The Western Zhou Dynasty (about 1 1 century-77 BC1century) was a dynasty following the Shang Dynasty in the history of China, with its capital in Zhou Zong (now the west of Xi City, Shaanxi Province). Because the Zhou Dynasty later moved its capital to the East, it was called the Western Zhou Dynasty.

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The Western Zhou Dynasty experienced 1 1 BC 1046 (about 1046 BC) when Zhou Wuwang destroyed the Shang Dynasty and in 77 1 BC, Zhou Youwang was killed by Shen Hou and Quan Rong, totaling about 275 years. In 770 BC, Emperor Shen Hou and other governors established Yijiu as king, and King Ping moved Kyoto from Zhou Zong to Luoyi (now Luoyang, Henan). Historically, the Zhou Dynasty after moving eastward was called the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Zhou people have a long history and have been active in Shaanxi and Gansu for a long time, with Joo Won?, south of Qishan, as their main base. By the beginning of BC 1 1 century, the power of the Zhou clan was getting stronger and stronger. While conquering small countries nearby, it expanded its strength; At the same time, the capital was moved from Joo Won? to the west bank of Feng Shui in Chang 'an County, and Fengjing was built. Its continuous eastward advancement aggravated the contradiction with Shang Dynasty. The King of Shang Dynasty once put Xibochang (King Wen) in prison. Chen Zhou presented beauty and treasures to the king, and Di Xin released Xibechang. After Xi Bochang returned to China, he further stepped up preparations for logging. At this time, the Shang Dynasty was politically corrupt, and the internal and external contradictions were unprecedentedly sharp. King Wen thought that the conditions for cutting merchants were ripe, and before he died, he asked Prince Fafa (King Wu) to actively prepare for cutting merchants. After King Wu ascended the throne, 300 troops, 45,000 infantry and 3,000 warriors (stormtroopers) marched eastward. Many small countries, such as Yong, Shu, Qiang, Mao, Wei, Lu, Peng and Pu, also led troops to meet the enemy. Zhou Wuwang took an oath in Mu Ye, recounting the sins of Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Shang Zhouwang sent troops170,000 to attack Zhou Jun, but the sergeant had no intention of fighting. His former disciple defected and led Zhou Jun to attack. Shang Zhouwang fled, set himself on fire in Lutai, and the Shang Dynasty perished. Since then, the history of China has entered the Zhou Dynasty.

After the King of Wu conquered the Shang Dynasty, he basically controlled the original ruling area and conquered many small countries around him. However, how to firmly control the vast territory in the east has become a serious problem facing King Wu. Therefore, he adopted the policy of "enfeoffment of relatives, vassal rule of the week", enfeoffment of people with the same surname and heroes around the country, and establishment of vassal States. One vassal state after another became the stronghold of the ruling party's land, and they also played a role in defending the Zhou royal family. King Wu sealed Shang Zhou's son Wu Geng (Luf) in Shangdu to control the merchants; Appointed his brothers Guan Shu, Cai Shu and Huo Shu as Hou to supervise Wu Geng; Duke Zhou was sealed in Lu, Jiang Shang in Qi and Zhao Gong in Yan. After Zhou Wuwang's death, his son succeeded to the throne. Because he is a young king, Duke Zhou is the Regent. Guan Shu and Cai Shu were dissatisfied with the Duke of Zhou, and they spread rumors that the Duke of Zhou intended to usurp the throne. Soon, Wu Geng colluded with Guan and Cai, and joined forces with Xu, Xuan and Bo Gu in the East to launch a rebellion. It took the Duke of Zhou three years to dispatch his troops to the East, and finally put down the rebellion between Wu Geng and Guan and Cai, killed Wu Geng and exiled Cai Shu. The overall victory of the crusade consolidated the rule of the Zhou Dynasty.

After King Wu destroyed the business, he returned to Haojiang, deeply feeling that Haojiang was too far away from the newly conquered areas. He intends to build a new capital in the Ilo River area, the center of Xia people's activities. His idea didn't come true, and he died suddenly. It can be seen from the inscription of He Zun unearthed in Baoji that after he became king, he inherited the will of King Wu and decided to build a new city near Luoyang, "China". Ruling the newly conquered areas from here can greatly shorten the distance. Therefore, King Cheng sent Zhao Gong to the "Xiangzhai" near Luoyang. Soon, Luoyi and Haojing (Zhou Zong) built by King Wu became the political, military and cultural center of the Western Zhou Dynasty. In order to completely eradicate the dream of restoration of Yin adherents, when he became king, he also moved Yin stubborn people to Chengzhou.

When he was a regent, his eldest son, Birchin, was awarded the title of Duke of Lu. Lu's hometown is now Qufu, Shandong Province, and the site of Lucheng has been discovered. Qi, blocked, now Linzi, Shandong; The Yan State, which was sealed by Zhao Gong, also found the city site and the tomb of the Empress Yan in Fangshan, Beijing today. After the Wu Geng Rebellion was pacified, it was named Kang Shu as its brother, and the site of Wei State was found in Xun County, Henan Province. Wei, Zhou's ordinary brother, did not take part in the Wu Geng Uprising. As a descendant of Shang clan, he was named Duke of Song Dynasty, and his place is in Shangqiu, Henan today. In the west of Wei, there is also a state of Jin, which was given to his brother by King Cheng after conquering the Tang Dynasty. Its site is at the junction of Yicheng and Quwo in Shanxi today. The fiefs of these vassal States often formed a situation of horns, which were interrelated and restricted each other, thus playing a certain role in the stability of the previous political situation. It is said in the literature that "when you succeed, you don't need 40 years' punishment for making mistakes", which just shows that there was a period of stability in the Zhou Dynasty after Wu Geng successfully put down the rebellion.

After a series of wars, Zhou people controlled the areas as far south as Ba, Pu, Deng and Chu. North to Sushen, Yan and Bo; East to Binhai; West to Gansu and Qinghai. Its scope is larger than that of Shang Dynasty. Zhou Wang established a relatively complete state machine and effectively ruled its territory. The punishment formulated was more systematic than that of Shang Dynasty. The number of standing armies is more than that of Shang Dynasty, with six divisions in Zhou Zong and eight divisions in Chengzhou. The land and subjects of the whole country are nominally owned by Zhou Wang, that is, "under the world, is it the land of kings?" Is leading the land king? Therefore, when the king of Zhou made the land and his subjects princes, he held a ceremony to distribute the land to the people. The blocked vassal States should appear before the king of Zhou regularly and have the obligation to defend the royal family. They will pay tribute (including military service) to the king of Zhou. If they don't pay tribute, they will insult the royal family and be punished. However, with the passage of time, the blocked people often cede or exchange land without authorization, and gradually turn the land into private property. At the same time, with more and more newly reclaimed land, the number of private fields is also increasing. The emergence of private land has eroded and impacted the public ownership of land based on the well field system.

The social economy of the Western Zhou Dynasty was more developed than that of the Shang Dynasty. The extensive use of slave production has provided more surplus labor products for the society and promoted the development of various handicrafts. The production of bronze industry has been further expanded. In addition to the bronze workshops controlled by the royal family, the vassal States also had their own bronze workshops. Bronze products are more numerous and more widely used, involving almost all aspects of social life. The development of bronze industry promoted the prosperity of other industries. Characters are also used more widely. In addition to the inscription on the Oracle Bone Inscriptions, thousands of bronzes were engraved with inscriptions, which recorded many events in social life at that time. The largest one has 499 words, which is no less than a document at that time. There have also been many new advances in science and technology such as agriculture, animal husbandry, textile, metallurgy, architecture, astronomy and geography. These achievements have brought about changes in people's production and life. Archaeologists found artificial iron smelting in tombs in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, which shows that at least in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, people have mastered the technology of artificial iron smelting. This discovery shows that people have mastered an effective means in the struggle to transform the objective world.

When I arrived in Zhou Liwang, domestic contradictions became increasingly acute. Li Wang blackmailed and abused the people and prevented them from talking about state affairs. In 84 1 year BC, the people of China finally rioted. Li, the king of Qi, fled to Bi (now Huoxian County, Shanxi Province), and the Chinese pushed Gong Bo to work for the son of heaven. The first year of the Republic of China (84 BC1year) was the beginning of an accurate chronology of China's history. After Zhou Xuanwang succeeded to the throne, he learned a lesson and changed his policy. In order to remove the threat of Rong Di, he also launched a defensive war against Rong Di and won. In the war against Jingchu and Huaiyi, it also won some victories, so it was called "Zhongxing". However, various contradictions still exist in society, and the whole society is still in turmoil.

The development of history is always unbalanced. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Central Plains region has entered the prosperous period of the Bronze Age, while some surrounding areas are still relatively backward. Therefore, driven by wealth and interests, the wars between Zhou people and other ethnic groups have been almost constant. Jianghan basin is the base of barbarians. Zhao Haoqi led the army to conquer the barbarians, but met with strong resistance from the barbarians. The army of the Zhou Dynasty was almost completely annihilated, and Zhao Haoqi also died in Hanshui River. This was a serious failure of the Zhou Dynasty in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, and it lost its ability to control the southern countries. Mu Wang and Xuan Wang also made expeditions to the south, but neither achieved significant results. Yi people in the east often invade the surrounding areas, and wars continue. Ugly Hou Yufang couldn't bear the slavery of the Zhou Dynasty, and "led the south and the east, and recruited the south and the east", which shocked the ruling and opposition parties and hit Chengzhou all the way. Zhou Wang sent the Sixth West Division and the Eighth East Division to battle, but he was still unable to resist. Relying on the reinforcements of the princes with the same surname, they won. Gourong in the northwest was the most important foreign invasion in the Western Zhou Dynasty. During the reign of King Mu, the dog army became stronger and stronger, which hindered the communication between Zhou Dynasty and northwest countries. Mu Wang recruited the western dog army and "captured its five kings", and moved a group of dog army tribes to Taiyuan, opening the way for Zhou and northwest countries. Since then, the dog has repeatedly invaded the surrounding area. Wang You, the son of Wang Xuan, dotes on Bao and wants to kill Prince Yijiu, and makes Fu Bo, the son of Bao, the heir to the throne. Yijiu's mother is the daughter of Shen Hou. Shen Hou colluded with Dog Rong to attack Zhou Wang, and killed You Wang at the foot of Mount Li. Dog Rong took the opportunity to plunder a lot of treasures. The Western Zhou Dynasty is over. Appropriate mortar with the help of governors, ascended the throne, is for the king. He moved to Luoyi, and history entered the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

brief introduction

Since the Zhou Dynasty, various ethnic groups and tribes in China have been continuously integrated. During this period, Huaxia nationality gradually formed and became the predecessor of modern Han nationality. There are many other ethnic minorities, such as Yi, Manchu, Yue, Rongdi, Sushen and Donghu.

Boyikao, the eldest son, was killed by Zhou. After the death of King Wen, Zhou Wuwang acceded to the throne. Later, the Shang dynasty became more tyrannical, and the contradiction between the Shang dynasty intensified sharply. So he led the army eastward, passed by, met the Zhuangke, and sued Zhou. Jia that morning, Zhou Jun and Zhou Bing fought a decisive battle in Mu Ye. Zhou Jun won. Zhou was forced to burn himself to death, and the Shang Dynasty perished. The Zhou Dynasty was established.

After the death of King Wu, Zhou Chengwang acceded to the throne. King Cheng is young, and Zhou Gongdan, the younger brother of King Wu, is the Regent. Guan Shu, Cai Shu and Wu Geng turned against Zhou Dynasty. Duke Zhou was ordered by the king to crusade against the rebellion. The Zhou Dynasty established the East Capital, and the Duke of Zhou regained the right to be king, and the Zhou Dynasty entered a period of consolidation. History is called the rule of Cheng Kang.

After Zhao's death, his son Zhou Zhaowang (Xi 'an) succeeded to the throne. In the 16th year of Zhao Haoqi, he led the army south, reaching Chu, Jing and Jianghan area. After three years of expedition, Wang Zhao drowned while crossing the Hanshui River, and was completely annihilated. After Zhao Haoqi, his son Zhou Muwang ruled for 55 years. He was overjoyed and wanted to develop in all directions. Mu Wang likes marching, which leads to the relaxation of state affairs. In the East, Xu led nine barbarians to invade Zhou. Mu Wang's expedition to the south was pacified by uniting the forces of Chu.

After the Zhao Mu era, the strength of the Zhou Dynasty weakened. During this period, Rongdi in the northwest gradually flourished. When Zhou Yiwang was in China, the people of Zhou Dynasty suffered greatly from Rong Di's invasion of China.

In the era of Zhou Liwang, years of war brought great suffering to the people. At the same time, Li appointed Rong as an official and monopolized social wealth and resources. In order to suppress the dissatisfaction of China people, Li Wang ordered the witch to watch him and kill him if he slandered the king. As a result, everyone feared for himself, which finally led to the uprising of China people. 84 1 years ago, the people of China rioted on a large scale and were forced to flee to Bi (now Huoxian County, Shanxi Province). North Korea is managed by two ministers (Mu) and Duke Zhou (Zhou), and the title of the country is "Republic" (it is said that the princes jointly govern the state affairs).

In the 14th year of the Republic of China (828 BC), Li died, and Emperor Jing succeeded him for 46 years. Wang Xuan has made great efforts to govern the country, and the state affairs have improved obviously. In Wang Xuan's later years, the decline of the Zhou Dynasty reappeared. Wang Xuan interfered with the succession of the throne of Lu, forced Lu Xiaogong to stand, and caused dissension among princes. In thirty-six years, the conquest of Dijon and Bunyan was defeated. In thirty-nine years, he fought Xirong, a branch of Chiang Kai-shek, in Qianmu (now Jiexiu South, Shanxi Province) and suffered a disastrous defeat.

78 1 years ago, Zhou Youwang succeeded to the throne, and he appointed a profit-making father, Shiguo, to be in power. Political corruption aroused the resentment of Chinese people. Three years (779 BC) failed to cut the Sixth Army; At the same time, natural disasters were frequent, and the internal and external affairs of the Zhou Dynasty were difficult. Wang You abolished the daughter of Queen Shen Hou and Prince Yi Jiu, and praised beautiful women instead. His son Fu Bo (a Wei) became a prince. On September 19th, he fled to Shen State, and Shen Hou joined forces with Gou State and Xigou to attack You Wang. In the play, he was killed by the dog Rong (now Lintong East, Shaanxi Province). Before 77 1, the Western Zhou Dynasty perished.

After his death, Shen Hou, Lu Hou, Xu Wengong and others jointly established the original prince Shen, and Guo Gonghan also established another prince (the place name is unknown today), forming two kings. Appropriate mortar to avoid Dijon, moved to Luoyi, is for Zhou Pingwang. The Eastern Zhou Dynasty was established. Chen Yu was killed by Emperor Wen of Jin in the 11th year of Wang Ping (760 BC).

* Battle of Mu Ye.

* The rule of Cheng Kang.

* Republican government

* Three supervisors

* Patriarchal system

* enfeoffment system

state power

Zhou Wuwang wiped out many small countries, established a larger vassal state, and forced small slave countries to accept the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty was divided into five titles, namely male, male, male and male. It is divided according to the close relationship between governors and Zhou royal family. In order to consolidate his dominant position, King Zhou adopted the enfeoffment system of "the masses build a monarch and the people crack the soil". "Well-field system" is the basis of social relations of production in the Zhou Dynasty, and it is also the economic basis on which aristocrats live. Agriculture is still the main sector of social economy.

Etiquette and punishment

The Zhou Dynasty had strict etiquette and punishment, "rudeness is not enough for Shu Ren, and no punishment is not enough for a doctor". Zhou Li is based on the patriarchal clan system formed under the patriarchal social system, and is used to mediate and adjust the contradictions and relations within the ruling class. Punishment is used to control and suppress civilians and slaves, including a whole set of litigation and trial systems such as death penalty, ink punishment, exile punishment, flogging and fines.

Commerce and transportation

Bronze farm tools were used more widely than in Shang Dynasty, and drainage and water diversion techniques were also well mastered. Among the crops, Sang Ma melons and fruits are planted. There are many departments in handicraft industry, and the division of labor is more detailed than that in Shang Dynasty. Known as "all-round workers", business has further developed. In the "state" and "capital", a bigger market has emerged.

Well-field system was implemented in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Each male main labor force grants 100 mu (equivalent to 3 1 mu now), and the allocated land is changed every three years. At that time, mature and barren farming systems were widely adopted, and agricultural production made great progress.

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, commerce was developed, and there were merchants specializing in trade activities. Shellfish, mussels and tortoise shells used for divination are often contributed and exchanged from far away. Haibei was also used as currency at that time, and it was calculated in units of friends. Ships and carriages are important means of transportation.

Social life

Gathering was the main source of daily life of civilians at that time, and hunting was the entertainment of nobles.

War and communication

After the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, it continued to fight with neighboring countries such as Jingchu, Gui Fang, Yanyun, Dongyi, Huaiyi, etc., and there were frequent wars with each other. On the contrary, it is more about friendly exchanges and economic and cultural exchanges with neighboring countries.

List of monarchs in Western Zhou Dynasty

* Zhou Wenwang Jichang (BC 1099 to BC 1050) for 50 years.

* Zhou Wuwang Zhou Wuwang (BC 1049 to BC 1043) was in office for 7 years.

* Zhou Gongdan Ji Dan (BC 1042-BC 1036) was in office for 7 years.

* Song Ji, Zhou Chengwang (BC 1035 to BC 1006) for 30 years.

* Zhou Kangwang Zhao Ji (65438 BC+0005 BC-980 BC) reigned for 26 years.

* Zhou Zhaowang Xia Ji (979 BC to 96 BC1year) 19 years.

* Ji Man, Zhou Muwang (960-923 BC) 38 years.

* Zhou Qianhu (922-900 BC) reigned for 23 years.

* Zhou Yiwang era (899-875 BC) 25 years.

* Ji, Zhou (874-866 BC) 9 years.

* Ji Xie, (865-858 BC) 8 years.

* Ji Hu, Zhou Liwang (858 BC to 84 BC1year) 16 years.

* Republic and Republic (84 BC1-828 BC) Regent 14.

* Ji Jing, Zhou Xuanwang (828-782 BC) 46 years.

* Zhou Youwang Jigong Nie (782 BC to 77 BC 1 year)1year.

According to Guo Wei's "Xia Shang Zhou Dating Conclusion", the chronology from Zhou Wenwang to Zhou Liwang was revised. Due to the lack of other information, the number of years in office of Mu Wang and Li and the number of years in office of Yi, Xiao and Yi are tentatively set at 25 years, 9 years and 8 years.

The heyday of slavery-Western Zhou Dynasty

1, Zhou's early history

Zhou nationality is an ancient nationality in the west. In the Yao Dynasty, Zhou clan leader Ji was promoted to be an agricultural teacher and was named "Hou Ji" in Tai (martial arts). At the end of summer, I didn't neglect my duty and abandoned the relationship between Rong and Di. Gong Liu, a Buddhist monk, moved to develop agriculture, and the Zhou family began to flourish. Historical Records says: "The trip to Zhou began today" (Historical Records Zhou). Gong Liu passed on to the ninth generation, and the ancient duke and his father moved to Joo Won?. The Book of Songs, Truffles and Palace Worship says: "The grandson of Hou Ji is actually Wang Wei, the grandson of Qi, and he started as a businessman." After Ji Chang, the grandson of King Tai, succeeded to the throne, he laid the groundwork for destroying the business.

2. The conquest of King Wu and the crusade of Duke Zhou.

After Ji Fa, the king of Wu, acceded to the throne, he actively prepared to destroy the business. After the battle between stationed and Makino, Zhou set himself on fire and died. King Wu returned to Haojiang and formally established the Western Zhou Dynasty. In the second year after the demise of Shang Dynasty, King Wu died, and his son became king and succeeded to the throne. When Cheng Wang was young, his younger brother was regent, which caused dissatisfaction among the "three supervisors" (his younger brother, Cai Shudu and Huo Shu). They joined forces with Zhou's son Wu Geng and the remnants of the Shang Dynasty in the East to launch a rebellion. In this case, Duke Zhou resolutely led the army eastward, and after three years' efforts, he put down the rebellion. Then the capital was built on the north bank of Luoshui, called Luoyi (now Luoyang, Henan Province), as the political and economic center where Zhou rulers controlled the East.

3. The prosperity and decline of the Western Zhou Dynasty

After Duke Zhou's eastward expedition, he perfected the political system of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Through the system of enfeoffment, patriarchal clan system and ritual and music system, the royal power has been strengthened, forming "the land of kings is a big place in the world?" On the shore of land, is it the situation in Wang Chen? However, Zhao Haoqi's attack on Jingchu made Wang Dao slightly deficient. When Li Wang arrived, he exercised autocratic rule, protected the people's mouths, and competed with the people for profits, resulting in "Chinese riots." In 84 1 BC, the people of China could not bear Li Wang's high-handed policy, and riots broke out one after another. In Benbi, Li Wang (now Huoxian County, Shanxi Province), King Jing fled to Zhao Gong's home. This year is the beginning of a sunny calendar year in China. After the Chinese riots subsided, there was a situation of "Republican governance" until Wang Xuan ascended the throne. Zhou Xuanwang ascended the throne, rectified internal affairs, stabilized social order, and won a series of victories in the war with the surrounding ethnic minorities, which is known as "Wang Xuan Zhongxing" in history. In the later period of Wang Xuan, the foreign war was deadlocked. After Wang Xuan's death, his son Wang You succeeded to the throne. Wang You was a famous tyrant in history. He was arrogant and extravagant, his internal affairs were dark, and natural and man-made disasters were serious. The rule of the Zhou Dynasty could not continue. In 77 1 year BC, Shen Hou colluded with Quan Rong, returned to Hou to attack Zhou, and killed you Wang at the foot of Mount Li. Wang Ping ascended the throne, moved the capital to Luoyi, and the Western Zhou Dynasty ended.