Zhou Dynasty Circa 1050 BCE to 256 BCE

The Zhou Dynasty Around 1050 B.C., the Zhou conquered the Shang. Shang kings had grow corrupt When Zhou attacked Shang many Shang warriors refused to fight The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other Chinese dynasty. It lasted from 1050 B.C. to 256 B.C. Zhou rulers claimed the right to rule or the Mandate of Heaven.

The Right to Rule Zhou declared that their success proved they had heaven’s support Heaven was the highest for force nature Right to rule = mandate of heaven If a dynasty failed to act properly it lost this right and power would pass to a new dynasty To stay in power the rulers needed to act virtuously

Zhou Expansion Expanded its land through conquest To keep control of the large kingdom the king placed family members in control of individual regions or states

Noblemen Grew in Power This form of government worked well for several hundred years. However, overtime the king slowly became less powerful, while the nobleman grew in power.

Zhou Dynasty Overthrown In 771 B.C. while fighting against a rebellion, the Zhou armies suffered a terrible defeat. As a result, the Zhou Dynasty lost even more power to the noblemen. Warring Period Battles ravaged the countryside Stronger states conquered weaker ones In 256 that last Zhou ruler was over thrown

Philosophers during Zhou China During the Zhou dynasty, two important Chinese philosophies developed. Confucianism and Daoism were two significant philosophies developed during the Zhou dynasty. Both philosophies stressed the importance of harmony as Zhou China experienced increased warfare.

Confucius was an important Chinese philosopher. He stressed the importance of order to achieve harmony. Confucius believed that if people knew and did what they should do, then harmony would occur.

It is believed that the founder of Daoism or Taoism was Lao Tzu. Daoism was a philosophy that stressed the importance of nature. By living naturally, harmony could be achieved.

Zhou Society The Zhou gave more power to individual states than the Shang Majority of people were peasants Small number of merchants, artisans, and slaves Place a high value on family relationships

Economy and Technology Inventions: Crossbow Iron Weapons fertilizer Economy: Coins (made trade easier)