israel (University System of Georgia via GALILEO Open Learning Materials) . The system, also called "extensive stratified patrilineage", was defined by the anthropologist Kwang-chih Chang as "characterized by the fact that the eldest son of each generation formed the main of line descent and political authority, whereas the younger brothers were moved out to establish new lineages of lesser authority. Marriage and Family, Shanghai. Brashier writes in his book "Ancestral Memory in Early China" about the tsung-fa system of patrilineal primogeniture: "The greater lineage, if it has survived, is the direct succession from father to eldest son and is not defined via the collateral shifts of the lesser lineages. The Zhou dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhu; Old Chinese (): *tiw) was a royal dynasty of China (1046 BC - 256 BC) that followed the Shang dynasty.Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history.The military control of China by the royal house, surnamed Ji, lasted initially from 1046 until 771 BC for a period known as the Western Zhou, and the . There are several reasons why the Zhou dynasty lasted so long: Centralized government: The Zhou dynasty had a centralized system of government, with a powerful ruler at its head, which allowed for effective administration and control over a large territory. [d] The Zhou enfeoffed a member of the defeated Shang royal family as the Duke of Song, which was held by descendants of the Shang royal family until its end. At their royal palaces, Zhou kings conducted ceremonies of investiture during which they sacrificed to Heaven and the spirits of deceased ancestors, held banquets, and then bestowed noble titles and grants of land upon members of the royal family and relatives by marriage. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. [22] For example, Chinese philosopher Mencius (372289 BCE) acknowledged that King Wen of Zhou had ancestry from among the Xirong, as King Wen's descendants, the Zhou kings, claimed ancestry from the legendary cultural hero Hou Ji, who might be related to the Xirong through his mother Jiang Yuan;[23][24][25][26] additionally, the historical narrative and commentary work Zuo Tradition (late 4th-century BCE) mentioned that the baron of Li Rong (Chinese: ) (in today western China), after being defeated by Jin, married off his daughter Li Ji (Chinese: ; lit. Stated more simply, Warring States Period rulers created administrative units and a civil service. 1 These selections from the Analects are translated in De Bary and Bloom, ed., Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. [8] The latter period of the Zhou dynasty is also famous for the beginnings of three major Chinese philosophies: Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism. The Zhou Dynasty collapsed slowly, over a period of hundreds of years, as the feudal rulers of outlying provinces gained more authority. The noble person, filial piety, humaneness, etiquette, Heaven, and government by men of virtue are just some of the ideas Confucius discussed as he traveled the feudal states seeking to advise their lords. Chinese dynasty lasting from c.1046 to 256 BC, For other dynasties with the same name, see, Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty (1050771 BC) in China, Mandate of Heaven and the justification of power, The exact location of Bin remains obscure, but it may have been close to, Sima Qian was only able to establish historical dates after the time of the, '"Major Hymns - Decade of the Birth of Our People -, Shaughnessy, E. L. (1999) "Western Zhou History" in Loewe, M. The principal purpose of these Daoists was to attend to a persons physical and psychological well-being. However, he only managed to hold some minor offices in Lu and generally failed in his political aspirations. Search Results. Daoist masters, claiming divine inspiration, composed esoteric texts for their followers that explained how the natural world originated from a primordial ether (qi) and its division into two polar forces: the yin and yang (see Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\)). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He assumed the throne upon his fathers death and, in 1046, led three-hundred chariots and 45,000 foot soldiers equipped with bronze armor and pole-mounted dagger-axes to a location just outside the Shang capital, where he met with and decisively defeated the last Shang king and his army. Those who belonged to it are Confuciansindividuals distinguished by their commitment to the ideas articulated by Confucius, classical learning, and the value they place on character and conduct as the key to a good society and political order. Literature flourished with Confucius and other great Chinese philosophers. There were many similarities between the decentralized systems. If he does not fulfill his obligations as emperor, then he loses the Mandate and thus, the right to be emperor. In 771 BCE, in what became a telling sign of weakness, the Zhou king was murdered and his young successor was compelled to relocate farther east, to a capital closer to the heart of the North China Plain. Finally, these rulers no longer relied solely on close kinsmen to wage war alongside them. This official document defined times for undertaking agricultural activities and celebrating rituals. In the early 1600s, dynastic struggle quickly tore Russia apart, soon joined by famine and invasion, earning the name the Time of Troubles. Indeed, Zhou kings granted land and noble titles to kinsmen in exchange for obedience, periodic visits to the kings palace, tribute, and military support. [55] The Zhou wanted to increase the number of enlightenment seekers, mystics, and those who would be interested in learning about such things as a way to further distance their people from the Shang-era paradigm and local traditions. Despite these similarities, there are a number of important differences from medieval Europe. Prior to the Warring States Period, Zhou kings were still accorded a level of respect, at least as symbols of unity and nominal heads of the Zhou feudal order. The system was canonized in the Book of Rites, Zhouli, and Yili compendiums of the Han dynasty (206 BC220 AD), thus becoming the heart of the Chinese imperial ideology. During the Zhou dynasty, centralized power decreased throughout the Spring and Autumn period until the Warring States period in the last two centuries of the dynasty. [46] At times, a vigorous duke would take power from his nobles and centralize the state. Those who belonged to it are Confuciansindividuals distinguished by their commitment to the ideas articulated by Confucius, classical learning, and the value they place on character and conduct as the key to a good society and political order. Rather, the mind must be emptied out, calmed, and purified, until desires are absent and a primordial, natural condition is restored. To govern is to rectify. Stated more simply, Warring States Period rulers created administrative units and a civil service. The Sui Dynasty was a short, intense dynasty, with great conquests and achievements, such as the Grand Canal and the rebuilding of the Great Wall. Kings also militarized their kingdoms landscapes by building forts at strategically critical passes, walls to mark off boundaries, and watch towers to signal the enemys approach. (View the image of a Warring States Period soldier at the following link: http://brandonqindynasty.weebly.com/9/8580061.jpeg. Finally, these rulers no longer relied solely on close kinsmen to wage war alongside them. [58] Zhou is also represented by the star Beta Serpentis in asterism "Right Wall", Heavenly Market enclosure (see Chinese constellations).[59]. Master Sun was a military commander and strategist who served the lords of the state of Wu just prior to the onset of the Warring States period (c. fifth century BCE). Centralization became more necessary as the states began to war among themselves and decentralization encouraged more war. Daoists developed communal prayers and rituals that could cure illness, free souls from hell, win blessings from heaven, and eliminate sins from the community. He believed that the nobility was honorable, observed moral codes, and upheld social standards. The establishment date of 1046 BC is supported by the XiaShangZhou Chronology Project and David Pankenier,[5] but David Nivison and Edward L. Shaughnessy date the establishment to 1045 BC.[6][7]. 2. The original Zhou capital had been located near present-day Xian in Shaanxi on the Wei River above its confluence with the Huang He (Yellow River). Tai later led the clan from Bin to Zhou, an area in the Wei River valley of modern-day Qishan County. It is so divided because the capital cities in the Western Zhou of Fengyi (presently in the . A person of humanity is, for instance, one who is capable of empathy and unselfish concern for the welfare of others. The fighting went on for three years before the rebellion was put down, and finally the Zhou solidified their reign over all of China. [39], Zhou legitimacy also arose indirectly from Shang material culture through the use of bronze ritual vessels, statues, ornaments, and weapons. Instead, he gained an avid following of 70 students, whom he accepted regardless of their social status. [citation needed], Agriculture in the Zhou dynasty was very intensive and, in many cases, directed by the government. At this point, the many lords had no intention of toppling the king; rather, seeing his military weakness, the most powerful ones stepped in to enforce order. To his mind, he was living at a time when civilization was collapsing and society was decaying. There were also two-story buildings and observation towers, and Laozi mentions a nine-story tower. Like other young men of similar background, he had access to education and could aspire to serve in some capacity in a feudal state, perhaps at the lords court, or as an official or soldier. 1 These selections from the Analects are translated in De Bary and Bloom, ed., Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. Second, Zhou kings were unable to impose their will on feuding feudal lords and were even defeated by them in several military campaigns. The first qualification for a ruler or one who serves is moral rectitude. A person of humanity is, for instance, one who is capable of empathy and unselfish concern for the welfare of others. As opposed to serving a lesson to and resolving some dispute with another lord, these selfdeclared kings waged war to destroy them and take their land. But this goal wont be accomplished through more seeking and more knowledge. Finally, one of those small kingdoms, Qin (from which derives modern Chinas name), succeeded in conquering the rest of the states and establishing the Qin dynasty (221207 bce). All warfare is deception, Master Sun states. [40] After the Zhou came to power, the mandate became a political tool. As they did so, their lands evolved into powerful states (see Map \(\PageIndex{2}\)). We return to that topic after reviewing the ideas put forward by philosophers in the context of these centuries of turmoil. A lesser line is the line of younger sons going back no more than five generations. Confucius chose to become learned and seek office. By 475 BCE, in the wake of 540 wars fought over the course of two centuries, only fifteen states remained (see Map \(\PageIndex{2}\)). His father died about the time Confucius was born, and he was raised by his mother, who also passed away when Confucius was young. Feudalism generally describes a political and economic system characterized by fragmented authority, a set of obligations (usually of a military nature) between lords and vassals, and grants of land (fiefs) by rulers in exchange for some type of service (see Chapters Three and Twelve). Confucianism and Daoism were both responses to the crisis presented by the breakdown of the Zhou feudal order and escalating warfare in China. Legal. Prior to the Warring States Period, it was the norm for nobility to hand out land in their states to kinsmen, just as it had been for the king during the Western Zhou. The Eastern Zhou, however, is also remembered as the golden age of Chinese philosophy: the Hundred Schools of Thought which flourished as rival lords patronized itinerant shi scholars is led by the example of Qi's Jixia Academy. Feudalism is generally a political and economic system characterized by fragmented authority, a set of obligations (usually of a military nature) between lords and vassals, and grants of land (fiefs) by rulers in exchange for some type of service. Among them, the most successful was the state of Qin, which eventually conquered all of China and became an empire. Later, Confucius asked him, Why did you not say: As a man, when agitated in thought he forgets to eat, joyfully forgetting his cares, not realizing that old age is near at hand?. But over time, Zhou kings lost their ability to control these lords, and the lords became increasingly independent. During the third century BCE, the Zhou Kingdom was destroyed and one of these warring states, the Qin [Cheen] Dynasty, prevailed over the rest. Paradoxically, although the Dao is indescribable and cant be seen or heard, the goal of the Daoist is to accord with and follow it.