Difference between revisions of "Zhou Dynasty" - New World Encyclopedia
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− | The '''Zhou Dynasty''' | + | The '''Zhou Dynasty'''; 1022 B.C.E. to 256 B.C.E.) followed the [[Shang Dynasty|Shang (Yin) Dynasty]] and preceded the [[Qin Dynasty]] in [[China]]. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other in Chinese history, and the use of iron was introduced to China during this time. 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 of the late Warring States period. The Zhou introduced the notion of the Mandate of Heaven, that is, that the King or Emperor reigned as the direct representative of the Gods. The belief developed that the eartly bureaucracy mirrors the heavenly, with the earth as the yang (masculine) asepct and heaven as the ying (feminine) aspect. It was essential to mainta9in harmony and balance between the two spheres, and what happens on earth influences heaven, and vice-versa.The ideal is to live life in harmany with forces of the Universe, to flow with, not against, the natural rhythms of life and of nature. Thus, at a very early period, the Chinese developed an empathetic relationship with the natural world, which respected nature. The long-lasting Zhou dynasty gave stability to a large area of China for almost a millenium, allowing people to develop a sense of mutual responsibility and a shared view of life. Family responsibility, and duties towards the state, were stressed. The concept of the mandate of heaven has something in common with the European doctrine of the divine right of Kings, except that as that developed in medieval Europe (almost two thousand years later) it saw rebellion against the King as an unthinkable sin. The Chinese dogma recognized from the outset that the ruler could forfeit the Mandate, if his rule did not benefit the people. This was also emphasixed by the great teacher, Kong Fu Zi (Confucius), 551-479) who lived during the Zhou dynasty at Lu, where he advised the government. He advocated humane co-operation, politeness and virtuous living (''Ren'', ethics, humaneness). Instead of co-ercing his subjects, the ruler should love them and lead by setting a virtuous example. Kong Fu Zi really believed that a polite, well ordered society in which everyone had a presecribed role, would banish hatred and war. Contemporary governments too often allow vested interests to domimate their agendas and to influence their policies for the benefit of these interests rather than of the elctorate. The radical idea that rulers should love their subject, and work for their welfare, was alive and well in China during the Zhou dynasty. Those who understand history from a providential point of view could well conclude that the length of the Zhou dynasty's reign was a consequence of their enjoying the Mandate of Heaven. |
==Mandate of Heaven== | ==Mandate of Heaven== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
− | + | ||
The official site of the Chou Dynasty genealogy by Lester D.K. Chow, president, Chou Clansmen Association of America, P.O. Box 4604, Honolulu, Hawaii 96812 Translated from Chinese text to English. | The official site of the Chou Dynasty genealogy by Lester D.K. Chow, president, Chou Clansmen Association of America, P.O. Box 4604, Honolulu, Hawaii 96812 Translated from Chinese text to English. |
Revision as of 02:53, 19 July 2006
The Zhou Dynasty; 1022 B.C.E. to 256 B.C.E.) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other in Chinese history, and the use of iron was introduced to China during this time. 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 of the late Warring States period. The Zhou introduced the notion of the Mandate of Heaven, that is, that the King or Emperor reigned as the direct representative of the Gods. The belief developed that the eartly bureaucracy mirrors the heavenly, with the earth as the yang (masculine) asepct and heaven as the ying (feminine) aspect. It was essential to mainta9in harmony and balance between the two spheres, and what happens on earth influences heaven, and vice-versa.The ideal is to live life in harmany with forces of the Universe, to flow with, not against, the natural rhythms of life and of nature. Thus, at a very early period, the Chinese developed an empathetic relationship with the natural world, which respected nature. The long-lasting Zhou dynasty gave stability to a large area of China for almost a millenium, allowing people to develop a sense of mutual responsibility and a shared view of life. Family responsibility, and duties towards the state, were stressed. The concept of the mandate of heaven has something in common with the European doctrine of the divine right of Kings, except that as that developed in medieval Europe (almost two thousand years later) it saw rebellion against the King as an unthinkable sin. The Chinese dogma recognized from the outset that the ruler could forfeit the Mandate, if his rule did not benefit the people. This was also emphasixed by the great teacher, Kong Fu Zi (Confucius), 551-479) who lived during the Zhou dynasty at Lu, where he advised the government. He advocated humane co-operation, politeness and virtuous living (Ren, ethics, humaneness). Instead of co-ercing his subjects, the ruler should love them and lead by setting a virtuous example. Kong Fu Zi really believed that a polite, well ordered society in which everyone had a presecribed role, would banish hatred and war. Contemporary governments too often allow vested interests to domimate their agendas and to influence their policies for the benefit of these interests rather than of the elctorate. The radical idea that rulers should love their subject, and work for their welfare, was alive and well in China during the Zhou dynasty. Those who understand history from a providential point of view could well conclude that the length of the Zhou dynasty's reign was a consequence of their enjoying the Mandate of Heaven.
Mandate of Heaven
In the Chinese historical tradition, the rulers of the Zhou displaced the Shang and legitimized their rule by invoking the Mandate of Heaven, the notion that the ruler (the "son of heaven") governed by divine right (granted by the Supreme God of Heaven) but that his dethronement would prove that he had lost the mandate. The doctrine explained and justified the demise of the Xia and Shang Dynasties and at the same time supported the legitimacy of present and future rulers. The Zhou dynasty was founded by the Ji family and had its capital at Hào (鎬, near the present-day city of Xi'an). Sharing the language and culture of the Shang (Yin), the early Zhou rulers, through conquest and colonization, gradually sinicized, that is, extended Shang (Yin) culture through much of China Proper north of the Yangtze River.
Fēngjiàn (封建)
In the West, the Zhou period is often described as feudal because the Zhou's early rule invites comparison with medieval rule in Europe. However, historians debate the meaning of the term feudal; the more appropriate term for the Zhou Dynasty's political arrangement would be from the Chinese language itself: the Fēngjiàn (封建) system. The Zhou amalgam of city-states became progressively centralized and established increasingly impersonal political and economic institutions. These developments, which probably occurred in the later Zhou period, were manifested in greater central control over local governments and a more routinized agrarian taxation.
Western and Eastern Zhou
Initially the Ji family was able to control the country firmly. In 771 B.C.E., after King You of Zhou had replaced his queen with a concubine Baosi, the capital was sacked by the joint force of the queen's father, who was the powerful Marquess of Shen, and a nomadic tribe. The queen's son King Ping of Zhou was proclaimed the new king by the nobles from the states of Zheng, Lü, Qin and the Marquess of Shen. The capital was moved eastward in 722 B.C.E. to Luoyang in present-day Henan Province.
Because of this shift, historians divide the Zhou era into the Western Zhou (西周, pinyin Xī Zhōu), lasting up until 771 B.C.E., and the Eastern Zhou (Traditional Chinese: 東周 Simplified Chinese: 东周, pinyin: Dōng Zhōu) from 770 up to 256 B.C.E. The beginning year of the Western Zhou has been disputed - 1122 B.C.E., 1027 B.C.E. and other years within the hundred years from late 12th century B.C.E. to late 11th century B.C.E. have been proposed. Chinese historians take 841 B.C.E. as the first year of consecutive annual dating of the history of China, based on the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. The Eastern Zhou corresponds roughly to two subperiods. The first, from 722 to 481 B.C.E., is called the Spring and Autumn Period, after a famous historical chronicle of the time; the second, which extends slightly past the 256 B.C.E. end date of the Eastern Zhou, is known as the Warring States Period (480 to 221 B.C.E.). This discrepancy is due to the fact that the last Zhou king's reign ended in 256, 35 years before the beginning of the Qin dynasty which ended the Warring States period.
Decline
With the royal line broken, the power of the Zhou court gradually diminished; the fragmentation of the kingdom accelerated. From Ping Wang onwards, the Zhou kings ruled in name only, with true power lying in the hands of powerful nobles. Towards the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the nobles did not even bother to acknowledge the Ji family symbolically and declared themselves to be kings. They wanted to be the king of the kings. Finally, the dynasty was obliterated by Qin Shi Huang's unification of China in 221 B.C.E.
Agriculture
Agriculture in 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, similar to European feudalism. For example, a piece of land was divided into nine squares in the shape of the character for "water well," jing (井), with the grain from the middle square taken by the government and that of surrounding squares kept by individual farmers. This way, the government was able to store surplus food (such as rice) and distribute them in times of famine or bad harvest. Some important manufacturing sectors during this period include bronze making, which was integral in making weapons and farming tools. Again, these industries were dominated by the nobility who direct the production of such materials.
Zhou dynasty kings
Personal name | Posthumous name | Reign years1 | Name by which most commonly known |
---|---|---|---|
Ji Fa 姬發 |
Wuwang 武王 |
1046 B.C.E.-1043 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Wuwang (King Wu of Zhou) |
Ji Song 姬誦 |
Chengwang 成王 |
1042 B.C.E.-1021 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Chengwang (King Cheng of Zhou) |
Ji Zhao 姬釗 |
Kangwang 康王 |
1020 B.C.E.-996 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Kangwang (King Kang of Zhou) |
Ji Xia 姬瑕 |
Zhaowang 昭王 |
995 B.C.E.-977 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Zhaowang (King Zhao of Zhou) |
Ji Man 姬滿 |
Muwang 穆王 |
976 B.C.E.-922 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Muwang (King Mu of Zhou) |
Ji Yihu 姬繄扈 |
Gongwang 共王 |
922 B.C.E.-900 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Gongwang (King Gong of Zhou) |
Ji Jian 姬囏 |
Yiwang 懿王 |
899 B.C.E.-892 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Yiwang King Yi of Zhou) |
Ji Pifang 姬辟方 |
Xiaowang 孝王 |
891 B.C.E.-886 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Xiaowang (King Xiao of Zhou) |
Ji Xie 姬燮 |
Yiwang 夷王 |
885 B.C.E.-878 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Yiwang King Yi of Zhou) |
Ji Hu 姬胡 |
Liwang 厲王 |
877 B.C.E.-841 B.C.E.1 | Zhou Liwang (King Li of Zhou) |
Gonghe (regency) 共和 |
841 B.C.E.-828 B.C.E. | Gonghe | |
Ji Jing 姬靜 |
Xuanwang 宣王 |
827 B.C.E.-782 B.C.E. | Zhou Xuanwang (King Xuan of Zhou) |
Ji Gongsheng 姬宮湦 |
Youwang 幽王 |
781 B.C.E.-771 B.C.E. | Zhou Youwang (King You of Zhou) |
End of Western Zhou / Beginning of Eastern Zhou | |||
Ji Yijiu 姬宜臼 |
Pingwang 平王 |
770 B.C.E.-720 B.C.E. | Zhou Pingwang (King Ping of Zhou) |
Ji Lin 姬林 |
Huanwang 桓王 |
719 B.C.E.-697 B.C.E. | Zhou Huanwang (King Huan of Zhou) |
Ji Tuo 姬佗 |
Zhuangwang 莊王 |
696 B.C.E.-682 B.C.E. | Zhou Zhuangwang (King Zhuang of Zhou) |
Ji Huqi 姬胡齊 |
Xiwang 釐王 |
681 B.C.E.-677 B.C.E. | Zhou Xiwang (King Xi of Zhou) |
Ji Lang 姬閬 |
Huiwang 惠王 |
676 B.C.E.-652 B.C.E. | Zhou Huiwang (King Hui of Zhou) |
Ji Zheng 姬鄭 |
Xiangwang 襄王 |
651 B.C.E.-619 B.C.E. | Zhou Xiangwang (King Xiang of Zhou) |
Ji Renchen 姬壬臣 |
Qingwang 頃王 |
618 B.C.E.-613 B.C.E. | Zhou Qingwang (King Qing of Zhou) |
Ji Ban 姬班 |
Kuangwang 匡王 |
612 B.C.E.-607 B.C.E. | Zhou Kuangwang (King Kuang of Zhou) |
Ji Yu 姬瑜 |
Dingwang 定王 |
606 B.C.E.-586 B.C.E. | Zhou Dingwang (King Ding of Zhou) |
Ji Yi 姬夷 |
Jianwang 簡王 |
585 B.C.E.-572 B.C.E. | Zhou Jianwang (King Jian of Zhou) |
Ji Xiexin 姬泄心 |
Lingwang 靈王 |
571 B.C.E.-545 B.C.E. | Zhou Lingwang (King Ling of Zhou) |
Ji Gui 姬貴 |
Jingwang 景王 |
544 B.C.E.-521 B.C.E. | Zhou Jingwang (King Jing of Zhou) |
Ji Meng 姬猛 |
Daowang 悼王 |
520 B.C.E. | Zhou Daowang (King Dao of Zhou) |
Ji Gai 姬丐 |
Jingwang 敬王 |
519 B.C.E.-476 B.C.E. | Zhou Jingwang (King Jing of Zhou (Ji Gai)) |
Ji Ren 姬仁 |
Yuanwang 元王 |
475 B.C.E.-469 B.C.E. | Zhou Yuanwang (King Yuan of Zhou) |
Ji Jie 姬介 |
Zhendingwang 貞定王 |
468 B.C.E.-442 B.C.E. | Zhou Zhendingwang (King Zhending of Zhou) |
Ji Quji 姬去疾 |
Aiwang 哀王 |
441 B.C.E. | Zhou Aiwang (King Ai of Zhou) |
Ji Shu 姬叔 |
Siwang 思王 |
441 B.C.E. | Zhou Siwang (King Si of Zhou) |
Ji Wei 姬嵬 |
Kaowang 考王 |
440 B.C.E.-426 B.C.E. | Zhou Kaowang (King Kao of Zhou) |
Ji Wu 姬午 |
Weiliewang 威烈王 |
425 B.C.E.-402 B.C.E. | Zhou Weiliewang (King Weilie of Zhou) |
Ji Jiao 姬驕 |
Anwang 安王 |
401 B.C.E.-376 B.C.E. | Zhou Anwang (King An of Zhou) |
Ji Xi 姬喜 |
Liewang 烈王 |
375 B.C.E.-369 B.C.E. | Zhou Liewang (King Lie of Zhou) |
Ji Bian 姬扁 |
Xianwang 顯王 |
368 B.C.E.-321 B.C.E. | Zhou Xianwang (King Xian of Zhou) |
Ji Ding 姬定 |
Shenjingwang 慎靚王 |
320 B.C.E.-315 B.C.E. | Zhou Shenjingwang (King Shenjing of Zhou) |
Ji Yan 姬延 |
Nanwang 赧王 |
314 B.C.E.-256 B.C.E. | Zhou Nanwang (King Nan of Zhou) |
Huiwang 惠王 |
255 B.C.E.-249 B.C.E. | Zhou Huiwang2 (King Hui of Eastern Zhou) | |
1 The first generally accepted date in Chinese history is 841 B.C.E., the beginning of the Gonghe regency. All dates prior to this are the subject of often vigorous dispute. The dates provided here are those put forward by The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project, the work of scholars sponsored by the Chinese government which reported in 2000. They are given only as a guide. | |||
2 Nobles of the Ji family proclaimed King Hui as King Nan's successor after their capital, Luoyang, fell to Qin forces in 256 B.C.E. However Zhou resistance did not last long in the face of the Qin advance and so King Nan is widely considered to have been the last emperor of the Zhou dynasty. |
External links
The official site of the Chou Dynasty genealogy by Lester D.K. Chow, president, Chou Clansmen Association of America, P.O. Box 4604, Honolulu, Hawaii 96812 Translated from Chinese text to English. http://www.geocities.com/zhouclan/chia_pu.html
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