Zhou dynasty

For other dynasties with the same name, seeZhou (disambiguation).

Zhou Chu
c. 1046– 256 BC
Territory of the Western Zhou (c. 1000 BC)
Capital	Fenghao(1046–771 BC) Wangcheng(771–510 BC;314–256 BC) Chengzhou(510–314 BC)
Common languages	Old Chinese
Religion	Chinese folk religion,Ancestor veneration,Heaven worship
Government	Monarchy
King
•c. 1046–1043 BC	King Wu
• 781–771 BC	King You
• 770–720 BC	King Ping
• 314–256 BC	King Nan
Chancellor
History
•Battle of Muye	c. 1046
•Gonghe Regency	841–828 BC
• Relocation toWangcheng	771 BC
• Deposition ofKing NanbyQin	256 BC
• Fall of the last Zhou holdouts	249 BC
Population
• 273 BC	30,000,000
• 230 BC	38,000,000
Currency	Spade money
Preceded by Succeeded by Shang dynasty Predynastic Zhou Qin dynasty
Today part of	China

Zhou
"Zhou" in ancientbronze script(top),seal script(middle), andregular script(bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese	Chu
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhōu
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōu Bopomofo ㄓㄡ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jou Wade–Giles Chou1 Tongyong Pinyin Jhou Yale Romanization Jōu IPA [ʈʂóʊ] Wu Romanization Tseu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jāu Jyutping Zau1 IPA [tsɐw˥] Southern Min HokkienPOJ Chiu Tâi-lô Tsiu Old Chinese Baxter (1992) *tjiw Baxter–Sagart (2014) *tiw

TheZhou dynasty([ʈʂóʊ];Chinese:Chu)was aroyal dynasty of Chinathat existed for 789 years fromc. 1046 BCuntil 256 BC, the longest of all dynasties inChinese history.During theWestern Zhouperiod (c. 1046– 771 BC), the royal house, surnamedJi,had military control overancient China.Even as Zhou suzerainty became increasingly ceremonial over the followingEastern Zhouperiod (771–256 BC), the political system created by the Zhou royal house survived in some form for several additional centuries. A date of 1046 BC for the Zhou's establishment is supported by theXia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Projectand David Pankenier,butDavid NivisonandEdward L. Shaughnessydate the establishment to 1045 BC.

The latter Eastern Zhou period is itself roughly subdivided into two parts. During theSpring and Autumn period(c. 771– c. 481 BC), power became increasingly decentralized as the authority of the royal house diminished. TheWarring States period(c. 481– 221 BC) that followed saw large-scale warfare and consolidation among what had formerly been Zhou client states, until the Zhou were formally extinguished by thestate of Qinin 256 BC. The Qin ultimately founded the imperialQin dynastyin 221 BC afterconquering all of China.

The Zhou period is often considered to be the zenith for the craft ofChinese bronzeware.The latter Zhou period is also famous for the advent of three major Chinese philosophies:Confucianism,TaoismandLegalism.The Zhou dynasty also spans the period when the predominant form ofwritten Chinesebecameseal script,which evolved from the earlieroracle boneandbronze scripts.By the dynasty's end, an immature form ofclerical scripthad also emerged.

History

Foundation

See also:Predynastic Zhou

Traditional myth

According toChinese mythology,the Zhou lineage began whenJiang Yuan,a consort of the legendaryEmperor Ku,miraculously conceiveda child,Qi"the Abandoned One", after stepping into the divine footprint ofShangdi.Qi was aculture herocredited with surviving abandonment by his mother three times, and with greatly improving agriculture,to the point where he was granted lordship overTai,thesurnameJi,and the titleHouji"Lord ofMillet",by theEmperor Shun.He even received sacrifice as aharvest god.The termHoujiwas probably a hereditary title attached to a lineage.

Buzhu—Qi's son, or rather that of theHouji—is said to have abandoned his position as Agrarian Master (Nông sư;Nóngshī) in old age and either he or his sonJuabandoned their tradition, living in the manner of theXirongandRongdi(seeHua–Yi distinction).Ju's sonLiu,however, led his people to prosperity by restoring agriculture and settling them at a place calledBin,whichhis descendantsruled for generations.Tailater led the clan from Bin to Zhou, an area in theWei Rivervalley (modernQishan County).

The duke passed over his two elder sonsTaiboandZhongyongto favor the youngerJili,a warrior in his own right. As a vassal of the Shang kingsWu YiandWen Ding,Jili went to conquer severalXirongtribes before being treacherously killed by Shang forces. Taibo and Zhongyong had supposedly already fled to the Yangtze delta, where they established thestate of Wuamong the tribes there. Jili's sonWenbribed his way out of imprisonment and moved the Zhou capital toFeng(present-dayXi'an). Around 1046 BC, Wen's sonWuand his allyJiang Ziyaled an army of 45,000 men and 300chariotsacross theYellow Riverand defeatedKing Zhou of Shangat theBattle of Muye,marking the beginning of the Zhou dynasty.The Zhou enfeoffed a member of the defeated Shang royal family as the Duke ofSong,which was held by descendants of the Shang royal family until its end. This practice was referred to asTwo Kings, Three Reverences.

Culture

According to Nicholas Bodman, the Zhou appear to have spoken a language largely similar in vocabulary and syntax to that of the Shang;a recent study by David McCraw, using lexical statistics, reached the same conclusion.The Zhou emulated Shang cultural practices, possibly to legitimize their own rule,and became the successors to Shang culture.At the same time, the Zhou may also have been connected to theXirong,a broadly defined cultural group to the west of the Shang, which the Shang regarded as tributaries.For example, the philosopherMencius(372–289 BC) acknowledged thatKing Wen of Zhouhad ancestry from among the Xirong, as King Wen's descendants, the Zhou kings, claimed descent fromHou Ji,a legendaryculture heropossibly related to the Xirong through his motherJiang Yuan.Additionally, the late 4th-century BCZuo Zhuancomments that the baron of Li Rong (Li nhung nam), after being defeated byJin,married his daughterLi Jioff.According to historianLi Feng,the term "Rong" during the Western Zhou period was likely used to designate political and military adversaries rather than cultural and ethnic "others".Cultural artifacts of the Western Rong coexisted with Western Zhou bronzes, indicating close bonds between the Rong and the Western Zhou.

Western Zhou

Main article:Western Zhou

States of the Western Zhou dynasty

During the Western Zhou (1045–771 BC), King Wu maintained the old capital for ceremonial purposes but constructed a new one for his palace and administration nearby atHaojing.Although Wu's early death left a young and inexperienced heir, theDuke of Zhouassisted his nephewKing Chengin consolidating royal power. Wary of the Duke of Zhou's increasing power, the "Three Guards", Zhou princes stationed on the eastern plain,rose in rebellionagainst his regency. Even though they garnered the support of independent-minded nobles, Shang partisans, and severalDongyitribes, the Duke of Zhou quelled the rebellion, and further expanded the Zhou Kingdom into the east. To maintain Zhou authority over its greatly expanded territory and prevent other revolts, he set up thefeng giansystem.Furthermore, he countered Zhou's crisis of legitimacy by expounding the doctrine of theMandate of Heavenwhile accommodating important Shang rituals atWangchengandChengzhou.

Over time, this decentralized system became strained as the familial relationships between the Zhou kings and the regional dynasties thinned over the generations. Peripheral territories developed local power and prestige on par with that of the Zhou.

The conflicts with nomadic tribes from the north and the northwest, variously known as theXianyun,Guifang,or various "Rong" tribes, such as theXirong,ShanrongorQuanrong,intensified towards the end of the Western Zhou period.These tribes are recorded as harassing Zhou territory, but at the time the Zhou were expanding northwards, encroaching on their traditional lands—especially theWei Rivervalley. Archaeologically, the Zhou expanded to the north and the northwest at the expense of theSiwa culture.

WhenKing Youdemoted and exiled hisJiangqueen in favor of the commonerBao Si,the disgraced queen's father theMarquis of Shenjoined with Zeng and the Quanrong. The Quanrong put an end to the Western Zhou in 771 BC, sacking the Zhou capital atHaojingand killing the last Western Zhou kingYou.With King You dead, a conclave of nobles met atShenand declared the Marquis's grandsonKing Ping.The capital was moved eastward toWangcheng,marking the beginning of the Eastern Zhou period.

Eastern Zhou

Main article:Eastern Zhou

Major states during the Eastern Zhou

The Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC) was characterized by an accelerating collapse of royal authority, although the king's ritual importance enabled more than five additional centuries of rule. TheSpring and Autumn Annals,the Confucian chronicle of the early years of this process, gave the period its name as theSpring and Autumn period.Thepartition of Jinduring the mid-5th century BC is a commonly cited as initiating the subsequentWarring States period.In 403 BC, the Zhou court recognizedHan,Zhao,andWeias fully independent states. In 344,Duke Hui of Weiwas the first to claim the title of "king" for himself. Others followed, marking a turning point, as rulers did not even entertain the pretense of vassalage of the Zhou court, instead proclaiming themselves fully independent kingdoms. A series of states rose to prominence before each falling in turn, and in most of these conflicts Zhou was a minor player.

The last Zhou king is traditionally taken to beNan,who was killed whenQincaptured Wangcheng in 256 BC.Duke Wen of Eastern Zhoudeclared himself to be "King Hui", but his splinter state was fully disassembled by 249.Qin's wars of unificationconcluded in 221 BC withQin Shi Huang's annexation ofQi.

The Eastern Zhou is also remembered as the golden age of Chinese philosophy: theHundred Schools of Thoughtwhich flourished as rival lords patronized itinerant scholars is led by the example of Qi'sJixia Academy.TheNine Schools of Thoughtwhich came to dominate the others wereConfucianismas interpreted byMenciusand others,Legalism,Taoism,Mohism,the utopian communalistAgriculturalism,two strains of theSchool of Diplomacy,theSchool of Names,Sun Tzu'sSchool of the Military,and theSchool of Naturalists.While only the first three of these would receive imperial patronage in later dynasties, doctrines from each influenced the others and Chinese society in sometimes unusual ways. The Mohists for instance found little interest in their praise of meritocracy but much acceptance for their mastery of defensive siege warfare; much later, however, their arguments against nepotism were used in favor of establishing theimperial examinationsystem.

Culture and society

The Zhou heartland was theWei Rivervalley; this remained their primary base of power after conquering the Shang.

Mandate of Heaven

Western Zhou bronze pot (896 BC), Fufeng County, Shaanxi – Baoji Zhouyuan Museum

Zhou rulers introduced theMandate of Heaven,which would prove to be among East Asia's most enduring political doctrines. According to the theory, Heaven imposed a mandate to replace the Shang on the Zhou, whose moral superiority justified seizing Shang wealth and territory in order to return good governance to the people.

The Mandate of Heaven was presented as a religious compact between the Zhou people and their supreme god in heaven. The Zhou agreed that since worldly affairs were supposed to align with those of the heavens, the heavens conferred legitimate power on only one person, the Zhou ruler. In return, the ruler was duty-bound to uphold heaven's principles of harmony and honor. Any ruler who failed in this duty, who let instability creep into earthly affairs, or who let his people suffer, would lose the mandate. Under this system, it was the prerogative of spiritual authority to withdraw support from any wayward ruler and to find another, more worthy one.In this way, the Zhou sky god legitimized regime change.

In using this creed, the Zhou rulers had to acknowledge that any group of rulers, even they themselves, could be ousted if they lost the mandate of heaven because of improper practices. The book of odes written during the Zhou period clearly intoned this caution.

The Zhou kings contended that heaven favored their triumph because the last Shang kings had been evil men whose policies brought pain to the people through waste and corruption.After the Zhou came to power, the mandate became a political tool.

One of the duties and privileges of the king was to create a royal calendar. This official document defined times for undertaking agricultural activities and celebrating rituals. But unexpected events such assolar eclipsesor natural calamities threw the ruling house's mandate into question. Since rulers claimed that their authority came from heaven, the Zhou made great efforts to gain accurate knowledge of the stars and to perfect theastronomicalsystem on which they based their calendar.

Zhou legitimacy also arose indirectly from Shang material culture through the use of bronze ritual vessels,statues,ornaments, and weapons. As the Zhou emulated the Shang's large scale production of ceremonial bronzes, they developed an extensive system of bronze metalworking that required a large force of tribute labor. Many of its members were Shang, who were sometimes forcibly transported to new Zhou to produce the bronze ritual objects which were then sold and distributed across the lands, symbolizing Zhou legitimacy.

Feudalism

Further information:List of Zhou dynasty states

A Western Zhou ceremonial bronze of cooking-vessel form inscribed to record that the King of Zhou gave a fiefdom to Shi You, ordering that he inherit the title as well as the land and people living there

Western writers often describe the Zhou period as feudal because the Zhou'sfeng giansystem invites comparison with European political systems during theMiddle Ages.

Silk painting depicting a man riding a dragon,painting on silk, dated to 5th–3rd century BC, from Zidanku Tomb no. 1 inChangsha,Hunan

Ac. 316 BClacquerwarepainting from the Jingmen Tomb of thestate of Chu(704–223 BC), depicting men wearing precursors tohanfudress and riding in a two-horsed chariot

There were many similarities between the decentralized systems. When the dynasty was established, the conquered land was divided into hereditary fiefs (Chư hầu,zhūhóu) that eventually became powerful in their own right. In matters of inheritance, the Zhou dynasty recognized only patrilinealprimogenitureas legal.According to Hsi-Sheng Tao, "the Tsung-fa or descent line system has the following characteristics: patrilineal descent, patrilineal succession, patriarchate, sib-exogamy, and primogeniture"

The system, also called "extensive stratified patrilineage", was defined by the anthropologistKwang-chih Changas "characterized by the fact that the eldest son of each generation formed the main of line descent and political authority, whereas the younger brothers were moved out to establish new lineages of lesser authority. The farther removed, the lesser the political authority". Ebrey defines the descent-line system as follows: "A great line (ta-tsung) is the line of eldest sons continuing indefinitely from a founding ancestor. A lesser line is the line of younger sons going back no more than five generations. Great lines and lesser lines continually spin off new lesser lines, founded by younger sons".

K.E. Brashier writes in his book "Ancestral Memory in Early China" about the tsung-fa system of patrilineal primogeniture: "The greater lineage, if it has survived, is the direct succession from father to eldest son and is not defined via the collateral shifts of the lesser lineages. In discussions that demarcate between trunk and collateral lines, the former is called a zong and the latter a zu, whereas the whole lineage is dubbed the shi. [...] On one hand, every son who is not the eldest and hence not heir to the lineage territory has the potential of becoming a progenitor and fostering a new trunk lineage (Ideally he would strike out to cultivate new lineage territory). [...] According to the Zou commentary, theson of heavendivided land among his feudal lords, his feudal lords divided the land among their dependent families and so forth down the pecking order to the officers who had their dependent kin and the commoners who "each had his apportioned relations and all had their graded precedence" "

This type of unilineal descent-group later became the model of the Korean family through the influence ofNeo-Confucianism,asZhu Xiand others advocated its re-establishment in China.

Feng giansystem and bureaucracy

There werefive peerage ranksbelow the royal ranks, in descending order with common English translations:gōngCông "duke",hóuHầu "marquis",bóBá "count",zǐTử "viscount", andnánNam "baron".At times, a vigorous duke would take power from his nobles and centralize the state. Centralization became more necessary as the states began to war among themselves and decentralization encouraged more war. If a duke took power from his nobles, the state would have to be administered bureaucratically by appointed officials.

-500

SAKAS

Tasmola

Kulay

Goro-
khovo

Itkul

Sargat

Ananyino
culture

Massagetae

Sauro-
matians

Mumun

Dian
culture

SABEANS

Ordos
culture

Sha-
jing

Pazyryk

Tagar

Chandman

Aldy-Bel

YUEZHI

Subeshi

ACHAEMENID EMPIRE

MAHA-
JANAPADAS

ZHOU
DYNASTY

Slab-grave
culture

DONGHU

MEROË

Scythians

class=notpageimage|

The Zhou dynasty and contemporary politiesc. 500 BC

Despite these similarities, there are a number of important differences from medieval Europe. One obvious difference is that the Zhou ruled from walled cities rather than castles. Another was China's distinct class system, which lacked an organized clergy but saw Shang-descent yeomen become masters of ritual and ceremony, as well as astronomy, state affairs and ancient canons, known asru(Nho).When a dukedom was centralized, these people would find employment as government officials or officers. These hereditary classes were similar to Western knights in status and breeding, but unlike the European equivalent, they were expected to be something of a scholar instead of a warrior. Being appointed, they could move from one state to another. Some would travel from state to state peddling schemes of administrative or military reform. Those who could not find employment would often end up teaching young men who aspired to official status. The most famous of these wasConfucius,who taught a system of mutual duty between superiors and inferiors. In contrast, theLegalistshad no time for Confucian virtue and advocated a system of strict laws and harsh punishments.

Agriculture

TheShi Qiang pan(c. 10th century BC), inscribed with the accomplishments of the earliest Zhou kings

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 theirserfs,a situation similar to Europeanfeudalism.For example, a piece of land was divided into nine squares in thewell-field system,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 it in times of famine or bad harvest. Some important manufacturing sectors during this period included bronze smelting, which was integral to making weapons and farming tools. Again, these industries were dominated by the nobility who directed the production of such materials.

China's first projects ofhydraulic engineeringwere initiated during the Zhou dynasty, ultimately as a means to aid agricultural irrigation.Sunshu Ao,the Chancellor ofWeiwho servedKing Zhuang of Chu,dammed a river to create an enormous irrigation reservoir in modern-day northernAnhuiprovince. For this, Sunshu is credited as China's first hydraulic engineer. The later Wei statesmanXimen Bao,who servedMarquis Wen of Wei(445–396 BC), was the first hydraulic engineer of China to have created a large irrigation canal system. As the main focus of his grandiose project, his canal work eventually diverted the waters of the entireZhang Riverto a spot further up theYellow River.

Military

Main article:Military of the Zhou dynasty

TheTaerpo Horserider,aQinterracotta figurine from a tomb near modernXianyanginShaanxi,4th–3rd century BC

The early Western Zhou supported a strong army, split into two major units: "the Six Armies of the west" and "the Eight Armies of Chengzhou". The armies campaigned in the northernLoess Plateau,modernNingxiaand theYellow Riverfloodplain. The military prowess of Zhou peaked during the 19th year ofKing Zhao's reign, when the six armies were wiped out along with King Zhao on a campaign around theHan River.Early Zhou kings were true commanders-in-chief

King Zhao was famous for repeated campaigns in theYangtzeregion, and died on campaign. Later kings' campaigns were less effective.King Liled 14 armies against barbarians in the south, but failed to achieve any victory.King Xuanfought theQuanrongnomads in vain.King Youwas killed by the Quanrong when Haojing was sacked. Althoughchariotshad been introduced to China during the Shang dynasty from Central Asia, the Zhou period saw the first major use of chariots in battle.Recent archaeological finds demonstrate similarities betweenhorse burialsof the Shang and Zhou dynasties with the steppe populations in the west, such as theSakaandWusun.Other possible cultural influences resulting from contact with these Iranic people ofCentral Asiain this period may include fighting styles, head-and-hooves burials, art motifs and myths.

The Zhou army also included "barbarian" troops such as theDi people.King Hui of Zhou married a princess of the Red Di as a sign of appreciation for the importance of the Di troops.King Xiang of Zhou also married a Di princess after receiving Di military support.

• 
  Gold sword hilt, Eastern Zhou, 6-5th century BC –British Museum
• 
  Eastern Zhou bronze sword excavated from Changsa, Hunan
• 
  Eastern Zhoujǐbronze halberd

Philosophy

Plaque in nomadicanimal style,Eastern Zhou or Han dynasty, 4th–3rd century BC.

An embroidered silk gauze ritual garment from an Eastern Zhou era tomb at Mashan, Hubei, 4th century BC

A drinking cup carved from crystal, unearthed at Banshan,Hangzhou,Warring States period –Hangzhou Museum

TheBianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng,a set of bronzebianzhongpercussion instruments fromhis tombinHubei,dated 433 BC

During the Zhou dynasty, the origins of nativeChinese philosophydeveloped, its initial stages of development beginning in the 6th century BC. The greatest Chinese philosophers, those who made the greatest impact on later generations of Chinese, wereConfucius,founder ofConfucianism,andLaozi,founder ofTaoism.Other philosophers of this era wereMozi,founder ofMohism;Mencius,the "second sage" of Confucianism;Shang YangandHan Fei,responsible for the development of ancient ChineseLegalism;andXunzi,who was arguably the center of ancient Chinese intellectual life during his time.

The state theology of the Zhou dynasty used concepts from the Shang dynasty and mostly referred to the Shang god,Di,asTian,a more distant and unknowable concept, yet one that anyone could utilize, the opposite view of the Shang's spirituality.The Zhou wanted to increase the number of enlightenment seekers, mystics, and those who would be interested in learning about such things as a way to further distance their people from the Shang-era paradigm and local traditions.

Li

Having emerged during the Western Zhou, theliritual systemencoded an understanding of manners as an expression of the social hierarchy, ethics, and regulation concerning material life; the corresponding social practices became idealized within Confucian ideology.

The system was canonized in theBook of Rites,Rites of Zhou,andEtiquette and Ceremonialcompiled during theHan dynasty(202 BC – 220 AD), thus becoming the heart of the Chinese imperial ideology. While the system was initially a respected body of concrete regulations, the fragmentation of the Western Zhou period led the ritual to drift towards moralization and formalization in regard to:

• The five orders ofChinese nobility
• Ancestral temples (size, legitimate number of pavilions)
• Ceremonial regulations (number ofritual vessels,musical instruments, people in the dancing troupe)

Kings

See also:Family tree of Chinese monarchs (ancient) § Zhou dynasty

The rulers of the Zhou dynasty were titledwang(Vương), which was also the term used by the Shang rulers, normally translated into English as 'king'. In addition to these rulers, King Wu's immediate ancestors—Danfu,Jili,andWen—are also referred to as "Kings of Zhou", despite having been nominal vassals of the Shang kings.

List of Western Zhou kings

Name		Reign
Personal	Posthumous
FaPhát	King WuChu Võ Vương	1046–1043 BC 1045–1043 BC
SongTụng	King ChengChu thành vương	1042–1021 BC 1042/1035–1006 BC
ZhaoChiêu	King KangChu Khang Vương	1020–996 BC 1005/1003–978 BC
XiaHà	King ZhaoChu chiêu vương	995–977 BC 977/975–957 BC
ManMãn	King MuChu Mục Vương	976–922 BC 956–918 BC
YihuÊ hỗ	King GongChu cộng vương	922–900 BC 917/915–900 BC
JianGian	King YihChu ý vương	899–892 BC 899/897–873 BC
PifangTích phương	King XiaoChu hiếu vương	891–886 BC 872?–866 BC
XieTiếp	King YiChu di vương	885–878 BC 865–858 BC
HuHồ	King LiChu lệ vương	877–841 BC 857/853–842/828 BC
Gonghe RegencyCộng hòa		841–828 BC
JingTĩnh	King XuanChu tuyên vương	827–782 BC
GongshengCung sanh	King YouChu U Vương	781–771 BC

List of Eastern Zhou kings

Name		Reign
Personal	Posthumous
YijiuNghi cối	King PingChu bình vương	770–720 BC
LinLâm	King HuanChu Hoàn vương	719–697 BC
TuoĐà	King ZhuangChu trang vương	696–682 BC
HuqiHồ tề	King XiChu hi vương	681–677 BC
LangLãng	King HuiChu huệ vương	676–652 BC
ZhengTrịnh	King XiangChu Tương Vương	651–619 BC
RenchenNhâm thần	King QingChu khoảnh vương	618–613 BC
BanBan	King KuangChu khuông vương	612–607 BC
YuDu	King DingChu định vương	606–586 BC
YiDi	King JianChu giản vương	585–572 BC
XiexinTiết tâm	King LingChu Linh Vương	571–545 BC
GuiQuý	King JingChu Cảnh vương	544–521 BC
MengMãnh	King DaoChu điệu vương	520 BC
GaiCái	King JingChu kính vương	519–476 BC
RenNhân	King YuanChu nguyên vương	475–469 BC
JieGiới	King ZhendingChu trinh định vương	468–442 BC
QujiĐi tật	King AiChu ai vương	441 BC
ShuThúc	King SiChu tư vương	441 BC
WeiNgôi	King KaoChu khảo vương	440–426 BC
WuNgọ	King WeilieChu uy Liệt Vương	425–402 BC
JiaoKiêu	King AnChu an vương	401–376 BC
XiHỉ	King LieChu Liệt Vương	375–369 BC
BianBẹp	King XianChu hiện vương	368–321 BC
DingĐịnh	King ShenjingChu thận tịnh vương	320–315 BC
YanDuyên	King NanChu Noản Vương	314–256 BC

Nobles of the Ji family proclaimed Duke Hui of Eastern Zhou as King Nan's successor after their capital, Chengzhou, fell to Qin forces in 256 BC. Ji Zhao, a son of King Nan, led a resistance against Qin for five years. The dukedom fell in 249 BC. The remaining Ji family ruledYanandWeiuntil 209 BC.

During Confucius's lifetime in the Spring and Autumn period, Zhou kings had little power, and much administrative responsibility andde-factopolitical strength was wielded by rulers of smaller domains and local community leaders.

Astrology

Bronze fittings in the form of tigers, Baoji, Shaanxi – Western Zhouc. 900 BC,

In traditional Chinese astrology, Zhou is represented by two stars,Eta Capricorni(Thứ hai;Zhōu yī;'first star of Zhou') and21 Capricorni(Thứ ba;Zhōu'èr;'second star of Zhou'), in"Twelve States"asterism.Zhou is also represented by the starBeta Serpentisin asterism "Right Wall",Heavenly Market enclosure.

See also

• Ancient Chinese states
• Four occupations
• Historical capitals of China
• Women in ancient and imperial China
• Ritual and music system
• Patriarchal clan system

References

Works cited

Primary

• Sima Qian ( Tư Mã Thiên ),Sử ký[Records of the Grand Historian] (in Literary Chinese) – via theChinese Text Project

Secondary

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• Chinn, Ann-ping(2007),The Authentic Confucius,Scribner,ISBN978-0-743-24618-7
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• Shaughnessy, Edward L.(1988), "Historical Perspectives on The Introduction of The Chariot Into China",Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies,48(1): 189–237,doi:10.2307/2719276,JSTOR2719276
• ——— (1999), "Western Zhou History", in Loewe, Michael; Shaughnessy, Edward L. (eds.),The Cambridge History of Ancient China,Cambridge University Press, pp. 292–351,ISBN978-0-521-47030-8
• Tignor, Robert; et al. (2013),Worlds Together, Worlds Apart,vol. 1 (4th ed.), W. W. Norton,ISBN978-0-393-92208-0
• Wu, K. C. (1982),The Chinese Heritage,New York: Crown,ISBN0-517-54475-X

Further reading

• Fong, Wen, ed. (1980),The great Bronze Age of China: an exhibition from the People's Republic of China,New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art,ISBN978-0-870-99226-1
• Lee, Yuan-Yuan; Shen, Sinyan (1999),Chinese Musical Instruments,Chinese Music Monograph Series, Chinese Music Society of North America Press,ISBN978-1-880-46403-8
• Li, Feng(2006),Landscape and Power in Early China: The Crisis and Fall of the Western Zhou 1045–771 BC,Cambridge University Press,ISBN978-0-521-85272-2
• Shen, Sinyan (1987), "Acoustics of Ancient Chinese Bells",Scientific American,256(4): 94,Bibcode:1987SciAm.256d.104S,doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0487-104
• Sun, Yan (2006), "Cultural and Political Control in North China: Style and Use of the Bronzes of Yan at Liulihe during the Early Western Zhou", in Mair, Victor H. (ed.),Contact and Exchange in the Ancient World,Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, pp. 215–237,ISBN978-0-824-82884-4
• Wagner, Donald B. (1999), "The Earliest Use of Iron in China", in Young, S. M. M.; Pollard, A. M.; Budd, P.; et al. (eds.),Metals in Antiquity,Oxford: Archaeopress, pp. 1–9,ISBN978-1-841-71008-2