Download The Zhou Dynasty

By Derek Kello and Igor Larionov.
The Zhou dynasty of China was founded in
c.1027 B.C.
After 771 B.C. the Zhou capital was moved to
Luoyang
States joined to enhance their power,
effecting a centralization of authority within
each state. to open conflict in the period of
the Warring States (403–222 B.C.). In 256 B.C.
the emerging state of Qin (Ch'in) conquered
the Zhou empire. Struggles among the states
for more land led
After 771 B.C. the Zhou Capital got moved to
luoyang.
to open conflict in the period of the Warring
States (403–222 B.C.). In 256 B.C. the
emerging state of Qin (Ch'in) conquered the
Zhou empire.
In 256 B.C. the emerging state of Qin (Ch'in)
conquered the Zhou empire.
During the Zhou Dynasty, the use of iron was
introduced to China.
this period of Chinese history produced what
many consider the zenith of Chinese bronzeware making.
The dynasty also spans the period in which
the written script evolved from the ancient
stage as seen in early Western Zhou bronze
inscriptions, to the beginnings of the modern
stage, in the form of the archaic clerical script
that emerged during the late Warring States
period.
During the Zhou Dynasty, the origins of native
Chinese philosophy developed, its initial
stages beginning in the 6th century BC.
The greatest Chinese philosophers, those who
made the greatest impact on later generations
of Chinese, were Confucius, founder of
Confucianism, and Laozi, founder of Taoism.
Other philosophers, theorists, and schools of
thought in this era were Mozi, founder of
Mohism, Mencius, a famous Confucian who
expanded upon Confucius' legacy, Shang Yang
and Han Feizi, responsible for the
development of ancient Chinese Legalism
Initially the Ji family was able to control the
country and the people in it firmly. In 771 BC,
after King You had replaced his queen with a
concubine Baosi, the capital was sacked by a
joint force of the queen's father.
The queen's son Ji Yijiu was proclaimed the
new king by nobles from the states of Zheng,
Lu, Qin, Xu and Shen.
The capital was moved eastward in 770 BC
from Haojing to Luoyang in present-day
Henan Province.
The Warring States Period extended slightly
past the 256 BC end date of Eastern Zhou.
The Eastern Zhou period is also designated as
the period of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
The four main distinct schools were
Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism,
along with a host of others.
The ruling families of the Zhou, Shang, Qin,
and (possibly) Xia dynasties coexisted
together as rulers of independent kingdoms
until 286 BC.
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 their serfs, a situation
similar to European feudalism.
the government was able to store surplus
food and distribute it in times of famine or
bad harvest.
a piece of land was divided into nine squares
in the well-field system, with the grain from
the middle square taken by the government
and that of surrounding squares kept by
individual farmers.
China's first projects of hydraulic engineering
were founded during the Zhou Dynasty,
ultimately for means to aid agricultural
irrigation.
Thank you for watching our show!