Zhou Dynasty ( 1046 - 256 BC )
The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
were a group of semi- mythological rulers and
culture heroes from ancient China during the
period circa 2500 BC to 2100 BC.
This period preceded the Xia Dynasty
In myth, the three sovereigns were demigods who
used their abilities to help create mankind and
impart essential skills and knowledge.
The five emperors were exemplary sages
possessed of great moral character.
These semi-mythical kings are said to have helped
introduce the use of fire, taught people how to
build houses and invented farming.
The Yellow Emperor's wife is credited with the
invention of silk culture.
The discovery of medicine, the invention of the
calendar and Chinese script are also credited to
the kings.
After their era, Yu the Great founded the
Xia dynasty.
Yellow emperor
Historian's depiction of
the Yellow Emperor
The Hall of the Three
Sovereigns in
Changchun Si, a Taoist
temple in Wuhan
The last Shang ruler, was overthrown by a
chieftain of a frontier tribe called Zhou ,which
had settled in the Wei Valley in modern
Shaanxi Province.
The Zhou dynasty had its capital at Hao , near
the city of Xi'an
Zhou dynasty
was a ruling dynasty of China that followed the
Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty
During the Zhou Dynasty, the use of iron was
introduced to China, though this period of Chinese
history produced what many consider the zenith
of Chinese bronze-ware making.
The dynasty also spans the period in which the
written script evolved into its modern form
Kù
was a mythical
Emperor of China
during the
Three Sovereigns and
Five Emperors
period.
According to Chinese legend, the Zhou
lineage began with Emperor Ku and
proceeded from him to Qi, Buku, Ju, and then
Gongliu
before Gugong Danfu moved the Zhou clan
from Bin to an area in the Wei River valley,
where they founded a town that became
central to the Zhou clan's growing prosperity.
King Wu of Zhou, led an army of 45,000 men
and 300 chariots across the Yellow River in
1046 BC and conquered the Shang Dynasty's
King Di Xin at the Battle of Muye, marking
the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any
other, from 1027 to 221 B.C.
It was philosophers of this period who first
enunciated the doctrine of the "mandate of
heaven" (tianming ), the notion that the ruler
(the "son of heaven" ) governed by divine
right but that his dethronement would prove
that he had lost the mandate.
Though King Wu died just a few years after
the Battle of Muye, the Duke of Zhou assisted
the young and inexperienced King Cheng in
consolidating power
formulated the Mandate of Heaven doctrine
to counter Shang claims to a divine right of
rule
At the same time, it was considered that the
mandate was a reflection of people's will. The
doctrine explained and justified the demise of
the two earlier dynasties and at the same
time supported the legitimacy of present and
future rulers.
771 B.C. the Zhou court was sacked, and its
king was killed by invading barbarians who
were allied with rebel lords. The capital was
moved eastward to Luoyang in present-day
Henan Province
Because of this shift, historians divide the
Zhou era into Western Zhou (1027-771 B.C.)
and Eastern Zhou (770-221 B.C.).
Western Zhou ( 1046 - 770 BC )
was the first half of the
Zhou Dynasty of
ancient China.
It began when
King Wu of Zhou
overthrew the
Shang Dynasty at the
Battle of Muye.
The dynasty was successful for about seventy-
five years and then slowly lost power.
The former Shang lands were divided into
hereditary fiefs which became increasingly
independent of the king.
In 771, barbarians drove the Zhou out of the
Wèi River Valley; afterwards that real power was
in the hands of the king's nominal vassals.
The Duke of Zhou
played a major role in
consolidating the
newly-founded
Zhou Dynasty (1046–
256 BC).
He was the brother of
King Wu of Zhou, the
first king of the ancient
Chinese Zhou Dynasty
The Duke of Zhou stamped out this rebellion
and conquered more territory to bring other
peoples under Zhōu rule.
The Duke of Zhou also formulated the
Mandate of Heaven doctrine to counter
Shang claims to a divine right of rule
founded Luoyang as an eastern capital
The twelfth and last king of the Western Zhou
period was King You of Zhou (781–771 BCE).
When You replaced his wife with a concubine,
the former queen's powerful father, the
Marquess of Shen, joined forces with
Quanrong barbarians
to sack the western capital of Haojing and kill
King You in 770 BCE.
This was the start of the Eastern Zhou period.
Western Zhou Dynasty
musical bronze bell
Eastern Zhou from 770 up to 256 BC.
The Eastern Zhou period, characterized by a
breakup of Zhou territory into states that
were essentially independent is further
divided into two sub-periods.
The first, from 722 to 481 BC, is called the
Spring and Autumn Period
the second is known as the
Warring States Period (403–221 BC)
The Zhou Dynasty began to bow to external
and internal pressures in the 8th century BC,
and the kingdom eventually broke apart into
smaller states, beginning in the
Spring and Autumn Period and reaching full
expression in the Warring States period.
This is one of multiple periods of
failed statehood in Chinese history (the most
recent of which was the Chinese Civil War).
The Spring and Autumn Period
a period in Chinese history that roughly corresponds
to the first half of the Eastern Zhōu Dynasty
The period can also be further divided into three
sub-periods:
Age of regional cultures (Early): 771–643, up to the
death of Duke Huán of Qí
Age of encroachments (Middle): 643–546, up to the
peace conference between Jìn and Chǔ
Age of reforms (Late): 546–403, up to the partition
of Jìn
The Spring and Autumn Period
is reckoned to have existed
in the alluvial plain of the Yellow River, the
Shandong Peninsula and the river valleys of
the Huái and Hàn.
Location of the
Shandong Peninsula
is a peninsula in the
Shāndōng province of
northeastern China. It
marks the southern
limit of the Bóhăi Sea.
The Huai River
is a major river in China.
The Huai River is located
about mid-way between
the Yellow River and
Yangtze River,
runs from west to east.
However, the Huai River
does not flow all the way
to the sea, making it
notoriously vulnerable to
flooding.
The Han River is a left tributary of the
Yangtze River
During the Spring and Autumn period,
China's feudal system became largely
irrelevant.
The Zhōu Dynasty kings held nominal power,
but only had real control over a small royal
demesne centered on their capital Luò yì.
.
Feudalism was a set of legal and military
customs in medieval Europe that flourished
between the 9th and 15th centuries, which,
broadly defined, was a system for structuring
society around relationships derived from the
holding of land in exchange for service or
labour.
During the early part of the Zhōu Dynasty
period, royal relatives and generals had been
given control over fiefdoms in an effort to
maintain Zhōu authority over vast territory,
many of these broke up into smaller states
when the dynasty weakened
Amid the interstate power struggles, internal
conflict was also rife: six elite landholding
families waged war on each other in Jìn;
the Chen family was eliminating political
enemies in Qí;
legitimacy of the rulers was often
challenged in civil wars by various royal
family members in Qín and Chǔ.
Once all these powerful rulers had firmly
established themselves within their
respective dominions, the bloodshed focused
more fully on interstate conflict in the
Warring States Period,
which began in 403 BC when the three
remaining elite families in Jìn – Zhào, Wèi and
Hán – partitioned the state.
Urbanisation during
the Spring and Autumn
period
Chinese pu vessel with
interlaced dragon
design, Spring and
Autumn Period
Warring States Period
also known as the Era of Warring States, or
the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the
Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the
reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty
in 221 BC
. It is nominally considered to be the second
part of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, following
the Spring and Autumn Period,
although the Zhou Dynasty ended in 256 BC,
35 years earlier than the end of the Warring
States period.
During these periods, the Chinese sovereign
(king of the Zhou Dynasty) was merely a
figurehead.
The Partition of Jin
the watershed between the
Spring and Autumn and Warring States
periods, refers to the division of the
State of Jin between rival families into the
three states of Han, Zhao and Wei.
The Partition of Jin marks the end of the
Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning
of the Warring States Period.
A Dutch Map of the
Warring States Period
showing the three
fragments of the
enlarged Jin state:
Zhao, Wei and Han.
The original core of Jin
was at the letter "W" of
the word "Wei"
The Seven Warring States were: Qin in the
west, in the lower Wei River valley
"within the passes";
Chu, on the southern frontier around the
middle Yangzi River;
Qi to the east in Shandong;
Yan, in the far northeast near Beijing;
and in the center, from south to north, Han,
Wei, and Zhao.
Culture
The Warring States Period was an era when
regional warlords annexed smaller states
around them and consolidated their power.
The process began in the
Spring and Autumn Period, and by the 3rd
century BC, seven major states had emerged
as the dominant powers in China.
Another indicator of the shift in power was
the change in the title used by the rulers of
the states.
They were initially addressed as "dukes"
( 公 ), a sign that they were vassals of the
Chinese sovereign (the King of the Zhou
Dynasty), but later they called themselves
"kings" ( 王 ), putting them on par with the
Chinese sovereign
The Warring States Period saw the
proliferation of iron working in China,
replacing bronze as the dominant type of
metal used in warfare
Trade also became important, and some
merchants had considerable power in
politics.
.
Warfare in the Warring States Period was also
different from the Spring and Autumn Period,
as most armies made use of infantry and
cavalry in battles, and the use of chariots
became less widespread
This period is most famous for the
establishment of complex bureaucracies and
centralized governments, as well as a clearly
established legal system.
The developments in political and military
organization were the basis of the power of
the Qin state, which conquered the other
states and unified them under the Qin Empire
in 221 BC.
Architecture
Warring States-era architecture had several
definitive aspects.
City walls, used for defense, were made longer,
and indeed several secondary walls were also
sometimes built to separate the different districts.
Verticality in federal structures was emphasised, to
create a sense of authority and absolute power.
Architectural elements such as high towers, pillar
gates, terraces, and high buildings amply conveyed
this
Military thought
The Warring States was a great period for military strategy. The military
strategist Sun Tzu is said to have written The Art of War, which is
recognized today as the most influential and oldest known military
strategy guide.
Along with this were other military writings that make up the
Seven Military Classics of ancient China: Jiang Ziya's Six Secret Teachings
,
Sima Rangju's The Methods of the Sima,
Sun Bin's Art of War,
Wu Qi,
Wei Liaozi,
Three strategies of Huang Shigong,
and Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong (the
last being made approximately 800 years after this era ended
Once China was unified, these seven military
classics were locked away and access was restricted
due to their potential to promote revolution.
In 307 BC, King Wuling of Zhao adopted both
nomadic attire and the nomads' proficiency in
marksmanship while on a galloping horse.
Superior horse-riding clothing, in particular split
trousers instead of robes, and the use of mounted
bowmen to better facilitate superior light cavalry
fighting tactics.[5]
Agriculture in the 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, a situation similar to European
feudalism
Some important manufacturing sectors
during this period included bronze smelting,
which was integral to making weapons and
farming tools.
China's first projects of hydraulic engineering
were initiated during the Zhou Dynasty,
ultimately as a means to aid agricultural
irrigation
The Eastern Zhou period is also designated as the
period of the Hundred Schools of Thought, a golden
age of influential cultural and intellectual expansion
facilitated by relative freedom of expression.
Although there were a host of schools, four of
them came to influence Chinese government and
culture in meaningful ways: Confucianism, Mohism,
Taoism and Legalism.
The changes brought on played a large part in the
decline of the Zhou dynasty.
Decline
With the royal line broken, the power of the Zhou
court gradually diminished, and the
fragmentation of the kingdom accelerated. From
King Ping's reign onwards, the Zhou kings ruled in
name only, with true power lying in the hands of
regional nobles.
Towards the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the nobles
did not even bother to symbolically acknowledge
loyalty to the Ji family, declaring themselves to be
independent kings.
The dynasty ended in 256 BC when the last
king of Zhou died and none of his sons
proclaimed the nominal title of King of China.
Qin Shi Huang's unification of China
concluded in 221 BC with the establishment
of the Qin Dynasty.
Qin dynasty
In between eras of multiple kingdoms and
warlordism, Chinese dynasties (or, more recently,
republics) have ruled all of China
This practice began with the Qin Dynasty:
in 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang united the various warring
kingdoms and created the first Chinese empire.
Successive dynasties in Chinese history developed
bureaucratic systems that enabled the
Emperor of China to directly control vast territories
Qin dynasty
Historians often refer to the period from Qin
Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty as Imperial
China.
Though the unified reign of the Qin Emperor
lasted only 12 years, he managed to subdue
great parts of what constitutes the core of the
Han Chinese homeland and to unite them under
a tightly centralized Legalist government
seated at Xianyang (close to modern Xi'an).
Qin accomplished a series of swift conquests,
first ending the powerless Zhou Dynasty, and
eventually destroying the remaining six
states of the major states to gain control over
the whole of China, resulting in an unified
China.
The doctrine of Legalism that guided the Qin
emphasized strict adherence to a legal code
and the absolute power of the emperor
The Qin unified the Chinese Warring States
by conquest, but their empire became
unstable after the death of the first emperor
Qin Shi Huangdi.
During its reign over China, the Qin Dynasty
achieved increased trade, improved
agriculture, and military security. This was
due to the abolition of landowning lords, to
whom peasants had formerly held allegiance.
The central government now had direct
control of the masses, giving it access to a
much larger workforce. This allowed for the
construction of ambitious projects, such as a
wall on the northern border, now known as
the Great Wall of China
The Qin Dynasty also introduced several
reforms: currency, weights and measures
were standardized, and a better system of
writing was established.
Qin Shi Huang
was king of the Chinese
State of Qin from 246
BC to 221 BC during the
Warring States Period.
He became the first
emperor of a unified
China in 221 BC.
He ruled until his death
in 210 BC at the age of
49.
He undertook gigantic projects, including
building and unifying various sections of the
Great Wall of China, the now famous city-
sized mausoleum guarded by a life-sized
Terracotta Army, and a massive national road
system, all at the expense of numerous lives.
To ensure stability, Qin Shi Huang
outlawed and burned many books and buried
some scholars alive
.[4]
Burning of the books and burying of the
scholars is a phrase that refers to a policy and a
sequence of events in the Qin Dynasty of
Ancient China, between the period of 213 and 206
BC. During these events, the
Hundred Schools of Thought were pruned;
legalism survived.
One side effect was the marginalization of the
thoughts of the school of Mozi and the survival of
the thoughts of Confucius.
Marble statue of Qin
Shihuang located near
his burial place
The Terracotta Army of
Qin Shi Huang
The Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta
Warriors and Horses", is a collection of
terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of
Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.
It is a form of funerary art buried with the
emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose
was to protect the emperor in his afterlife,
and to make sure that he had people to rule
over.
The figures, dating
from 3rd century BC,
were discovered in
1974 by some local
farmers in
Lintong District, Xi'an,
Shaanxi province, near
the Mausoleum of the
First Qin Emperor
Despite its military strength, the Qin Dynasty
did not last long.
When the first emperor died in 210 BC, his
son was placed on the throne by two of the
previous emperor's advisers
in an attempt to influence and control the
administration of the entire dynasty through
him
Popular revolt broke out a few years later,
and the weakened empire soon fell to a Chu
lieutenant, who went on to found the
Han Dynasty
Despite its rapid end, the Qin Dynasty
influenced future Chinese empires,
particularly the Han, and the European name
for China is thought to be derived from it.
