Download China under the Zhou Dynasty

China under the Zhou
Dynasty
Ancient China
Section 2
The Zhou Dynasty
• Around 1050 B.C., a group called the Zhou (joh)
attacked the Shang kingdom from the west. They
overthrew the Shang ruler and established a new
dynasty.
• The Zhou dynasty ruled for about 800 years.
• For much of the second half of that rule, however,
the Zhou struggled to keep its large kingdom united.
The Rise and Fall of the Zhou
• Most of what is known or been discovered about the fall
of the Shang kingdom comes from written sources during
the Zhou rule.
• According to these sources, the Zhou gained power
because the Shang kings had grown corrupt.
• The last Shang king did a bad job of governing his people
started to hate him for it. He only cared about his own
enjoyment.
• When the Zhou attacked the Shang, many Shang warriors
refused to fight. They surrendered and accepted the
Zhou king as their ruler.
The Right to Rule
• After the Zhou took power, they declared that their
success was due to the support coming from heaven.
• In their view, heaven was the highest force of nature that
gave dynasties the right to rule.
• They called this right to rule the Mandate of Heaven.
• If a dynasty failed to act properly, it would lose this right.
• The Mandate of Heaven permitted a leader to seize or
take control by force, if necessary. Victory would serve as
proof that heaven supported the change in leadership.
The Right to Rule
• To stay in power, the rulers of the new dynasty,
would have to act virtuously. They would have to be
kind and just and serve the interest of the people.
• The concept of the Mandate of Heaven became a
tradition of Chinese government, Under this
tradition, the ruler was called the Son of Heaven.
• If he performed his role well, there would be
harmony between heaven and earth.
Book of History
• One ancient Chinese source, the Book of History,
explains why Zhou kings received the Mandate of
Heaven.
• “…..our kings of Zhou treated the people well…..and
presided over services to spirits and to Heaven.
Heaven therefore instructed the Zhou kings, chose
them……. And gave them the decree to rule.”
The Right to Rule
• Emperors had to care for their people and stop
corruption.
• Uprisings and natural disasters were seen as possible
omens that the current dynasty had lost the
Mandate of Heaven.
Governing the Zhou
• The Zhou expanded its land through conquest. At its
height, the Zhou ruled territory that reached to the
Chang River.
• This large kingdom included many different cultures.
• To keep control, the king placed family members in
charge of individual regions or states. Over time, the
ties between the Zhou king and local nobles
weakened.
Governing the Zhou
• In 771 B.C.E., a group of nobles joined with nomadicinvaders to try and overthrow the Zhou king.
• With help from other nobles, the Zhou survived the
attack, but from that point on, the power of the Zhou
kings was weak and dependent on those nobles who
helped them to stay in power.
• States tied to the Zhou became more independent and
fighting broke out between warlords. Warlords are
military rulers of small states.
• Although these warlords claimed loyalty to the king, they
often really hoped to gain power for themselves.
The Warring States
• Eventually, minor battles escalated into full-scale
warfare.
• China would enter an era of chaos- total disorder and
confusion.
• From about 475 B.C.E. to 221 B.C.E., this era became
know as the Warring States period. Brutal and
destructive conflict marked the period.
• Battles ravaged the countryside and millions of
people died.
The Warring States
• Stronger states conquered weaker ones. Over time, a
few large states emerged.
• Loyalty to the Zhou dynasty disappeared and in 256
B.C.E., the last Zhou ruler was overthrown.
• However, fighting continued for years before a new
dynasty managed to unite China.
Zhou Society
• The Zhou adopted much of the Shang culture. They
followed the same basic laws, wore similar clothing,
and spoke the same language.
• They produced bronze art that rivaled that of the
Shang.
• Great changes also occurred in the Zhou dynasty. For
example, the Zhou kings gave up the practice of
human sacrifice and stopped using the oracle bones.
Structure of Society
• The Zhou kings, just as the Shang rulers before them,
occupied the center of government.
• The Zhou, however, gave more power to individual
states and the nobles who led them.
• Those states would set up their own walled capital
cities, from which they controlled the lands of some
lesser nobles.
• The nobles were expected to serve the king and raise
armies to support him.
Structure of Society
• As in most ancient societies, the majority of people
were peasants. They farmed the land, and also had
duties such as serving as soldiers in battle.
• There were a small number of merchants, artisans,
and slaves in Zhou society.
• Slavery was used as a punishment. Some people also
were sold into slavery when their family fell on hard
times.
Family Relationships
• The ancient Chinese put high value on family. Society
demanded that individuals show loyalty to their
family.
• Within the family, older family members had more
power and privileges than younger ones.
• As it is in most ancient societies, men had higher
status than women.
Economy and Technology
• During the Zhou dynasty, there were many
technological advances. One important weapon was
the crossbow.
• Artisans learned to make iron, which is stronger than
bronze. The Zhou used iron to make weapons.
• Iron was used to make stronger, more effective, farm
tools.
• The Zhou’s crop yield increased as they used
irrigation and fertilizer for more of their famrland.
Economy and Technology
• The Zhou built a network of roads, which helped
travel and trade. A number of new cities began to
spring up.
Cultural Life
• The Zhou dynasty was also a time of great creative
energy. As the leaders of the warring states fought
for power, they supported poets and artists.
• They looked for wise men to help them rule.
• The writings of thinkers from this time period
became the foundation of much of Chinese thought
for centuries to come.