Zhou dynasty
- Alternative meaning: Zhou Dynasty (690 CE - 705 CE)
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The Zhou Dynasty (周朝; Wade-Giles: Chou Dynasty) (late 10th century BC to late 9th century BC - 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.
In the Chinese historical tradition, the rulers of the Zhou displaced the Yin and legitimized their rule by invoking the Mandate of Heaven, 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. The Mandate of Heaven established the Chou's assumed divine ancestor, the Tian-Huang-Shangdi, above the Shang's divine ancestor, the Shangdi. The doctrine explained and justified the demise of the Xia and Shang 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 Hao (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 Chang Jiang (Yangtze River).
In Western historiography, feudal has often been applied to the Zhou period because the Zhou's early decentralized 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 Fengjian 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 latter Zhou period, were manifested in greater central control over local governments and a more routinized agrarian taxation. In Chinese Marxist historiography, the Zhou dynasty marks the began of the feudal phase of Chinese history, a period which is said to extend to the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911.
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 then sacked by the joint force of the queen's father, who was the powerful Marquess of Shen, and the barbarians. The queen's son Ji Yijiu was proclaimed the new king by the nobles from the states of Zheng, Lu, 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 Western Zhou (西周, pinyin Xī Zhōu) from late 10th century BC to late 9th century up until 771 BC and Eastern Zhou (Traditional Chinese: 東周 Simplified Chinese: 东周, pinyin: Dōng Zhōu) from 770 up to 221 BC. The beginning year of 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 historiographers 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. Eastern Zhou divides into 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 is known as the Warring States Period.
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 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 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 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 Chang 姬發 |
Wenwang 武王 |
?-1043 BC1 | Zhou Wenwang (King Wen of Zhou) |
| 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 Zhou) |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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