The Zhou Dynasty

Zhou (also called Chou, pronounced "Joe") Dynasty

About 1100 BCE to 250 BCE

Main Idea: Chinese rulers claimed that the Mandate of Heaven gave them the right to rule.

Establishment of the Dynasty

During the rule of the Shang, a significant gap existed between the rich and the poor. Shang kings lived in luxury and began to oppress people. As a result, they lost the support of the people in their kingdom. The land of Zhou was a vassal state of the Shang Dynasty. A powerful leader of the Zhou named Wen Wang began to plan to overthrow the Shang Dynasty. In 1045 B.C.E, Wen's son, Wu Wang (WOO WAHNG) led a rebellion against the Shang. He led an army across the Yellow River to defeat the King of the Shang Dynasty After defeating the Shang, Wu began a new dynasty called the Zhou (JOH).

The Zhou Government

The Zhou dynasty ruled for more than 800 years—longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history. Zhou kings ruled much like Shang rulers. The Zhou king was at the head of the government. Under him was a large bureaucracy (byu•RAH• kruh• see). A bureaucracy is made up of appointed officials who are responsible for different areas of government. Like the Shang rulers, the Zhou king was in charge of defending the kingdom. Zhou kings copied the Shang system of dividing the kingdom into smaller territories. The kings put aristocrats they trusted in charge of each territory. The positions the aristocrats held were hereditary. That meant that when an aristocrat died, his son or another relative would take over as the territory's ruler.

Ancient Chinese people considered the king their link between heaven and earth. The chief duty of the Kings was to carry out religious rituals. In Ancient China, it was believed that these rituals strengthened the link between them and the gods. This belief paved the way for a new idea that the Zhou kings introduced to the government. They claimed that kings ruled China because they had the Mandate of Heaven.

What Was the Mandate of Heaven?

According to Zhou rulers, a divine law gave the Zhou king the power to rule. This mandate (MAN• DAYT), or formal order, was called the Mandate of Heaven. Based on the mandate, the king was chosen by the cosmic order because of his talent and virtue. Therefore, he would rule the people with goodness and wisdom.

The Mandate of Heaven worked in two ways. First, the people expected the king to rule according to the proper "Way," called the Dao (DOW). His duty was to keep the gods happy. A natural disaster or a bad harvest was a sign that he had failed in his duty. People then had the right to overthrow and replace the king.

The Mandate of Heaven also worked another way. It gave the people, as well as the king, fundamental rights. For example, people had the right to overthrow a dishonest or evil ruler. It also made clear that the king was not a god himself. Of course, each new dynasty claimed it had the Mandate of Heaven. The only way people could question the claim was by overthrowing the dynasty.

Religion

The latter period of the Zhou Dynasty is famous for the beginnings of two major Chinese philosophies: Confucianism and Taoism. The Chinese philosopher Confucius lived from 551 to 479 B.C.E. Many of his sayings and teachings impacted the culture and government throughout the rest of the history of Ancient China. Taoism was introduced by another famous philosopher Lao Tzu. He introduced the concept of the yin and the yang.

New Tools and Trade.

Several technological advances occurred in China during this period. One was the invention of cast iron. This enabled strong and durable iron tools and weapons to be manufactured. Other important innovations included crop rotation which allowed more efficient use of the land and the addition of soybeans as a major crop.

For thousands of years, Chinese farmers depended on rain to water their crops. During the Zhou dynasty, the Chinese developed irrigation and flood control systems. As a result, farmers could grow more crops than ever before.

Improvements in farming tools also helped farmers produce more crops. By 550 B.C., the Chinese were using iron plows. These sturdy plows broke up land that had been too hard to farm with wooden plows. As a result, the Chinese could plow more and produce more crops. Because more food could support more people, the population increased. During the late Zhou dynasty, China's population had expanded to about 50 million people.

Trade and manufacturing grew along with farming. A critical trade item during the Zhou dynasty was silk. Pieces of Chinese silk have been found throughout central Asia and as far away as Greece. This suggests that the Chinese traded far and wide.

Western and Eastern Zhou

The Zhou Dynasty is often divided up into the Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou periods. The first part of the Zhou Dynasty is the Western period. This was a time of relative peace. Around 770 BC the Zhou king lost control of some of his territories. Many of his lords rebelled and took over the capital city. The son of the Zhou king escaped to the east, however, and built a new capital. The dynasty that ruled from the new eastern capital is called the Eastern Zhou.

Spring and Autumn Period

The first part of the Eastern Zhou is called the Spring and Autumn period. During this period the lords of the states became somewhat independent and didn't really follow the king. They did what they wanted and often fought amongst each other. By the end of this period many of the lords had conquered each other to where there were only seven main states.

The Zhou Empire Falls

Over time, the local rulers of the Zhou territories became powerful. They stopped obeying the Zhou kings and set up their own states. In 403 B.C.E, fighting broke out. For almost 200 years, the states battled each other. Historians call this time the "Period of the Warring States."

Warring States Period

This period began around 475 BC and lasted up until the end of the Zhou dynasty in 221 BC. There were seven major states left in the empire. It was clear that they would fight each other until only one was left.

Instead of nobles driving chariots, the warring states used large armies of foot soldiers. To get enough soldiers, they issued laws forcing peasants to serve in the army. The armies fought with swords, spears, and crossbows. A crossbow uses a crank to pull the string and shoots arrows with great force.

As the fighting went on, the Chinese invented the saddle and stirrup. These let soldiers ride horses and use spears and crossbows while riding. In 221 B.C.E, the ruler of Qin (CHIHN), one of the warring states, used a large cavalry force to defeat the other states and set up a new dynasty.

Interesting Facts about the Zhou Dynasty

• A lot of the bronze vessels made during this time had detailed inscriptions on them. Archeologists have been able to learn a lot about the Zhou from these inscriptions.

• One of the most popular pieces of literature was a collection of poems called the Book of Songs.

• Battles between the states were generally fought under a strict set of "rules". The soldiers of the time were considered chivalrous and fought with honor.

• The famous book on war the Art of War was written by Sun Tzu during this time.

• Although iron was introduced during this period, the Zhou are most famous for their work with bronze.