Download Student 1 Sample Student Ms. Clymer World Studies 6 March, 2014

Student 1
Sample Student
Ms. Clymer
World Studies
6 March, 2014
The Zhou Dynasty
When a discussion of Chinese history comes up, there are four dynasties that are particularly
focused on. They are the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties. Each of them brought many advances
to the Chinese culture and formed China into what it is today. The Zhou Dynasty was first led by King
Wen, who “uled a territory west of the earlier Shang Dynasty. However, it was King Wen's son, King
Wu, who officially began the Zhou Dynasty in 1122 B.C. The Shang Dynasty came to a fall under the
rule of Di Xin, who was cruel and squandered the country's riches. Seeing the Shang ruler in such a
weak state, King Wu took action and led his army against the Shang army. However, no battle was
actually fought, as Di Xin's army turned against him. Seeing this, the tyrant committed suicide, leaving
the victorious King Wu in power. The new ruler then established a new capitol in Chang'an, which is
close to today's city of Xi'an, and changed the government. The Zhou Dynasty lasted for over 800 years
and today, its history is split into two main periods; the Western Zhou (1122-771 B.C.) and the Eastern
Zhou (771-221 B.C.). The Zhou Dynasty brought many years peace and unity to China, but it also
brought war and division in later years.
The Western Zhou period lasted from 1122 B.C. To 771 B.C. The period's first ruler was King
Wu and its last ruler was Emperor Yu. In this period, peace and prosperity spread throughout the land.
The people were treated tremendously better under the Zhou Dynasty rulers than the Shang Dynasty
rulers. Slavery was discouraged and the practice of human sacrifices ceased. “The Zhou decided that if
the peasant farmers were treated well and not overtaxed to the point of starvation, they would become
more prosperous” (Hollihan-Elliot, Wang). The Zhou rulers kept the taxes low and divided land
Student 2
between nobles loyal to them, who in turn, gave land to commoners to farm on. This system, also used
in Europe, was called feudalism. When wars had to be fought, armies were considerate of each other.
During the Western Zhou period, health conditions were increasingly better; nutritious meals were
made available to all the people and houses were built above ground with better frameworks and roofs.
“The most important cultural advance by the Western Zhou was in literature” (Hollihan-Elliot, Wang).
Zhou scholars traveled throughout the kingdom, collecting stories of heroes and admirable events in
China, which were then made into a poem book called the Shijing. “The Western Zhou had been
concerned about building prosperity from the ground up” (Hollihan-Elliot, Wang). These concerns led
to a peaceful period in China's history.
By the time Emperor Yu took control over China, the Western Zhou period was becoming
chaotic. The once wise choice of giving land to nobles was now causing trouble, as those nobles were
building up private armies and challenging the central power. When Emperor Yu was assassinated in
771 B.C., the Western Zhou era ended. “After Yu's death the Zhou capital was transferred to east, to
Luoyang, marking the beginning of the Eastern Zhou dynasty” (Lee). The Eastern Zhou era was
divided into two periods. “The Spring and Autumn period is the name given to the first of these,
covering the years 770-476 B.C.” (Hollihan-Elliot, Wang). In the Spring and Autumn period, China,
broke apart into hundreds of independent city-states that the Zhou leaders could not control. The only
land the Zhou leaders could control was a small area around their capital. Though this period was the
start of many wars and contempt, there were advances made. The independent state of Qi “developed a
new method of recruiting soldiers as well as a consistent tax system” (Lee). Also, there were
improvements in iron making, a metal that the Zhou are known for working with. A wider expanse of
trade was also established because of the invention of bronze coins. The transition from the calm
Western Zhou period to the war-filled Spring and Autumn era was drastic and was the foundation for
the Warring States period.
Student 3
The Warring States period began in 475 B.C. and ended in 221 B.C., when the Zhou Dynasty
ended. During the Spring and Autumn era, seven kingdoms emerged from the small wars between the
city-states. The wars were chaotic and confusing; no one had an allegiance to one ruler and strategists
would side with the highest-paying states. The period was filled with deceit and deception as war after
war was fought. There was no single ruler running the land, causing mass confusion. To keep up with
the numerous battles, iron-making was advanced even more. Techniques perfected with bronze casting
were applied to iron, which resulted in “stronger, sharper, and deadlier weapons,” (Hollihan-Elliot,
Wang). One of the greatest war inventions was created at this time: the crossbow.
Despite the war-filled time, the Chinese culture did advance. Cast iron was also made available
to commoners because it was a cheaper metal. The new iron tools led to more food production, and the
population grew. However, defense for the commoners was low, and many villages were burned down
from armies. The Zhou Dynasty finally ended in 221 B.C. when the Qin, one of the seven kingdoms,
took over and established the Qin Dynasty. The years of fighting had finally come to end, and the
mighty Zhou Dynasty with it.
In conclusion, the Zhou Dynasty was filled with peace for the first half of its era, but then later
declined to chaos and confusion. Despite the hundreds of years of war, the Zhou Dynasty did bring
many advancements to Chinese culture. The Western Zhou era propelled literature to far greater heights
and brought a peaceful and comfortable lifestyle for the people. The Spring and Autumn era of the
Eastern Zhou era, though the beginning of many wars, brought forth a new form of currency and ways
to work with iron. And the Warring States period developed the art of iron casting even further, making
advances in the military. All of these contributions helped build China into the country it is today.
Works Cited
Student 4
Hollihan-Elliot, Sheila, and Jianwei Wang. "Chapter 5: Western Zhou: An Age Of Peace And
Prosperity." Ancient History of China. N.PAG6-6. US: Mason Crest Publishers, 2006. History
Reference Center. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Hollihan-Elliot, Sheila, and Jianwei Wang. "Chapter 6: Eastern Zhou: Chaos And Solutions." Ancient
History of China. N.PAG7-7. US: Mason Crest Publishers, 2006. History Reference Center.
Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Lee, Jacob. "Zhou Dynasty." Zhou Dynasty (2007): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.