11 Zhou Dynasty Facts: Learn About Their History & Achievements

The Zhou kingdom is known as the longest-reigning dynasty in Chinese history.

The Zhou rule lasted for nearly eight centuries and lasted from 1046 BCE to 265 BCE. A total of 37 emperors from the Zhou Dynasty ruled ancient China over these eight centuries.

The empire saw the rise of philosophers such as Confucius and Laozi, who hold a legendary status even today. Despite their 800 year reign, the Zhou dominated the country only for the first 275 years, during the Western Zhou period.

The Eastern Zhou period succeeded the Western Zhou period. By this time, the Zhou rulers were reduced to serving as insignificant heads of the states, and the actual power was split between the many feudal chiefs of the kingdom.

Culture Of The Zhou Dynasty

During the rule of the dynasty, China was a polytheistic region, and the population worshiped various gods. Before the rise of the Zhou, the Shang empire worshiped the god Ti, who controlled destinies.

The Zhou kings offered their prayers to the chief deity Tian (heaven). Due to this, the Zhou often claimed that they were granted kingship from the heavens themselves.

On a cultural level, the Zhou followed the old traditions of distinction between women and men. The premise of the distinction stemmed from the belief that men and women were assigned work based on their gender.

By the end of the Zhou rule, women became the more prominent gender. Women spun clothes, and men farmed, and these specific jobs symbolized the proper hierarchy of the community.

They used to practice Chinese folk religion, heaven worship, and ancestor worship.

Accomplishments Of The Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou community lived peacefully alongside the Shang dynasty, which is considered the first Chinese dynasty based on archaeological proof. The Zhou lived in the modern-day Shaanxi province.

Gugong Danfu, later dubbed the Great King of Zhou, is accredited with instigating the growth of the Zhou dynasty.

Ji, King of Zhou, also known as Jili, the youngest son of Danfu, then extended the territory through several wars against the Rong, who were residents of the border regions of ancient China. However, Jili was killed on the orders of King Wen Ding of the Shang period, who saw him as a threat.

The Zhou empire was culturally and scientifically accomplished, as they were the first to use chariots in war. The use of chariots became irrelevant during the Warring States period, as most armies used cavalry and infantry in wars.

By the end of the Zhou's rule, bronze was replaced with iron as the favored material in creating weapons. Most of the weapons and armors during this era were created from iron.

The Zhou period made advances in science, literature, and philosophy, as evident from the records of Shi Shen and Gan De, two of the most renowned Chinese astronomers. Shi Shen and Gan De were the first to record a star catalog.

Individually, both Gan De and Shi Shen made their discoveries, as Gan De made the first elaborate inspection of Jupiter in recorded history, and Shi Shen became the first to acknowledge the many eclipses as a solar phenomenon.

The Tsinghua Bamboo Slips, dating back to the Zhou period, have the first recorded evidence of the two-digit decimal multiplication table.

The book 'Guiguzi,' also known as 'The Master of Demon Valley' written in the 4th century, contains the earliest study of magnetism.

The earliest archaeological proof of glass manufacture also comes from this period.

During the latter era of the Zhou rule in China, many scholars inspired Chinese philosophy and religion.

On the literary side of things, Chinese ideology achieved new heights during the Zhou period with the rise of Mohism, Legalism, and Taoism, and the old archaic writing style was left behind to form the more distinguishable Chinese script.

Confucius held the belief that violence could be cured if people respected each other and knew their standings in the social hierarchy.

Taoism was developed by Lao Tzu, commonly known as Laozi, and the belief stressed independence and character and led to the creation of the yin-yang concept of life.

The 'Art of War' was penned by Sun Tzu, and these texts have influenced several military warfares across the planet over the years.

History & Origin Of The Zhou Dynasty

Origins of the Zhou dynasty are traced back to a citizen from the Chinese Bronze Age society. It's believed that the Zhou were descendants of the local hero Qi (named Houji by Emperor Tang).

The Zhou people migrated to the Shang Kingdom during the reign of the Shang dynasty and adopted their lifestyle. These immigrants settled in the Zhou Plain, where their name comes from. The Zhou people were considered members of the local community, although they were less civilized.

The Zhou King Wen is often credited with creating an alliance that made it possible to defeat the Shang dynasty. However, it was the Battle of Muye in 1046, when King Wu, Wen's son, exterminated the Shang rule.

The unhappy Shang army joined the Zhou cause and overthrew the Shang regime.

The Zhou communities were known for their peaceful behavior, and they preferred to develop their own community instead of raging wars with other communities. The incorporation of the Shang into the Zhou Kingdom was achieved with relative ease, and both the communities co-existed peacefully.

The Zhou era is split into three periods; the Western Zhou Kingdom (1045-771 BC), the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476), and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

The Western Zhou was a peaceful and thriving kingdom until King You ascended the throne. The end of the Western Zhou Empire came as a result of King You's removal of his Queen Shen and Prince Yijiu to make way for his mistress and their child.

Furious at this decision, Queen Shen's father, Marquess of Shen, assembled an army with the help of the Quanrong tribe and eventually killed King You, and in turn, brought an end to the Western Zhou Empire.

King Ping of Zhou became the ruler of the Eastern Zhou period after he ascended the throne following the defeat of King You. Under King Ping's control, Zhou's Eastern Capital Luoyang was made the capital of the Zhou Empire.

The spring and fall period is understood to be the beginning of the Eastern Zhou era. During this era, the Zhou empire covered the Yangtze River, and the empire was located at a central point in the eastern region of the Yellow River.

Since the Eastern Zhou era allowed the rulers of the empire to rule as heads of city-states, many small states took this opportunity to clash with one another for supremacy over each other. This led to the rise of the seven major Warring States, leading to the beginning of the Warring States period.

As time passed and the clashes continued, various regional rulers started a rebellion against the Zhou Empire to become autonomous. The states of Qin Jin, Chu, Jin, and Qin fought several civil wars against each other, leading to the creation of three more states; Zhao, Wei, and Han. This led to the rise of the Seven Warring States.

The 37th ruler of Zhou empire King Nan closed the curtains on the long-running rule of the empire. He relocated the capital from Chengzhou to Wangcheng.

King Nan was defeated in 256 BC by the armies of King Zhao of Qin, and thus the Zhou Empire came to an end, and he died shortly after being imprisoned in Wangcheng.

The 59-year rule of the Zhou ruler King Nan is considered to be the longest rule not only in the Zhou Empire but all of old China until Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty ruled the country for 61 years, from 1661 to 1722.

Language Of The Zhou Dynasty

There is a lack of extensive data on the language/s used for communication in the Chinese culture of the Zhou regime.

Old Chinese, also known as Archaic Chinese, is considered the oldest authenticated stage of the Chinese language, and inscriptions in the language can be found in the many well-preserved artifacts from the Zhou empire.

The latter part of the Zhou age saw the evolution of literature in the form of classical literary works such as the 'Zuo Zhuan,' 'Mencius,' and 'Analects.'

FAQs

Q. What is the Zhou Dynasty known for?

A. The Zhou regime is famous for being the longest-ruling kingdom in ancient China. The major philosophies of Legalism, Taoism, and Confucianism were introduced during their period.

Q. What are the three accomplishments of the Zhou Dynasty?

A. The empire became the longest-ruling dynasty in Chinese history with its 800-year rule; Iron was first used in weaponry during the Zhou rule; Chinese philosophy achieved its peak in what is known as the Golden Age of Chinese philosophy.

Q. What major events happened in the Zhou Dynasty?

A. The empire is known as one of the most successful reigns of ancient China, and it saw several achievements in the form of literature, philosophy, warfare, and political warfare.

Q. What did the Zhou Dynasty invent?

A. The Zhous were the first to use iron-based weaponry in wars.

Q. How long was the Zhou Dynasty?

A. The Zhou Kingdom is known as the longest-reigning dynasty in ancient China. The dynasty lasted 790 years.

Q. What events led to the fall of the Zhou Dynasty?

A. The fall of the Zhou Kingdom came at the hands of the Qin dynasty when King Zhaoxiang of Qin conquered West Zhou in 256 BCE. Subsequently, King Zhuangxiang, his grandson, vanquished East Zhou, thereby terminating the long Zhou rule.