Era Information 

Time: 1027 B.C.-221B.C.

Location of Capital:Hao, near the city of Xian, Shannxi Province

Emperors: Twelve kings for eleven dynasties 

According to Chinese accounts, Zhou was built by a chieftain of a tribe called Zhou. The chieftain overthrew Shang’s last ruler and build the Zhou dynasty. He settled down in Hao, a city near today’s Xi’an city in Shannxi province. Take a Xian Tours to experience the historical site.

Zhou dynasty has lasted for a long time from 1027B.C. to 221B.C. The philosophers of Zhou’s period enunciated the doctrine of “mandate of the heaven: and produced the notion that the ruler governed by divine right but his dethronement would prove that he had lost his mandate.

The Zhou Dynasty originated from the Zhou clan whose existence stretches back into history. By the 11th Century BC, the Zhou Clan had become increasingly powerful and had extended throughout the present Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces. The Zhou Clan's mightiness increasingly menaced the Shang Dynasty and the conflict between the two groups intensified.

At that time, the Shang Dynasty was under the rule of King Zhou. He was atrocious to his people and doted on his imperial concubine, Daji. All he did caused great rage amongst his people. The chief of the Zhou Tribe, Zhou Wenwang thought it was the right time to attack the Shang Dynasty and entrusted his son Ji Fa to fulfill his last wish.

After Zhou Wenwang died, his son Ji Fa (Zhou Wuwang) succeeded him. He made full preparations for the war and killed King Zhou. Thus the Shang Dynasty ended in 1046 BC. Later, Zhou Wuwang established the Zhou Dynasty and made Haojing (the present Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province) its capital. The Zhou Dynasty was the longest dynasty in Chinese history. It lasted for over 800 years and included the reigns of 37 emperors. The Zhou Dynasty is divided into two periods: the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC to 771 BC) and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 BC - 221 BC).

It is so divided because the capital cities in the Western Zhou Dynasty of Fengyi (presently in the southwest of Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province) and Haojing lie to the west of the Eastern Zhou's capital of Luoyi (present Luoyang, Henan Province). As to the Eastern Dynasty, it is divided into the Spring and Autumn Periods (770 BC-476 BC), and the Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC). Each of the periods featured turbulent wars.

The achievements during the Zhou Dynasty in economy, politics, science and culture, were much more illustrious than any which occurred during the Shang Dynasty.

In the year 221 BC, Qin defeated the other six states which existed during the Warring States Period and unified China. Thus, history moved forward to a new age called the Qin Dynasty.

The Decline of Zhou Dynasty

The decline of Zhou was mainly caused by the corrution of the government and the natural calamity. Before 900 B.C., Zhou Li Wang was enthroned. Zhou Li Wang was a money grabber and eager for personal interest. He was also a cruel emperor that known to many history lovers. He controlled his people by strict rules and cruel regulations.

In 841B.C, the people around the capital break out a rebellion and drove out Zhou Liwang the last emperor of Zhou. This is called “the national rebellion” in China’s history. The rebellion showed the strength of the peasants and their courage to against the controllers.

After Zhou Liwang’s retire, Zhou Gong and Zhao Gong were selected by people to be the ruler of Zhou dynasty. This is called” common government”. This is also the year that China had the exact record of anno dominie.

Zhou Liwang grabbed all the forest and river and lake. The common people can not fish in the lake and can not hunt animals in the forest.

His strict behavior aroused the hate and angry of the peasant and common people which lead to the rebellion in the near of the capital of Xia dynasty. It is the rebellion overthrew the administrative of Zhou Liwang, the final king of Xia dynasty.

Agriculture and Handicraft of Zhou Dynasty

Zhou’s king has a governing right to control all his people. The land of the whole country was divided from the high level to the lower level of regime officials. The common peasant worked for their land owner. Some people said that the peasant has some kind of freedom but some said that they were just slavery.

The tools used by peasants were mainly made by some animal bones and plants and some of them made by bronze. The number of agriculture products become larger and the percentage of pasturage become smaller. The bronze was used widely and to more fields. The words on some bronze are important to learn the history of Zhou dynasty.

In the late of Zhou, the medium for exchanging goods appeared. But the major forms were seen as goods to good exchanging, for example one horses and one piece of silk was equivalent to five slaveries. 

The use of the bronze has greatly improved the productivity of Zhou, but the corruption of the government made the country declined in the final years of the dynasty.