From the Ancient Kings to the Warring states (Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, 1040 - 403 BC) Part of the "An Introduction to Chinese History" series, originally written for http://www.asian-center.net and http://asian-center.blogspot.com/, x-posted at 日本会館 - House of Japan, Heijo District, Nara The Shang dynasty eventually came to an end at the hand of their former vassals, the Zhou, a semi-nomadic tribe [1] in constant contact with the Western barbarian tribes that had remained outside the Shang's domain for much of its history, and whose leader had been made viscount after having been first captured by the last Shang King Zhou [2] (note that his name is written 紂, whereas 周 stands for the Zhou Dynasty). Traditional Chinese History tells us that the fall of the Shang and the taking over of the Zhou was due to the Shang's declining morality. But this explanation has probably a lot to do with the "Mandate of Heaven" principle (basically: the ruler receive their mandate from Heaven - making them effectively a Son from Heaven - while their fall would be proof that they had lost their mandate, the favor of the Heaven, a fall from grace often explained in historical tradition by moral decay) which the Zhou instaured to legitimize their reign. The reasons behind the Zhou taking over, around 1040 (the exact date of the transfer of power is not agreed on at the moment), are probably of a more practical nature: on one hand, the Zhou had developped a great affinity for the use of horse in warfare and they had developped a more war-oriented mindset than the Shang. On the other hand, the Shang's military was exhausted by their constant struggle with the Northern barbarian tribes, and it so happens that King Zhou of the Shang was precisely in the midst of such a campaign when the Zhou and their allies attacked the Shang territory. After the Zhou won the decisive battle of Muye, King Wen, who died during the conquest of Shang, and his successor King Wu, were hailed as liberators, and would remain examples of good governance in the Confucianism tradition which would be developed during the Zhou period Initially, the territory that had been conquered by the Zhou was divided into three parts and given to two brothers of King Wu, as well as one of the sons of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. Soon after King Wu's death, an attempt at rebellion must be tamed by the Zhou forces. In the wake of these events, two capitals are extablished: a new one, Chengzhou, is erected in the east near modern Luoyang, while the old one, near modern Xi'an, is renamed Zongzhou. Also the Zhou place relatives at the head of all cities The Zhou Dynasty enters the first millenium BC at its strongest: most of the first two centuries are essentially a great period of extension: at the height of this process, the Zhou territory goes as far as Beijing, the northestern tip of Shandong and the plains of the lower Yangxi. However, the wind of success starts changing its course from the late 9th century BC and the central power of the Zhou Dynasty starts declining. It is in the early stages of that phase that we have the first consolidated date of Chinese History, 841 BC (year of the death of the Zhou ruler Zhou Li Wang). Speaking of dates, it is interesting to note that while the Zhou Dynasty is the longest one in Chinese - and as a matter of fact, world - history (lasting from around 1040 BC to 256 BC when it is destroyed by the Qin), it knows several levels of subdivisions. Most importantly, this long stretch of time is divided into two periods, that of the Western Zhou and during which the Zhou were ruling from Zongzhou (going from the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty up to 771), and that of the Eastern Zhou (from 771 BC to the end of the Zhou Dynasty in 256 BC). On top of that, the first half of the Eastern Zhou period is often referred to as the Spring and Autumn period, after the name of the chronicles of the state of Lu running from 722 BC to 481 BC; soon after begins another period referred to as the Warring States period, which is said to begin sometime in the 5th century BC (the exact date is in dispute) and lasts until the Chinese unification by the Emperor Qin Shi Hunagdi If the Zhou conquered and subsequently all but destroyed the Shang Dynasty, the break is nowehere near as clean at other levels as many aspects of the Shang lifestyle are assimilated into the Zhou's, and Shang craftsmen as well as elite were invited in the new cities in order to use their skills and knowledge. Zhou's organization is often said to ressemble somewhat that of feudal Europe, although many scholars dispute the validity of this comparision. At any rate, the military and political orders were intimately intertwined with religion. Unlike the Shang, for whom ghosts played an important part, the Zhou revered the Heaven and terrestrial deities as well as ancestors in a cult that was much more abstract. Some of the Shang deities were incorporated into this cult as minor deities serving deities of the new cult. Because the King of Zhou had received his mandate from Heaven, and was effectively the Son of Heaven, he was the only one who could make sacrifices in its name. The vastness of the Zhou territory made it a necessity to entrust large parts of it to "feudal lords" who were members of the Zhou family, but also head of older ruling houses or meritorious families [3]. Their privileges would descend from father to first son of the main spouse. Each of these important families would establish a cult to one ancestor of particular merit. They in turn would entrust parts of their territories to barons or officers below them, who too would practice a form of ancestors cult, albeit limited to the preceeding four generations. Farmers would come attached to the land so entrusted, and feudal lords and chiefs would also receive additional precious objects, symbols of the power received from the King. In return, they were expected to contribute troops and chariots when their lord demanded it. They were also to pay a regular tribute. Therefore, this is an initial period of fragmentation of the territory But this fragmentation will be succeeded by a period of consolidation of the formation of new emerging principalities. If initially, the privileges bestowed by the King of Zhou were supposed to be temporary and revocable, the passing of time made them a permanent fixture of the political organization of the Zhou period: as a result, the feudal lords grew ever more apart and independant from the ruling Zhou clan. Moreover, there was a growing divide between the Central Plain territories owned by branches of the Zhou ruling clan and those owned by other families. The Zhou ruling clan was still formally acknowledged as the moral leader but the politics within the peripherical territories were decided by alliances and enimities among its vassals The laters began to form new alliances. This evolution will be precipitated by the pressure coming from barbarian tribes which would notably drive the newly formed Qi and Jin kingdoms to form an alliance in the second half of 7th century BC. But then, history takes yet another turn. The Chu, another newly emerging kingdom, defeat the Jin in 597 BC. If the Jin, the Qi and the Qin were developping distinct personalities influenced by their geographical situation, they nonetheless shared great similarities culturally with the Zhou, the Chu, and, later on, the Wu and Yue, all located in the south, had much more distinc cultural traits: there is therefore not just political forces at work, but cultural ones as well These events have a deep impact on Zhou society. In an attempt to reinforce the princes' central power, new institutions are instaured and new laws are passed during the 6th century BC. But these efforts would not be enough to save the old nobility: in most principalities, the ruling families would lose their priviledges and either be usurped by another one, or see their territories divided between their successors. With the original ruling families go the the old feudal ties with the Zhou Dynasty, leading to the de facto fragmentation of the Dynasty's territory which would finally be acknowledged by the Zhou at the end of the 5th century BC, marking the beginning of the Warring States period Main sources Gernet, Jacques, "Le Monde Chinois: De l'Age du Bronze au Moyen Age (Tome 1)", Pocket Agora, Paris, 2006 Fairbank, John King and Goldman, Merle, "China, A New History, Second Enlarged Edition", Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2006 Notes [1] http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/ancient_china/zhou.html [2] http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Zhou/zhou-event.html [3] http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Zhou/zhou-admin.html