Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty (; 1022 BC to 256 BC) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other in Chinese history, and the use of iron was introduced to China during this time. The dynasty also spans the period in which the written script evolved from the ancient stage as seen in early Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, to the beginnings of the modern stage, in the form of the archaic clerical script of the late Warring States period.

Mandate of Heaven

In the Chinese historical tradition, the rulers of the Zhou displaced the Shang and legitimized their rule by invoking the Mandate of Heaven, the notion that the ruler (the "son of heaven") governed by divine right (granted by the Supreme God of Heaven) but that his dethronement would prove that he had lost the mandate. The doctrine explained and justified the demise of the Xia and Shang Dynasties and at the same time supported the legitimacy of present and future rulers. The Zhou dynasty was founded by the Ji family and had its capital at Hào (鎬, near the present-day city of Xi'an). Sharing the language and culture of the Shang (Yin), the early Zhou rulers, through conquest and colonization, gradually sinicized, that is, extended Shang (Yin) culture through much of China Proper north of the Yangtze River.

Fēngjiàn (封建)

In the West, the Zhou period is often described as feudal because the Zhou's early rule invites comparison with medieval rule in Europe. However, historians debate the meaning of the term feudal; the more appropriate term for the Zhou Dynasty's political arrangement would be from the Chinese language itself: the Fēngjiàn (封建) system. The Zhou amalgam of city-states became progressively centralized and established increasingly impersonal political and economic institutions. These developments, which probably occurred in the later Zhou period, were manifested in greater central control over local governments and a more routinized agrarian taxation.

Western and Eastern Zhou

Initially the Ji family was able to control the country firmly. In 771 BC, after King You had replaced his queen with a concubine Baosi, the capital was sacked by the joint force of the queen's father, who was the powerful Marquess of Shen, and a nomadic tribe. The queen's son Ji Yijiu was proclaimed the new king by the nobles from the states of Zheng, Lü, Qin and the Marquess of Shen. The capital was moved eastward in 722 BC to Luoyang in present-day Henan Province.

Because of this shift, historians divide the Zhou era into the Western Zhou (西周, pinyin Xī Zhōu), lasting up until 771 BC, and the Eastern Zhou (Traditional Chinese: 東周 Simplified Chinese: 东周, pinyin: Dōng Zhōu) from 770 up to 256 BC. The beginning year of the Western Zhou has been disputed - 1122 BC, 1027 BC and other years within the hundred years from late 12th century BC to late 11th century BC have been proposed. Chinese historians take 841 BC as the first year of consecutive annual dating of the history of China, based on the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. The Eastern Zhou corresponds roughly to two subperiods. The first, from 722 to 481 BC, is called the Spring and Autumn Period, after a famous historical chronicle of the time; the second, which extends slightly past the 256 BC end date of the Eastern Zhou, is known as the Warring States Period (480 to 221 BC). This discrepancy is due to the fact that the last Zhou king's reign ended in 256, 35 years before the beginning of the Qin dynasty which ended the Warring States period.

Decline

With the royal line broken, the power of the Zhou court gradually diminished; the fragmentation of the kingdom accelerated. From Ping Wang onwards, the Zhou kings ruled in name only, with true power lying in the hands of powerful nobles. Towards the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the nobles did not even bother to acknowledge the Ji family symbolically and declared themselves to be kings. They wanted to be the king of the kings. Finally, the dynasty was obliterated by Qin Shi Huang's unification of China in 221 BC.

Agriculture

Agriculture in Zhou Dynasty was very intensive and in many cases directed by the government. All farming lands were owned by nobles, who then gave their land to their serfs, similar to European feudalism. For example, a piece of land was divided into nine squares in the shape of the character for "water well," jing (井), with the grain from the middle square taken by the government and that of surrounding squares kept by individual farmers. This way, the government was able to store surplus food (such as rice) and distribute them in times of famine or bad harvest. Some important manufacturing sectors during this period include bronze making, which was integral in making weapons and farming tools. Again, these industries were dominated by the nobility who direct the production of such materials.

Zhou dynasty kings

Personal name	Posthumous name	Reign years¹	Name by which most commonly known
Ji Fa 姬發	Wuwang 武王	1046 BC-1043 BC¹	Zhou Wuwang (King Wu of Zhou)
Ji Song 姬誦	Chengwang 成王	1042 BC-1021 BC¹	Zhou Chengwang (King Cheng of Zhou)
Ji Zhao 姬釗	Kangwang 康王	1020 BC-996 BC¹	Zhou Kangwang (King Kang of Zhou)
Ji Xia 姬瑕	Zhaowang 昭王	995 BC-977 BC¹	Zhou Zhaowang (King Zhao of Zhou)
Ji Man 姬滿	Muwang 穆王	976 BC-922 BC¹	Zhou Muwang (King Mu of Zhou)
Ji Yihu 姬繄扈	Gongwang 共王	922 BC-900 BC¹	Zhou Gongwang (King Gong of Zhou)
Ji Jian 姬囏	Yiwang 懿王	899 BC-892 BC¹	Zhou Yiwang (King Yi of Zhou)
Ji Pifang 姬辟方	Xiaowang 孝王	891 BC-886 BC¹	Zhou Xiaowang (King Xiao of Zhou)
Ji Xie 姬燮	Yiwang 夷王	885 BC-878 BC¹	Zhou Yiwang (King Yi of Zhou)
Ji Hu 姬胡	Liwang 厲王	877 BC-841 BC¹	Zhou Liwang (King Li of Zhou)
	Gonghe (regency) 共和	841 BC-828 BC	Gonghe
Ji Jing 姬靜	Xuanwang 宣王	827 BC-782 BC	Zhou Xuanwang (King Xuan of Zhou)
Ji Gongsheng 姬宮湦	Youwang 幽王	781 BC-771 BC	Zhou Youwang (King You of Zhou)
End of Western Zhou / Beginning of Eastern Zhou
Ji Yijiu 姬宜臼	Pingwang 平王	770 BC-720 BC	Zhou Pingwang (King Ping of Zhou)
Ji Lin 姬林	Huanwang 桓王	719 BC-697 BC	Zhou Huanwang (King Huan of Zhou)
Ji Tuo 姬佗	Zhuangwang 莊王	696 BC-682 BC	Zhou Zhuangwang (King Zhuang of Zhou)
Ji Huqi 姬胡齊	Xiwang 釐王	681 BC-677 BC	Zhou Xiwang (King Xi of Zhou)
Ji Lang 姬閬	Huiwang 惠王	676 BC-652 BC	Zhou Huiwang (King Hui of Zhou)
Ji Zheng 姬鄭	Xiangwang 襄王	651 BC-619 BC	Zhou Xiangwang (King Xiang of Zhou)
Ji Renchen 姬壬臣	Qingwang 頃王	618 BC-613 BC	Zhou Qingwang (King Qing of Zhou)
Ji Ban 姬班	Kuangwang 匡王	612 BC-607 BC	Zhou Kuangwang (King Kuang of Zhou)
Ji Yu 姬瑜	Dingwang 定王	606 BC-586 BC	Zhou Dingwang (King Ding of Zhou)
Ji Yi 姬夷	Jianwang 簡王	585 BC-572 BC	Zhou Jianwang (King Jian of Zhou)
Ji Xiexin 姬泄心	Lingwang 靈王	571 BC-545 BC	Zhou Lingwang (King Ling of Zhou)
Ji Gui 姬貴	Jingwang 景王	544 BC-521 BC	Zhou Jingwang (King Jing of Zhou)
Ji Meng 姬猛	Daowang 悼王	520 BC	Zhou Daowang (King Dao of Zhou)
Ji Gai 姬丐	Jingwang 敬王	519 BC-476 BC	Zhou Jingwang (King Jing of Zhou)
Ji Ren 姬仁	Yuanwang 元王	475 BC-469 BC	Zhou Yuanwang (King Yuan of Zhou)
Ji Jie 姬介	Zhendingwang 貞定王	468 BC-442 BC	Zhou Zhendingwang (King Zhending of Zhou)
Ji Quji 姬去疾	Aiwang 哀王	441 BC	Zhou Aiwang (King Ai of Zhou)
Ji Shu 姬叔	Siwang 思王	441 BC	Zhou Siwang (King Si of Zhou)
Ji Wei 姬嵬	Kaowang 考王	440 BC-426 BC	Zhou Kaowang (King Kao of Zhou)
Ji Wu 姬午	Weiliewang 威烈王	425 BC-402 BC	Zhou Weiliewang (King Weilie of Zhou)
Ji Jiao 姬驕	Anwang 安王	401 BC-376 BC	Zhou Anwang (King An of Zhou)
Ji Xi 姬喜	Liewang 烈王	375 BC-369 BC	Zhou Liewang (King Lie of Zhou)
Ji Bian 姬扁	Xianwang 顯王	368 BC-321 BC	Zhou Xianwang (King Xian of Zhou)
Ji Ding 姬定	Shenjingwang 慎靚王	320 BC-315 BC	Zhou Shenjingwang (King Shenjing of Zhou)
Ji Yan 姬延	Nanwang 赧王	314 BC-256 BC	Zhou Nanwang (King Nan of Zhou)
	Huiwang 惠王	255 BC-249 BC	Zhou Huiwang² (King Hui of Eastern Zhou)
1 The first generally accepted date in Chinese history is 841 BC, the beginning of the Gonghe regency. All dates prior to this are the subject of often vigorous dispute. The dates provided here are those put forward by The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project, the work of scholars sponsored by the Chinese government which reported in 2000. They are given only as a guide.
2 Nobles of the Ji family proclaimed King Hui as King Nan's successor after their capital, Luoyang, fell to Qin forces in 256 BC. However Zhou resistance did not last long in the face of the Qin advance and so King Nan is widely considered to have been the last emperor of the Zhou dynasty.

External links

The official site of the Chou Dynasty genealogy by Lester D.K. Chow, president, Chou Clansmen Association of America, P.O. Box 4604, Honolulu, Hawaii 96812 Translated from Chinese text to English. http://www.geocities.com/zhouclan/chia_pu.html

Zhou Dynasty | 11th century BC establishments | 256 BC disestablishments

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