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The Western Zhou ( Chinese: 西周; pinyin: Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history, approximately first half of the Zhou dynasty, before the period of the Eastern Zhou. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when Quanrong pastoralists sacked its capital Haojing and ...
- Western Zhou: Utopia and Collapse
- Sources on The History of The Western Zhou
- Qi
- The Old Duke
- King Wen, Lord of The West
- King Wu
- King Wu Battles The Shang and Defeats Them
- King Wu Establishes The Zhou Dynasty
- King Wu After The Defeat of The Shang
- King Wu Lays Out His Plan For The Zhou Dynasty
The Western Zhou Chou) (dynasty (1122–771 B.C.) was the first half of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China, which lasted until 221 B.C. The Shang Dynasty (1766-1122 B.C.) was probably conquered by the Western Zhou , which presided over a prosperous feudal agricultural society. Fleeing foreign attack in 771 B.C., the Western Zhou abandoned its capital ...
Dr. Eno wrote: “We possess three types of sources for Western Zhou history: textual sources dating from the Classical era, inscriptional sources from Western Zhou ritual bronze vessels, and archaeological reports of excavated Western Zhou sites. The earliest comprehensive account of the founding of the Zhou Dynasty appears in the “Shiji”, or “Recor...
The legendary, maybe real, origins of the Zhou are traced to Qi (“Prince Millet”). Sima Qian wrote in “The Shinji”: “The personal name of Houji (his name means “Prince Millet”) of the Zhou was Qi (“the castaway”). His mother was a member of the Youtai branch lineage of the Jiang clan, and her name was Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan was the principal wife o...
The Old Duke was a descendant of Qi, a few generations down the line. Sima Qian wrote in “The Shinji”: “The Old Duke, Father Dan revived the enterprise of Prince Millet and Gongliu. He built up his virtue and performed acts of righteousness, and the people of the state stood by him. The Xunyu, a people of the Rong and Di tribes, attacked him, wishi...
Sima Qian wrote in “The Shinji”: “When the Old Duke died, his son Jili succeeded him: he is known as Gongji. Gongji cultivated the Dao of the Old Duke. He was earnest in acts of righteousness, and the patrician lords followed him. When Gongji died, his son Chang succeeded him. He was known in his day as the Lord of the West, and we refer to him as ...
Sima Qian wrote in “The Shinji”: “When King Wu assumed the throne, he had the Grand Duke Wang as his commander-in-chief and Dan, the Duke of Zhou as his chief of staff. Others, like the Dukes of Shao and Bi, were his advisors. He took the example of King Wen to be his teacher, and he set about to continue his work. [ Eno wrote: “Chinese readers wou...
Sima Qian wrote in “The Shinji”: “The king abided for two more years. Then he heard that the depravity of Zhòu had reached new depths, that he had killed Prince Bigan and imprisoned Prince Ji. The Master Musician Ci and the Junior Musician Qiang packed up their instruments and fled to Zhou. Thereupon, King Wu issued a proclamation to the patrician ...
Sima Qian wrote in “The Shinji”: “Then King Wu entered the city and went to the place where Zhòu had died. The king himself shot the corpse three times with arrows before descending from his chariot. Then he stabbed it with his sword, grabbed his yellow battle axe and chopped off Zhòu’s head, impaling it on the pole of his white banner. Then he sou...
Sima Qian wrote in “The Shinji”: After King Wu demobilized his troops and returned to the west, “he hunted as he travelled, touring his lands. He recorded matters of governance, composing the text, “Successful Completion of the War.” It was then that he designated the estate lands of the hereditary lords of regions and bestowed upon them sacrificia...
Sima Qian wrote in “The Shinji”: ““Summoning in assembly of the rulers of the lands in all the nine regions, King Wu ascended the hills at Bin in order to gaze back toward the capital region of the Shang. As King Wu continued his return toward the homeland of Zhou, he was unable to sleep at night. The Duke of Zhou visited the King in his residence ...
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Boundaries of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1050–771 B.C.E.) in China. The Zhou Dynasty (Chinese: 周朝; Pinyin: Zhōu Cháo; Wade-Giles: Chou Ch`ao) (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 ...
Personal NamePosthumous NameReign Years 1Name By Which Most Commonly KnownJi FaWuwang1046 B.C.E.-1043 B.C.E.1Zhou Wuwang (King Wu of Zhou)Ji SongChengwang1042 B.C.E.-1021 B.C.E.1Zhou Chengwang (King Cheng of Zhou)Ji ZhaoKangwang1020 B.C.E.-996 B.C.E.1Zhou Kangwang (King Kang of Zhou)Ji XiaZhaowang995 B.C.E.-977 B.C.E.1Zhou Zhaowang (King Zhao of Zhou)The Zhou Dynasty existed approximately from the 11th century BC to 221BC, lasting more than 800 years, with 34 kings. In the 11th century BC, King Wu of the Zhou vanquished the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty, founding the capital in Hao (southwest of Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province). In 256BC, the Zhou was conquered by the Qin.
History for Kids >> Ancient China. The Zhou Dynasty ruled Ancient China from 1045 BC to 256 BC. It was the longest ruling dynasty in the history of China. King Cheng of Zhou by Unknown. Establishment of the Dynasty. The land of Zhou was a vassal state of the Shang Dynasty. A powerful leader of the Zhou named Wen Wang began to plan to overthrow ...
In Zhou dynasty: History. … is usually known as the Xi (Western) Zhou dynasty, and that from 770 is known as the Dong (Eastern) Zhou dynasty. The Dong Zhou itself is often further subdivided into the Spring and Autumn (Chunqiu) period (770–476 bce ), when China consisted of many small squabbling states, and the Warring States….
Summary. Throughout China's long history, the Western Zhou dynasty has served as its guiding paradigm for governmental, intellectual, and social developments. This chapter blends narrative and analysis, while giving more or less equal weight to all of the written evidence for Western Zhou history, both traditional and paleographic.
- Edward Shaughnessy
- 1999
