Download The Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty
1122 BCE - 256 BCE
The Chinese civilization expanded during the time of the Zhou dynasty. The
massive size that the dynasty covered was too much for the Zhou leaders to
handle due to the poor means of communication. Because of this, the leaders
decided to appoint people to oversee each of the territories. The territories
started off as walled off cities. The leader of each of the territories were the
lords, each receiving the title through inheritance. Next in the hierarchy were
the fighting men, followed by the peasants and the domestic slaves. Soon,
these territories became more independent, eventually breaking away from
the main Zhou dynasty leaders.
The Zhou society was based on agricultural production. During that time, the
land of the lords was divided among the peasants to grow crops. They were
divided up into three by three squares, with the eight outer squares being
worked on by the peasants. The center tract of land was worked on by all
eight of the peasants for the lord. The extent of this type of land distribution
was unclear, but the later dynasties believed that this was the most equitable
way of dealing with land distribution and use.
The religious practice of the Zhou empire reflected their hierarchical way of
life. The Zhou kings believed that they were given a mandate from heaven to
rule. The kings prayed and sacrificed to Shang Ti, the Lord on High, now
called T'ien (Heaven), and to their ancestors. The lords of the territories
prayed to the local nature gods and to the gods of agriculture in addition to
their ancestors. If any sacrifices or prayers were missed, great ill was
predicted to fall on the territory or kingdom of the neglectful leader.
Eastern Zhou
In 770 BCE, the Zhou kings lost control of the territories they had delegated
to their lords. These territories, along with non-Chinese forces, rebelled and
defeated the original Zhou capital. The Zhou then formed a new capital
farther East. From this new capital, the Zhou forfeited their political and
military control over their territories.
The territories now were larger and more powerful than the original Zhou
kingdom. Even though the Zhou were not in control, they still thought they
were appointed by the heavens and continued to be the ceremonial lords of
the kingdoms. During this time, there was great economic growth, even
among the constant warfare between the territories. It was also during this
time that China entered its Iron Age.
The Iron Age brought iron-tipped ox drawn plows and improved irrigation
techniques which increased the agricultural yield which in turn increased the
population. With the increase in population came greater wealth, and people
started to become merchants and traders. With the explosion of the merchant
and trader class, the improvement of communication was inevitable. The
improvement came in the form of expanding the horseback communication
system. This increase in the economic situation allowed the rulers to control
more and more territories. Communication was far better than before, and a
ruler could have a larger empire and still be kept up to date on situations that
may arise.
The territories that were located at the edges of the Zhou empire expanded
into non-Chinese countries. Upon expanding, the kingdoms of the Zhou
became more diversified and these kingdoms selectively chose the aspects of
the newly acquired culture to assimilate into their own. One such aspect was
the mounted cavalry. Before, all the Chinese fighting was by foot soldiers.
By the 6th century, seven powerful states arose from the former Zhou
territories. With the Zhou dynasty's decline and the rise of power of the
former territories, the situation in China became unstable. Then, by the late
5th century, the Zhou dynasty fell into a state of interstate anarchy, this
period was known as the Period of the Warring States.
The Golden Age of Chinese Philosophy
403 BCE - 221 BCE
Due to the instability of China, an intellectual movement swept through
China that shaped China's state and culture. The most influential of the
philosophers was Confucius. Confucius was the representation of the
emerging class of administrators and advisors that were needed to aid rulers
deal with the ever-present need of diplomacy with other states and internal
administration. Confucius wanted a return to the Zhou style of governing.
He believed that the rulers of that period had tried to develop a society based
on the example of great personal virtue. By this, Confucius then took to the
task of creating a class based on virtue that would take over the high
positions of government and lead the people by their example.
In addition to Confucianism, another school of philosophy was Taoism. The
principles of Taoism are explained in the Tao-te-Ching or "Classic of the
Way and Its Virtue." This text is said to have been created by Lao-tzu and in
the works of Chuang-tzu. The Taoist philosophy was based on simplicity.
The belief is that the government should be hands off, and let the people deal
with the problems of nature and the people should return to primitive
agricultural communities.
Legalism was the third school of philosophy. The philosophers felt that,
during their time of great disorder and chaos, something needed to be done.
The legalist philosophers believed that every aspect of life should be ruled
by a set of strict and impersonal laws. To have this system work, the
legalists needed to have a powerful and wealthy state where the ruler had
ultimate authority. The wealth and military strength is what gave the state
and ruler power.
Fall of the Zhou Dynasty and the Rise of the Ch'in State
During the 4th century BCE, the state of Ch'in, one of the former territories
of the Zhou kingdom, emerged as a power. Based on theories of a leading
legalist, the Ch'in kingdom reformed its administration, economy, and
military and became stronger as the Zhou empire weakened and eventually
died in 256 BCE. Soon, the Ch'in had conquered the seven other warring
states.