Introduction to Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) was the most culturally significant and longest-lasting of any early Chinese dynasty in Chinese history, divided into two periods: the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046- 771 BCE) and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771 -256 BCE). It follows the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) and precedes the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC, pronounced "chin"), from which China takes its name.

Zhou developed a concept of Shang that included the Mandate of Heaven—the belief that monarchs and rulers were divinely appointed—which would influence Chinese politics for centuries to come, with the Zhou family citing it to depose and replace Shang.

The Western Zhou Dynasty saw the emergence of a decentralized state with a social hierarchy that corresponded to the European feudal system, in which land was owned by nobles, honored by the king who granted it, and worked by peasants. The Western Zhou Dynasty fell just before what is known as the Spring and Autumn Period (772-476 BC), named after the state chronicle of the time (the Spring and Autumn Annals) and known for its advances in music, poetry, and philosophy Especially the development of Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism.

The Eastern Zhou Dynasty moved its capital to Luoyang and continued the Western Zhou Dynasty pattern. However, with the continuous disintegration of the Chinese Empire, it was claimed that the Zhou Dynasty had lost its destiny. The weakness of the king's position led to a chaotic era known as the Warring States Period (481-221 BC), during which China's seven independent states fought each other for supremacy. This period ended with Qin's victory over other states and the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, which sought to erase the achievements of the Zhou Dynasty in order to establish its own supremacy.

The Zhou Dynasty made significant cultural contributions in education, literature, philosophical schools of thought, and political and religious innovations.

The Zhou Dynasty made significant cultural contributions in agriculture, education, military organization, Chinese literature, music, philosophical schools of thought, social stratification, and political and religious innovations. The foundations for many of these developments were laid by the Shang Dynasty, but the form in which they are recognized is entirely due to the Zhou.

The culture they built and sustained for nearly 800 years promoted the development of some of the most famous names in art, metallurgy, and Chinese philosophy, including Confucius, Mencius, Mozi, Laozi, and Sun Tzu. Lived and wrote during the period known as the Hundred Schools, during which individual philosophers established their own schools of thought. The contribution of the Zhou Dynasty laid the foundation for the development of Chinese culture in later generations, especially the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD) which would fully acknowledge the value of the Zhou Dynasty's contribution.

Death of Shang and rise of Zhou

Before the Zhou it was the Shang dynasty that overthrew the Xia dynasty (2700-1600 B.C.), claiming that it had become autocratic, and the leader of the Shang dynasty, Tang (date Unknown) subsequently stabilized the region and initiated policies to encourage economic and cultural progress. Merchants took full advantage of the fertile soil on both sides of the Yellow River, resulting in a bumper harvest with more food than needed and the excess used for trade. The resulting prosperity promoted the development of cities (some massive, such as Erligang), art, and culture.

The merchants were expert masons, jewelers and metallurgists who created masterpieces of bronze and jade and produced fine silk bolts. They developed the calendar, oracle bone divination, writing, music and musical instruments, the concept of ancestor worship, Taoism, and the religious concept of Mandate of Heaven, which claimed that kings were ruled by the will of gods.

The recognition of the king by the gods is reflected in the prosperity of the land and the general well-being of the people. Any decline on either side was interpreted as the monarch breaking his contract with the gods and should be deposed. The last Shang emperor, Zhou (also known as Xin), became as brutal as the earlier Xia kings. He was challenged by King Wen of Zhou (r. 1152-1056 BCE) and overthrown by Wen's second son, King Wu, who reigned from 1046-1043 BCE and became the first king of the Zhou dynasty.

Western Zhou

King Wu initially followed the example of the Shang Dynasty and established a central government on both sides of the Feng River, called Fenghao.

Soon after, Wu died and his brother, Zhou Gongdan (r. 1042-1035 BCE) took over as regent of Wu's son Zheng (r. 1042-1021 BCE). Duke Zhou is a legendary figure in Chinese history, a poet and warrior, and the author of the Book of Changes. He expanded his territory eastward and respectfully waited until Wu Zi came of age to abdicate and ascended the throne as King Cheng of Zhou. However, not every region controlled by the Zhou Dynasty admired their policies, and rebellions broke out across the vast realm, inspired by factions who wished to rule themselves.

The centralized government could not maintain the large tracts of conquered territory, so the ruling family sent trusted generals, family members, and other nobles to establish small kingdoms loyal to the king. The policy of feudalism ("establishment") was brought up which dispersed the emperor and distributed land to the nobles who recognized the supremacy of the Zhou king. The feudal system established by feudal policies ran through social hierarchies from top to bottom:

King

Nobles

Gentlemen

Merchants

Laborers

Peasants

Each noble established his own independent state with its own legal system, tax code, currency and militia. They offered sacrifices and taxes to the King of Zhou, and provided him with soldiers when necessary. In order to consolidate the king's position, the concept of destiny was more fully developed. The king sacrificed himself in the capital for his people, who honored him with their loyalty and service.

This is one of the few situations in Chinese history where the upper class and the lower class work together for the greater common interests.

The feudal policies were so successful, producing so many crops that the resulting prosperity proved that Zhou Wei had the destiny. The wealth generated encouraged what was known as the well-field system, which divided land into those farmed for the nobility and king, and those farmed by and for the peasants. This is one of the few situations in Chinese history where the upper class and the lower class worked together for the greater common interests.

Zhou Wenhua naturally thrives in this kind of cooperation. Bronze craftsmanship became more sophisticated, and metallurgical technology generally improved during the Shang Dynasty. Chinese writing was codified and literature developed, such as the Book of Songs (The Book of Songs, written between the 11th and 7th centuries BC), one of the five classics of Chinese literature. Poems from the Stone Book were widely sung at court and were thought to encourage moral behavior and compassion for members of all classes of society.

However, this period of prosperity and relative peace could not last. Scholar Patricia Buckley Ebri commented:

From the beginning, the decentralized rule of the Western Zhou Dynasty contained the danger that the princes would become so powerful that they would no longer obey the king's orders. This does happen as generations pass and loyalties and blood ties grow further apart. In 771 BC, the king of Zhou was killed by an alliance [of tribes and princes]. (38)

The fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty, most likely by an invasion by a people known as the Xirong (or Rong), further destabilized the region. The nobles moved their capital to Luoyang in the east, which led to the next Zhou historical period being called the Eastern Zhou.

Eastern Zhou

The Eastern Zhou era is notoriously chaotic and violent, but managed to produce astonishingly creative and substantive works of literature, art, and philosophy. During the Spring and Autumn Period, which began with the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, some etiquette and etiquette from the Western Zhou Dynasty were still retained, but they would not last long. Chu, Han, Qi, Qin, Wei, Yan, and Zhao were all stronger than Zhou in Luoyang at this time. Despite this, people still believed that Zhou had a destiny, so various countries tried to prove that they were Zhou's successors.

In the early Spring and Autumn Period, there was still the spirit of war chivalry, and the seven countries had similar fighting methods, and they were in a stalemate and refused to give in to each other. Over time, this seemingly endless and completely futile war became the Chinese way of life during the era now known as the Warring States Period. Sun Tzu's famous work The Art of War (500 BC) was written during this time and records precepts and strategies that can be used to defeat your opponents, win wars, and establish peace.

How widely The Art of War was read at the time is unknown, but Sun Tzu was not the only one seeking to end violence through strategy. The pacifist philosopher Emperor Mo (also known as Mozi, 470-291 BC) traveled to each state to offer his knowledge on strengthening city defenses as well as offensive tactics in battle. His idea was to offer each nation exactly the same advantages, neutralize them all, and hope they would realize the futility of further war and declare peace. However, his plan failed because each state acted like a die-hard gambler, believing that their next attack would bring a huge victory.

The Aqin statesman called Shang Yang (d. 338 BCE), who took the lead after Sun Tzu, advocated total war, regardless of the old laws of the knights, and emphasized the goal of victory by any means at his disposal . Shang Yang's philosophy was adopted by Qin Yingzheng, who began a brutal massacre, defeated other countries, and established China's first emperor, Shi Huangdi. The Zhou Dynasty fell and the Qin Dynasty began to rule China.

Zhou's contribution

Qin would offset many of Zhou's advances, but it would not completely rewrite history. The Zhou Dynasty learned from the achievements of the Shang Dynasty, and the Qin Dynasty also learned from the achievements of the Zhou Dynasty. For example, the agricultural advances of the Zhou Dynasty were maintained and improved, especially irrigation technology, dam construction, and hydraulic technology, which helped Emperor Shihuang build the Grand Canal.

The use of cavalry and chariots in Chinese warfare (also a Shang dynasty development) was further developed by Zhou and retained by Qin. The Zhou people elevated equestrianism to such a high level that it was considered an art form and a necessity for educating princes. Horses were considered so important that they were often buried or sacrificed with their owners for the spiritual strength and protection their energy could provide to the deceased.

The most famous example is the Qijing Cemetery (547-490 BC), discovered in 1964 AD in Shandong Province and although it has not yet been fully excavated, it is believed to contain the remains of 600 horses accompanying the Duke Enter the afterlife. Countries all learned from Zhou's equestrian skills, and Ying Zheng actually made full use of the chariots and cavalry developed by Zhou to subdue other countries.

Zhou divided the army into units and deployed them in different directions during the battle, and Qin also maintained Zhou's iron and gold. Emperor Shihuang took full advantage of the metalworking techniques of the Zhou Dynasty, forcing conquered nations to hand over their weapons that were melted down and turned into statues celebrating his rule.

The contributions of the Zhou family who were abandoned by Qin were all in the fields of art and culture. The Spring and Autumn Period, with its age of thought, produced some of the world's most important philosophical thinkers. The major schools of thought were founded by Confucius (551-479 BC), whose famous Confucian precepts continued to influence Chinese culture, Laozi (500 BC) who codified and founded formal Taoism, and Han Feizi (280-233 BC ) BCE), founder of the Legalist school.

There are also many lesser-known but still important philosophers, such as the sophist Teng Shi (500 BC), the hedonist Yang Zhu (440-360 BC), and the statesman and Philosopher Yan Ying (578-500 BC). Among the most famous later philosophers are the famous Mencius (also known as Mangzi, 372-289 BC), who would compile the works of Confucius, and Xun Kuang (310 BC-235 BC), whose work Xunzi", reimagining Confucian ideals from a more pessimistic and pragmatic perspective. With the exception of Han Feizi's Legalism, which was made a national policy by the Qin state, the works of all these philosophers were ordered to be destroyed; any who survived were hidden by priests and intellectuals at the risk of their lives.

The musical contribution of the Zhou Dynasty was also underestimated by the Qin Dynasty, although it was later fully recognized by the Han Dynasty. Central to the values ​​of the Zhou Dynasty are the concepts of rites (rituals) and yue (music and dance), often referred to as the Li month.

As scholar Johanna Liu explains, music was considered transformative:

Since the Zhou Dynasty, music has been considered an important course, encompassing four disciplines, to train the sons of the royal family and The country’s outstanding individuals become outstanding leaders of the future. In the Book of Rites, it is said... "The direction of music gave all honor to the teaching of its four subjects, and arranged in them the lessons, poetry, history, liturgy, and the music of the former kings, in order to closely Pay attention to complete its scholars. (Shen, 65)

Each piece of music has a corresponding dance, and the combination of these dances is believed to not only improve the moral character of the individual, but also help balance the nature of the universe. Confucius believed that music is necessary to cultivate good character, especially in rulers, and those who love music will act justly and impartially.

The Book of Rites cited by Liu is one of the classic Chinese works. , composed during the Hundred Schools period of the Zhou dynasty, the Four Books and Five Classics - which survived the book burnings of the Qin Dynasty - became the standard texts for Chinese education:

The Book of Rites (also known as the Book of Great Learning). 》)

The Doctrine of the Golden Mean

The Analects of Confucius

Works of Mencius

The Book of Changes

Poetry Classics

The Book of Rites

The Historical Classics

The Spring and Autumn Annals

For the same reason, these works continue to be studied today: they are considered not only It can educate the individual, but also uplift the soul and improve one's overall character.

Conclusion

These works were only made possible by the development of writing in the Zhou Dynasty. Oracle bone script developed into large seal script, small seal script, and official script for the development of other scripts. The Zhou's promotion of ancestor worship promoted the development of religious thought, and their vision of destiny would continue to influence Chinese dynasties for thousands of years.

If the Zhou Dynasty only produced philosophers such as Confucius, that would be enough, but they did much more than that. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, they established a decentralized but cohesive state that respected and inspired people of all social classes. It wasn't just the nobles and wealthy people who were constantly improving what they inherited from the Shang clan and looking for other ways to improve their own lives and the lives of others.

They continued even as wars raged during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Developing art, music, literature and philosophy of the highest quality. In fact, the nearly 800 years of Zhou Dynasty's rule had such a profound impact on all cultural levels that even the destructive policies of the Qin Dynasty could not erase it. , Zhou's cultural contributions were revived and are now indistinguishable from Chinese culture