Chinese Dynasties | The Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty (1045 BCE to 256 BCE) followed the Shang Dynasty and was followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history-though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou. During the Zhou, the use of iron was introduced to China, while 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 from the ancient stage...

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A leader of the Zhou, named Pi, articulates this ambition and puts into place a plan to establish their own leadership, which was followed over the next three generations:

1) They migrated from the far North-west area along the Wei River valley, Eastward to the centre of the Shang State.
2) They started to have greater interaction on the West to build alliances so they could confront and overthrow the Shang Kings.
3) Around 1050 BCE (King) Wen of the Zhou puts in place the final plan to bring about the rise of the Zhou.
4) His son, Wu, the leader when the eventual attack is launched around 1045 BCE. This is dated from celestial event records such as comets, exploding stars, eclipses etc and correlating with recorded events (paleo-astronomy: study of the sky in relation to events of the past).
5) The Zhou and their allies march to the capital (now known as Anyang) on the West side of the river...

On the morning of the battle, King Wu (even though he is still a young boy) gives a speech calling for the overthrow of the Shang and leads his army forward into the Shang capital. The "Classic of Documents" describes the battle as follows: 'wailing and screaming of combatants', 'in the streets, blood flowed so deeply that wood floated in it 'swords and axes'. At the end of the day, the Shang King was killed, his state was destroyed and the Zhou were in command.

King Wu was only young. His uncle, the 'Duke of Zhou' (younger brother of King Wen) a paragon of restraint, did not usurp the throne, but instead acted as sagely advisor to nephew King Wu. The Duke of Zhou becomes a Prototype for sagely advisor in later Chinese dynasties. 1

This is a little different from the spirituality of the Shang, who worshipped through their ancestors. The Zhou people also worshipped their ancestors (ancestor worship is the most common characteristic of Chinese civilisation overall, for over 3,000 years) but they worshipped heaven as a transcendent power, an all encompassing system. This is important because it's part again of their political legitimisation. They are not merely one family exercising power over all others (even though this is exactly what a dynasty is), but they exercise that power in the name of a larger and more all encompassing order. That order is what is characterised by their worship of heaven.

One way to translate heaven is 'The blue vault of the sky'. The way in which the sky extends over everything is the way in which the Zhou rule is to extend over everything. The realm of the state is referred to as "all under heaven" an all encompassing order which the Zhou set out to create. 2

As an effective state that ruled an integrated empire the Zhou Dynasty is short. The Zhou faced the challenge of administering China and performed very well in the early centuries, expanding to the South and South-east. They brought rule to the Yangtze River valley and beyond. The Zhou brought about population growth, a stable and peaceful domestic order, and generally fulfilled the terms of the "Mandate of Heaven". But they also faced problems.

The empire became so large they couldn't control the entire kingdom. To overcome this, they appointed local administrators. Initially, family members took on this role and, when these had been exhausted, these positions were then given to military leaders who had proven their loyalty. In the reign of the first three or four kings, this worked well because of close relationships. As time went by, however, this changed. A more routine system developed, and they become complacent. Hereditary placements were starting to become questioned, as were the payments to the central court to the Zhou King. Gradually, these payments were decreased.

A Subversion of order in the hierarchy begins. For example, in the use of terminology. Local strongmen refer to themselves as 'Wang' (king) around 8th Century BCE. The Zhou king did not order the cessation of this title usurpation because of unrest in the North West causing a distraction. New people emerging (Qin) caused a threat to the Zhou. When King You married concubine Baosi, replacing his Queen, Baosi's father, with the Qin, began to raid Zhou territory and eventually the capital. As a result, the Zhou move the capital East down the Wei river to the Yellow river basin to a new site at Luoyang.

The Zhou built a new capital there based on their concept of a planned city. This represents a downgrading of the capital and their loss in prestige. The usurpation represents an erosion or subversion of the order and for the next few hundred years the Zhou kings remain but their power had been eroded, with some lip service retained. 4

1 From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History, Lecture 2 - "The First Dynasties" ~ Professor Kenneth J. Hammond, B.A., A.M., Ph.D. Associate Professor of History, (Head of History Department, New Mexico State University).
2 ~ Ibid
3 ~ Ibid
4 ~ Ibid