Paradoxically, although the Dao is indescribable and cant be seen or heard, the goal of the Daoist is to accord with and follow it. Therefore, they devised better ways to control land in their realms. This page titled 3.8: The Long Zhou Dynasty (1046- 256 BCE) is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by George Israel (University System of Georgia via GALILEO Open Learning Materials) . [12] Ju's son Liu,[13] however, led his people to prosperity by restoring agriculture and settling them at a place called Bin,[c] which his descendants ruled for generations. Some would travel from state to state peddling schemes of administrative or military reform. First, they established a secondary capital farther east at Luoyang [low-yawng], closer to the North China Plain. Here are a few of the important statements Confucius made, and what they meant: 1. A lesser line is the line of younger sons going back no more than five generations. King You was killed by the Quanrong when Haojing was sacked. Finally, one of those small kingdoms, Qin (from which derives modern Chinas name), succeeded in conquering the rest of the states and establishing the Qin dynasty (221207 bce). 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Zhou, Wade-Giles romanization Chou, also called Zi Zhou, or Dixin, (born early 11th century? But over time, Zhou kings lost their ability to control these lords, and the lords became increasingly independent. In later generations, lords simply became more interested in and identified with their own territories, and they had little sense of solidarity with what were at best distant cousins ruling neighboring feudal states. As the main focus of his grandiose project, his canal work eventually diverted the waters of the entire Zhang River to a spot further up the Yellow River. Later, Confucius asked him, Why did you not say: As a man, when agitated in thought he forgets to eat, joyfully forgetting his cares, not realizing that old age is near at hand?. Hence, battles became increasingly bloody and bitter, and victory went to those kings who could field the most effective killing machines. At this point, the many lords had no intention of toppling the king; rather, seeing his military weakness, the most powerful ones stepped in to enforce order. It was not until the Dong Zhou and the classical age of Confucius and Laozi that unique local traditions became apparent. From there, they governed a predominantly rural population of farmers living in villages where life was not easy. Qi's son, or rather that of the Huj, Buzhu is said to have abandoned his position as Agrarian Master (Chinese: ; pinyin: Nngsh) in old age and either he or his son Ju abandoned their tradition, living in the manner of the Xirong and Rongdi (see HuaYi distinction). In later generations, lords simply became more interested in and identified with their own territories, and they had little sense of solidarity with distant cousins ruling neighboring feudal states. But these centuries were not only marked by the growth of states and accelerating warfare between them. Historians believe the Old Master was a fictional sage invented by Warring States Period philosophers who compiled the book attributed to him. The Zhou dynasty had formally collapsed only 35 years earlier, although the dynasty had only nominal power at that point. In 1059, upon witnessing five planets align, the Zhou ruler declared himself king and proceeded to engage in military conquests that made his kingdom a . Consequently, society will become more orderly. Indeed, Zhou kings granted land and noble titles to kinsmen in exchange for obedience, periodic visits to the kings palace, tribute, and military support. Then, King Wu returned to his capital in the Wei River Valley, where he passed away in 1043 BCE. As the frequency and scale of warfare escalated, and states gradually gobbled each other up, the way feudal lords governed their states and conducted military campaigns changed. In about 771 b.c., the enemies attacked the Zhou capital of Hao. His and his successors power was, however, much reduced. In the latter period, the Zhou court had little control over its constituent states that were at war with each other until the Qin state consolidated power and formed the Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Two major philosophical traditions emerged to address these issues: Confucianism and Daoism. [31][32][33] To maintain Zhou authority over its greatly expanded territory and prevent other revolts, he set up the fengjian system. But it was his son King Wu (Martial King) who brought down the Shang Dynasty. Fengjian. Zhou dynasty, Wade-Giles romanization Chou, dynasty that ruled ancient China for some eight centuries, establishing the distinctive political and cultural characteristics that were to be identified with China for the next two millennia. End of the Zhou Dynasty. There were also two-story buildings and observation towers, and Laozi mentions a nine-story tower. What little we know about his life comes primarily from the Analects, a record of conversations Confucius held with his students compiled after he died. It is therefore not surprising that during this time some of Chinas greatest military treatises were written, most notably the Art of War by Master Sun [sue-in]. Hence, it is hardly surprising that many lords ceased to pay visits to the kings court. This move marked the beginning of the Eastern Zhou (770 256 BCE). The Dao is mysterious: it is beyond sense-perception and yet the source of life and the universe, the ultimate truth transcending the polarities that make up life and yet pervades them, empty and yet the mother of all things. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Feudalism is generally a political and economic system characterized by fragmented authority, a set of obligations (usually of a military nature) between lords and vassals, and grants of land (fiefs) by rulers in exchange for some type of service. Great lines and lesser lines continually spin off new lesser lines, founded by younger sons". If he does not fulfill his obligations as emperor, then he loses the Mandate and thus, the right to be emperor. Yet, it would be wrong to conclude that he wasnt religious in any sense, because he frequently spoke of Heaven. The first qualification for a ruler or one who serves is moral rectitude. As the frequency and scale of warfare escalated, and states gradually gobbled each other up, the way feudal lords governed their states and conducted military campaigns changed. In 771 BCE, in what became a telling sign of weakness, the Zhou king was murdered and his young successor was compelled to relocate farther east, to a capital closer to the heart of the North China Plain. Confucius lived just prior to the Warring States Period (551-479 BCE). However, in the course of doing so, he reinterpreted the past and imbued the virtues he stressed with rich, new meanings. Instead, he gained an avid following of 70 students, whom he accepted regardless of their social status. This period, in the second half of the Eastern Zhou, lasted from about 475-221 BCE, when China was united under the Qin Dynasty. [2], China's first projects of hydraulic engineering were initiated during the Zhou dynasty, ultimately as a means to aid agricultural irrigation. One of the Zhou ruling houses devised a plan to conquer the Shang, and a decisive battle was fought, probably in the mid-11th century bce. 2. This page titled 4.7: The Long Zhou Dynasty (1046- 256 BCE) is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by George Israel (University System of Georgia via GALILEO Open Learning Materials) . King Wen (Cultured King) was this ruler, and revered as the founder of the Zhou dynasty. Prior to the Warring States Period, it was the norm for nobility to hand out land in their states to kinsmen, just as it had been for the king during the Western Zhou. The first two had their origins in the later centuries of the Eastern Zhou, while Buddhism only began to arrive from South Asia in the first century C.E. Stratagem is critical. Young men should be filial at home and respectful to their elders when away from home. (1.6) Filial piety is central to Confuciuss thought. While the system was initially a respected body of concrete regulations, the fragmentation of the Western Zhou period led the ritual to drift towards moralization and formalization in regard to: The rulers of the Zhou dynasty were titled Wng (), which is normally translated into English as "king" and was also the Shang term for their rulers. The last Shang king, Shang Zhou, was a nasty sort of fellow, far different from his predecessor Cheng Tang. As they did so, their lands evolved into powerful states (see Map \(\PageIndex{2}\)). At this point, the many lords had no intention of toppling the king; rather, seeing his military weakness, the most powerful ones stepped in to enforce order. By so doing, ones health would be preserved and life prolonged. He saw the practice of morality in the family as the root. Brashier writes in his book "Ancestral Memory in Early China" about the tsung-fa system of patrilineal primogeniture: "The greater lineage, if it has survived, is the direct succession from father to eldest son and is not defined via the collateral shifts of the lesser lineages. Attending lords cemented their agreements by swearing oaths and drinking the blood of sacrificed animals. Jili's son Wen bribed his way out of imprisonment and moved the Zhou capital to Feng (within present-day Xi'an). 2. The Zhou agreed that since worldly affairs were supposed to align with those of the heavens, the heavens conferred legitimate power on only one person, the Zhou ruler. Now, the Zhou royal court was faced with the task of governing newly conquered territory, including the former lands of the Shang Dynasty. Over time, Zhou kings lost their ability to control these lords, and the lords became increasingly independent. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. They did this by asserting that their moral superiority justified taking over Shang wealth and territories, and that heaven had imposed a moral mandate on them to replace the Shang and return good governance to the people.[38]. But they fought even more fiercely. Over time, Zhou kings lost their ability to control these lords, and the lords became increasingly independent. Large bronzes were cast to commemorate these occasions (see Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)). In 771 BCE, in what became a telling sign of weakness, the Zhou king was murdered and his young successor was compelled to relocate farther east, to a capital closer to the heart of the North China Plain. The Zhou Dynasty collapsed slowly, over a period of hundreds of years, as the feudal rulers of outlying provinces gained more authority. Eventually, the noble lords of the most powerful states also declared themselves kings, and fought to gain control over all of China. Despite these similarities, there are a number of important differences from medieval Europe. [39] In this way, the Zhou sky god legitimized regime change. But they fought even more fiercely. [] According to the Zou commentary, the son of heaven divided land among his feudal lords, his feudal lords divided the land among their dependent families and so forth down the pecking order to the officers who had their dependent kin and the commoners who "each had his apportioned relations and all had their graded precedence""[44], This type of unilineal descent-group later became the model of the Korean family through the influence of Neo-Confucianism, as Zhu Xi and others advocated its re-establishment in China.[45]. Historians call this method of governing Zhou kinship feudalism. The noble person is concerned with rightness, the small person is concerned with profit. (4.16) Confucius redefined the meaning of nobility. This move marked the beginning of the Eastern Zhou (770 256 BCE). The Zhou Dynasty era consisted of three periods: Western Zhou (1046-771 BC), the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), and the Warring States Period. Master Sun was a military commander and strategist who served the lords of the state of Wu just prior to the onset of the Warring States period (c. fifth century BCE). Over time, however, Zhou kinship feudalism failed to function as intended by the founding rulers. After the Xia and Shang, the next major dynasty in Chinese history is the Zhou Dynasty (1045 256 BCE). These nobles were allowed to rule their own lands hereditarily, so long as they observed certain obligations to their king. He believed that Heaven ordains a certain course of life for each individual, including becoming a moral person. Being appointed, they could move from one state to another. He thought that a golden age existed in the past and wished to transmit the ethical values of that time. ), the ruling house of Zhou exercised a certain degree of "imperial" power over most of central China. Other philosophers, theorists, and schools of thought in this era were Mozi, founder of Mohism; Mencius, a famous Confucian who expanded upon Confucius' legacy; Shang Yang and Han Fei, responsible for the development of ancient Chinese Legalism (the core philosophy of the Qin dynasty); and Xun Zi, who was arguably the center of ancient Chinese intellectual life during his time, even more so than iconic intellectual figures such as Mencius.[54]. ), known as the Western Zhou (1046-771 B.C. Zhou kings remained there for the next five hundred years, during the period called the Eastern Zhou. Therefore, they devised better ways to control land in their realms. Instead, this warrior nobility engaged in an escalating contest for power and prestige. Major philosophies and religions emerged that were the basis of Chinese belief in later eras, such as Confucianism and Daoism. The duke passed over his two elder sons Taibo and Zhongyong to favor the younger Jili, a warrior in his own right. Burgeoning turmoil also inspired much thinking about what was needful to restore order and create a good society, as well as what defined the good life. The wars of the Warring States were finally ended by the most legalist state of all, Qin. 5. Daoist masters, claiming divine inspiration, composed esoteric texts for their followers. A series of states rose to prominence before each falling in turn, and Zhou was a minor player in most of these conflicts. Search Results. At that point, when the individual is in accord with the ineffable Way, life becomes spontaneous, natural, and effortless. To govern is to rectify. He saw the practice of morality in the family as the root. [47] When a dukedom was centralized, these people would find employment as government officials or officers. After the Xia and Shang, the next major dynasty in Chinese history is the Zhou Dynasty (1045 256 BCE). Literature flourished with Confucius and other great Chinese philosophers. The army of the state of Qin captures the city of Chengzhou and the last Zhou ruler, King Nan, is killed. and heralded . Over the next 250 years, during what is referred to as the Warring States Period (475 221 BCE), these states averaged one major battle per year until, at the very end, only the state of Qin [cheen] remained. 4. So Han Dynasty abolished the Qin legal system and advocate Confucianism to make the government friendly to its people and make the people obey the rules of government. [52] King Xiang of Zhou also married a Di princess after receiving Di military support. These lords dukes, marquis, earls, and baronsthen took their families, contingents of soldiers, and emblems of nobility to the granted territory and set up palaces and ancestral temples in walled towns. Omissions? He believed that the nobility was honorable, observed moral codes, and upheld social standards. For more than 800 years (9-17 centuries), the Central Plains dynasty failed to effectively control Xinjiang (the Xinjiang was directly under the jurisdiction of Chahe Tai Khan during the Yuan Dynasty). But this goal wont be accomplished through more seeking and more knowledge. Among them, the most successful was the state of Qin, which eventually conquered all of China and became an empire. During the Warring States, rulers introduced large armies composed of mass infantry and cavalry. A person of humanity is, for instance, one who is capable of empathy and unselfish concern for the welfare of others. Instead, this warrior nobility engaged in an escalating contest for power and prestige. Over the long course of this half millennium, Zhou nobility engaged in escalating warfare with each other over matters small and large. [17][e] The Zhou emulated extensively Shang cultural practices, perhaps to legitimize their own rule,[20] and became the successors to Shang culture. The "Mandate of Heaven" is an ancient Chinese philosophical concept, which originated during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 B.C.E.). The Zhou Dynasty is divided into two periods: the Western Zhou (11th century BC to 771 BC) and the Eastern Zhou (770 BC - 221 BC). He was a cruel emperor that. [40] After the Zhou came to power, the mandate became a political tool. Under this system, it was the prerogative of spiritual authority to withdraw support from any wayward ruler and to find another, more worthy one. Pottery continued Shang traditions and expanded greatly in variety of shapes and finishes during the Warring States period. However, he only managed to hold some minor offices in Lu and generally failed in his political aspirations. Noble lords loved to demonstrate their prowess and raise their prestige through success in hunting and battling. Since rulers claimed that their authority came from heaven, the Zhou made great efforts to gain accurate knowledge of the stars and to perfect the astronomical system on which they based their calendar. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Heaven has given birth to the virtue that is in me. 1 (7.22) Interpreters of Confucius have rightly noted that he is quite silent about the supernatural and what happens after death, rather emphasizing the life we have and serving others. The remaining Ji family ruled Yan and Wei until 209 BC. Trade was increased, towns grew up, coinage was developed, chopsticks came into use, and the Chinese writing system was created out of its primitive beginnings in the Shang period. If you lead the people by being rectified yourself, who will dare not be rectified? (12.17) Confucius believed that good governing flows from good men. The rulers of this epoch were no strangers to battle, but they also created an environment where fascinating and long-standing cultural elements thrived. The Warring States Period lasted 254 years. These kinsmen took their families, contingents of soldiers, and emblems of nobility to the granted territory and set up palaces and ancestral temples in walled towns. For this, Sunshu is credited as China's first hydraulic engineer. Legal. These texts explained how the natural world originated from a primordial ether (qi) and its division into two polar forces: the yin and yang (see Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\)). The Zhou coexisted with the Shang dynasty (c. 16001046 bce) for many years, living just west of the Shang territory in what is now Shaanxi province. Confucius chose to become learned and seek office. Daoists also developed communal prayers and rituals that could cure illness, free souls from hell, win blessings from heaven, and eliminate sins from the community. The Analects not only shows a serious and learned man, but also someone capable in archery and horsemanship, who loved music and ritual, and who untiringly travelled the feudal states in the hopes of serving in a lords retinue (see Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)). These hegemons periodically convened interstate meetings to manage such matters as misbehaving states or foreign invasions. In 771 BCE, for instance, King You [yo] was attacked by the allied forces of the lord of Shen and tribal peoples residing out west. He assumed the throne upon his fathers death and, in 1046, led three-hundred chariots and 45,000 foot soldiers equipped with bronze armor and pole-mounted dagger-axes to a location just outside the Shang capital, where he met with and decisively defeated the last Shang king and his army. Wary of the Duke of Zhou's increasing power, the "Three Guards", Zhou princes stationed on the eastern plain, rose in rebellion against his regency. Other states came to the rescue, relocating the kings son, Prince Ping, to the eastern capital at Luoyang. His father died about the time Confucius was born, and he was raised by his mother, who also passed away when Confucius was young. 4. We return to that topic after reviewing the ideas put forward by philosophers in the context of these centuries of turmoil. One description of an elite soldier states that he wears heavy armor, shoulders a large crossbow and fifty arrows, straps a halberd to his back, buckles a helmet to his head, and places a sword to his side.). Rather, the mind must be emptied out, calmed, and purified, until desires are absent and a primordial, natural condition is restored. During this time, some of Chinas greatest military treatises were written, most notably the Art of War by Master Sun [sue-in]. Early Zhou kings were true commanders-in-chief. bc, Chinadied 1046 bc, China), last sovereign ( c. 1075-46 bc) of the Shang dynasty ( c. 1600-1046 bc ), who, according to legend, lost his empire because of his extreme debauchery. Western Zhou dynasty replaces the Shang Dynasty in China. The establishment date of 1046 BC is supported by the XiaShangZhou Chronology Project and David Pankenier,[5] but David Nivison and Edward L. Shaughnessy date the establishment to 1045 BC.[6][7]. (View the image of a Warring States Period soldier at the following link: http://brandonqindynasty.weebly.com/9/8580061.jpeg. Later kings' campaigns were less effective. These four emperors have made contributions in the long history of China. As opposed to serving a lesson to and resolving some dispute with another lord, these selfdeclared kings waged war to destroy them and take their land. They killed the Zhou king and took control of the whole Wei River Valley. That was especially true of works in bronze, in which there was an accelerated deterioration of the variety of shapes, the decoration, and the craftsmanship of casting. Second, they issued proclamations explaining to conquered peoples why they should accept Zhou rule. Around 1046 BC, Wen's son Wu and his ally Jiang Ziya led an army of 45,000 men and 300 chariots across the Yellow River and defeated King Zhou of Shang at the Battle of Muye, marking the beginning of the Zhou dynasty. Other states came to the rescue, relocating the kings son, Prince Ping, to the eastern capital at Luoyang. If a duke took power from his nobles, the state would have to be administered bureaucratically by appointed officials. Whenever new territory was added or a noble line was extinguished, kings created counties and appointed magistrates to manage the villages and towns in that area. One of the duties and privileges of the king was to create a royal calendar. It is so divided because the capital cities in the Western Zhou of Fengyi (presently in the . Relocated to Luoyang, King Ping ruled from a much smaller royal domain surrounded by approximately 150 feudal states and their lords. The decline of Zhou Dynasty was mainly caused by the corruption of the government. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. That was the state of Qin [cheen].