Zhou dynasty

周朝
 1046-256 BCE
The longest dynasty in China’s history
Timeline of Zhou Dynasty
The Plain of Zhou
 Sections
● Zhou Dynasty is usually divided into the
Western Zhou.
● The division occurred when the Zhou capital
was moved to a more eastern location to
help protect it from invaders in the west.
● The original Zhou capital had been located
on the Wei River above its confluence with
the Huang He (Yellow River).
● Many of the ideas developed by figures like
Laozi, Confucius, Mencius and Mozi, who all
lived during the Eastern Zhou period
 Eastern Zhou 1046 B.C. to 771 B.C.]
● Was built by King Wu
● To justify their conquest, the Zhou
developed the concept of the Mandate of
Heaven
Western Zhou 770 B.C. to 256 B.C
● To support the empire in the east and its
loyal feudal rulers, an eastern capital was
built at Luoyang on the middle reaches of
the Huang He.
● The Zhou rulers were forced to relocate to
the eastern city of Luoyang
● Great thinkers like Confucius, Mencius, Li
Si, and Lao Tzu, emerged and traveled
from palace to palace
● The Eastern Zhou dynasty fell further into
ruin as wars escalated between various
warlords. [King Nan] by the Qin dynasty.
 Interesting facts about Zhou Dynasty
● The people of the Zhou Dynasty were civilized and were not barbaric. They preferred to farm instead
of invade other civilizations.
● During the Zhou Dynasty many schools of thought emerged beyond Confucianism and Taoism.
● Eastern Zhou is called the golden age of chinese philosophy
● During the Zhou Dynasty two important religions or philosophies emerged - Confucianism and
Taoism.
● The Zhou Dynasty moved from worshipping a supreme god to worshipping heaven.
The Rise of the Zhou
● In the tenth century B.C.E., a small clan of formerly
nomadic people swept through China and waged war
against its ruling family, the Shang Dynasty.
● Zhou Dynasty ruled China until approximately 256
B.C.E.. At that time, China created the feudal system, a
revolutionary system of government.
● King Wen quickly gained a foothold against the
powerful and ancient Shang Dynasty. When King Wen
died in 1056 B.C.E., his son came and establish his
family as a ruler
 A Divine Mandate / Mandate of Heaven
● Zhou began to teach that Di was not as
powerful or as caring as their own favorite
deity, Tian, meaning ''Heaven.''
● The Zhou Dynasty claimed that they had a
Mandate from Tian, or a ''Mandate of
Heaven'' as it is now known.
● Zhou said, one must possess this
mandate. Good and virtuous leaders who
cared for the people would maintain the
mandate
● The concept of Mandate of heaven is
develop into the Dynastic Cycle. The
Dynastic Cycle explains the rise and fall of
Chinese dynasties, or series of ruling
families.
 Chinese
Feudalism
 Although the Mandate of Heaven gave the Zhou ruling authority, they still had to figure out how to
govern. One big problem they faced was that there were many aristocratic landowners who were difficult
to control.

To manage this, the Zhou instituted a system of governance known as

“Feudalism”
 Feudalism

In this system, the Zhou king made alliances with the

most powerful families in China, and promised to give
them land and protection from their enemies. In return, the
powerful families would manage the land, control the local
populations, and collect taxes from the king. The
aristocrats would also raise armies from the local
population if called upon by the king.
An Agricultural Economy
● Zhou Dynasty had an economy centered on agricultural production.
● One of the greatest accomplishments of the Zhou was to increase that production by settling farmers
in lands near the Yangtze River.
● Peasants grew rice and wheat.
● An increased population led to a greater need for food and a greater number of workers, which
meant increased agricultural production. Through this cycle, more and more territory was opened up
to farming.
● Peasant farmers and artisans exchanged some goods, including tools, agricultural goods, and jade.
More goods moved from place to place as a result of taxation or gifts to the nobles than from
organized trade.
Decline of the Zhou
● By around 700 B.C.E, it was no longer working well and increasing in
fragmentation among the powerful lords.
● Ultimately, the Zhou eventually lost control over much of their territory and
were forced to move to the East.
● This period of weakened rule is often referred to as the Period of the Warring
States,
● The Warring States period ended in 221 B.C.E. when Emperor Shi Huangdi
defeated each of the rebellious lords one by one and created the Qin Dynasty
to rule over a truly united China for the first time.
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