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| King Wen of Zhou: China Age |
Zhou Dynasty
which began between 1045?-256 bc, also known as Chou was a
Chinese dynasty that paved the way for the first unification of China in 221
bc. Although the Zhou dynasty was founded in about 1027 BC, the Zhou conquest
of the Shang dynasty in about 1045 BC established the Zhou as the supreme
political power in China. Most historians date the beginning of the Zhou
dynasty to this event, and Zhou historical records show that the Zhou
themselves considered this victory to be the beginning of their dynastic reign.
The Zhou dynasty is subdivided
into two periods: the Western and Eastern Zhou. The Western Zhou controlled
China's Central Plain area, consisting mainly of the middle and lower reaches
of the Huang He (Yellow River) drainage. The authority of the Western Zhou
court ended in 771 bc, but the Eastern Zhou court nominally reigned until 256
bc. During this period, the area of China expanded to include the drainage of
the Yangtze River in the south as well as the farmland along the future site of
the Great Wall in the north.
During the Zhou dynasty,
China evolved from a feudal state with power divided among vassals to one with
a strong centralized government. Paralleling this change visible during the
Zhou dynasty, a more homogeneous Chinese civilization developed as contact
between regions increased and Confucianism spread throughout China.
Hsu, Cho-yun. "Zhou
Dynasty." Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft
Corporation, 2008.
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