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The Zhou Dynasty
Chinese rulers claimed that the Mandate of Heaven gave them the right to rule.
Reading Focus Who gives you permission to do the things you do? Your
mother? Your teacher? Read to find out how the rulers of the Zhou dynasty
turned to the heavens for permission to rule.
During the rule of the Shang, a great gap existed between the
rich and the poor. Shang kings lived in luxury and began to treat
people cruelly. As a result, they lost the support of the people in
their kingdom. In 1045 B.C. an aristocrat named Wu Wang led a
rebellion against the Shang. After defeating the Shang, King Wu
began a new dynasty called the Zhou (JOH).
The Zhou Government
To justify why they conquered the Shang and get
acceptance from their citizens, Zhou leaders claimed that the
Shang king had been a poor ruler and that the god’s had taken
away his power. They claimed that they had been given the
Mandate of Heaven, a right to rule China granted from god or
the heavens.
According to this belief, Heaven was a power that controlled
human destiny. The king was the son of Heaven. As long as the
king governed his people well, Heaven gave him the right to rule.
If the king did not govern well, Heaven would send signs of its
displeasure, such as earthquakes and floods. When the king lost
the support of Heaven, others had the right to overthrow him.
The Zhou and later groups believed in the Mandate of Heaven.
The Zhou dynasty ruled for more than 800 years—longer
than any other dynasty in Chinese history. Zhou kings ruled
much like Shang rulers. The Zhou king was at the head of the
government. The Zhou kings copied the Shang system of
dividing the kingdom into smaller territories. The kings put
aristocrats, rich nobles, that they trusted in charge of each
territory. The positions the aristocrats held were hereditary. That
meant that when an aristocrat died, his son or another relative
would take over as ruler of the territory.
Zhou Achievements
For thousands of years, Chinese farmers depended on rain
to water their crops. During the Zhou dynasty, the Chinese
developed irrigation and flood- control systems. As a result,
farmers could grow more crops than ever before. Because more
food could support more people, the population increased.
During the late Zhou dynasty, China’s population had expanded
to about 50 million people
Zhou people also learned to use iron, which was cheaper
and stronger than bronze. Iron weapons, the catapult and
China’s first cavalry (military on horseback) were some of the
Zhou achievements that helped strengthen the army. The Zhou
also introduced coins to China and began the use of chopsticks.
The Zhou Empire Falls
The Zhou dynasty lasted from about 1045 to 256 B.C.E.
During its later years, different leaders fought for control in
China. Many of the aristocrats that ruled Zhou territories became
powerful, stopped obeying the Zhou kings and started to
compete for control. The country was thrown into disorder. For
almost 200 years, the states battled each other. Historians call
this time the “Period of the Warring States.” These troubles led
Chinese thinkers to ask serious questions about the best way to
have peace and order in society. Ultimately, this disorder
weakened the Zhou dynasty and allowed them to be conquered
by Qin Shihuangdi and the Qin dynasty began