Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ruled from 1122 - 256 BCE. The Zhou dynasty is usually broken up into two time periods the Western Zhou: 1046-771 BCE and the Eastern Zhou:770-256 BCE.
The Zhou dynasty began when King Wu defeated the Shang Dynasty. He was the first ruler of the dynasty and died very shortly after the victory. His reign only lasted a few years but, little did he know, his family would rule China for the next few centuries. Shortly after the Zhou defeated the Shang dynasty, King Wu proposed The Mandate of Heaven. It became the set of beliefs of the Zhou dynasty. For many centuries, The Mandate of Heaven became an important part in Chinese political philosophy. The Mandate of Heaven was a concept that explained that Zhou Kings would rule China. It also stated that there could only be one real ruler of China at a time.
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He was a Chinese philosopher who had many beliefs that influenced Chinese life. His students refer to him as “Master Kong.” In 551 BCE, Confucius was born to a family that was poor, but noble. Confucius was mostly self taught and loved learning. Confucius, who was a very dedicated teacher, taught his students his views of government and life. Later, in 479 BCE, Confucius died at age 73. He thought that he had been a failure in his life, but little did he know, his teaching were followed for many centuries.
Some major inventions of this time period would be silk, copper coins, iron tools, acupuncture, and chariots. Advances in irrigation allowed for more farming which allowed for a higher population to grow. One thing that impacted the world today was their iron tools, invented in Zhou, which are still being made today and help us build objects. At the beginning of the Eastern Zhou, the people built part of the “Great Wall” on the border of Zhou and was 13,170.70 miles long. The Great Wall is So Important that the Great Wall academy
The fall of the Shang dynasty ended the river valley society in China, and made way for the beginning of developed civilization in China. After the collapsed Shang dynasty came the Zhou dynasty, which began in 1029 BCE and flourished until 700 BCE, but it did not officially collapse until 403 BCE. Following that came the period of political disintegration and unease, known as the Era of the Warring States, from 402 BCE to 222 BCE. Finally, the Qin dynasty arose in 221 BCE and brought order back to China, however this did not last, and the dynasty fell in 207 BCE. Revolts over the Qin emperor’s death broke out, and it was the rise of the Han dynasty that restored China’s political
In the Dynastic cycle, the Shang and Zhou Dynasties of ancient China showed similar periods of decline. They had both similarities and differences. Both Dynasties had an authoritarian type of government, Which means that they both have one main ruler with lots of power that gives only a little power to the government. Starting off, there were many similarities between the Shang and Zhou dynasties. During their rule, both Shang and Zhou leaders started ignoring the needs of the people and not only the poor. Both leaders only cared about their wealth and not the problems of the people. They started giving only a little money to the wealth. Well, both Dynasties were similar in some way they also had some differences. After Shang rulers started
The Qin and Zhou Dynasties were very much alike In their economy and geography but there style of government is what set them apart. Geographically the Qin and Zhou dynasties were both located in the Northeast part of China. They both were very successful in agriculture because of the fertile soil from the Yellow River. However the
The Zhou was a coalition of several groups that existed during the Shang dynasty. Zhou believed that the Shang failed to uphold religious duties, therefore they attributed their victory over Shang to the Mandate of Heaven. This empire was the longest empire in Chinese civilization. Iron made its first appearance during this period. Enormous armies of foot soldiers armed with iron swords and shields replaced old chariot style warfare. Commerce expanded and population grew. The Zhou believed that to retain loyalty of nobility, they must grant the nobility a certain amount of land.
Out of the three different thought systems, Legalism was a success in the sense that it achieved what the other two systems desperately strove for - the unification of China. "Qin conquered Yan in 226, Wei in 225, Chu in 223, Qu in 221. Now, in 221, it ruled the entire Chinese world and was ready to make that world over in the image of Qin" (Wills 41). Many of the Legalist ideas were quite thought provoking and praiseworthy; they believed in equality for all and government according to merit. However, the system gained a rotten reputation according to the ruthless rule of the First Emperor. Confucianism thus became the official Philosophy, gaining wide acceptance in China.
Li Si The "Historical Records," written by Sima Qian, is a historical account which showcases how the corrupted legalist system of the Qin Dynasty led to the loss of the Mandate of Heaven and the fall of the Empire. Qian, who lived during the Han Dynasty, used the example of Li Si, the Chief Minister of the Emperors of the Qin Dynasty, to emphasis the newly accepted Confucian values. It was the shortcomings of Li Si which led to the fall of the Qin Dynasty as well as his own death. However, Qian is careful to note that prior to his downfall, Li Si followed many Confucian values which allowed him to rise up from a commoner to his eventual position as Chief Minister.
During the era of Ottoman and Mughal rule, two dynasties governed China, the Ming and the Qing (ching). Both dynasties took power during times of upheaval. To restore order, they established strong, centralized rule and revived traditional Chinese values, including Confucian ideals.
Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China, demonstrated classic chinese morals, by showing exemplary leadership, establishing a proficient government, and testifying to religious ideology, as illustrated on the Daodejing, the Analects, and The Art to War.
Of the many dynasties that make up China’s history, one of the most notable is the Han Dynasty, which lasted from 206 BCE to 220 CE, under the rule of numerous emperors. It made many contributions to China’s history and made lasting changes, some of which remained for millennia following the dynasty’s collapse. They made changes to China’s economy, technology, social order, religion, philosophy, and education that revolutionized the way China operated. Also, as the Han Dynasty expanded greatly during its rule, many of the territory that the dynasty conquered became part of what would later be modern day China. These changes helped to shape the country that China became.
The Shang Dynasty developed a more centralized government, but as the Zhou Dynasty took over, they ruled on the Mandate of Heaven. This “Mandate” meant that heaven would grant the Zhou power only as long as its rulers had governed wisely, if they had the support of heaven. The Zhou Dynasty contained the most feudal ruling. The king ruled the empire, but China was too big for one ruler so the king had nobles with land and power over it. As their wealth and power developed, China’s complex kingdoms developed officials. The Indus valley never let their regions gain too much power, unlike
In 1045 B.C.E., the Zhou dynasty was able to overthrow the Shang Dynasty because they had lost the Mandate of Heaven. This idea suggests that Heaven, a god who was worshipped by the Zhou and not the Shang, would choose a ruler based on his character. If the ruler was not divine enough, then Heaven would show signs of destruction. The Mandate of Heaven also states that the ruler was to follow the wisdom of his ancestors as well as display loyalty and intelligence. As stated by Heaven, the ruler would also allow “the good qualities of the men whom he employed and did not seek that they should have every talent.” If a ruler did not uphold these standards, then the state will be shamed and Heaven would send down calamities, such as famine. Thus,
Within the years of 221-206 BCE, the Qin Dynasty rose as a superpower. During this time period, the Warring States Era, Chinese civilization was impacted tremendously in almost every aspect. These landmarks in Chinese history vary from the spreading of Legalism to the birth of the Great Wall of China. Through these countless contributions, the Qin Dynasty was able to revolutionize the Chinese civilization in such a short period of time.
China is located in East Asia. Ancient China is surrounded by Gobi Desert in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Himalayan Mountains in the southwest, and the Taklimakan desert in the west. This land has a wide variation of animals because of the different habitats provided for them. Most farming was done in the very fertile lands of the Yangtze valley. Present China is much bigger than Ancient China, which means that over time, the kings and different dynasties went gaining more and more land and wealth.
This essay gives an overview of early civilization in China and the different periods within this era. Also, it includes political and cultural pursuits of the people within this time period and the struggles of the Asian peoples and their religious beliefs and community uniqueness and differences.
Confucianism is the central philosophy to the way of Chinese thinking and acting in society. Confucianism is based on the ideas of K´ung Fu-tzu who was known as Confucius in western societies. The exact dates of his time on earth are not known but it was estimated to be 552 – 479 BCE. Confucius was from the small state of Lu located on the Shandong peninsula in northeastern China and was orphaned at an early age. He was from a poor background and therefore had to undertake lowly pursuits such as bookkeeping and stock raising in order to make a living. Confucius’ life was a pursuit of knowledge as he is quoted saying “At 15 I had set my mind on learning. At 30, I could stand on my own feet. At 40 I was determined not to be led astray by irrelevancies. At 50, I fully realized what destiny had in store for me. At 60...