Zhou Dynasty facts for kids

Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty ; 周朝
	1045 BC–256 BC
	Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1050–771 BC) in China
Capital	Haojing, Luoyang
Common languages	Chinese
Religion	Chinese folk religion, Hundred Schools of Thought
Government	Monarchy
King
Chancellor
History
• Battle of Muye	1045 BC
• Disestablished	256 BC
Population
• 273 BC	30,000,000
• 230 BC	38,000,000
Currency	Cash (Chinese coin), Chinese coin
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Shang Dynasty
Qin Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty defeated the Shang Dynasty using the mandate of heaven and said they where immortal at about 1046 BC, and came to power. They changed the capital from Henan to a place near present day Xi'an, near the Yellow River. The Zhou Dynasty also brought a new theory. This theory told the people that kings had the order of the gods to rule the country (mandate of heaven). Almost all dynasties of Chinese rulers continued to repeat this theory. The kings of this dynasty won many new areas. For the first time in the history of China, large number of persons also moved from one area to other area for settlement.

During the Zhou Dynasty, the origins of matured Chinese philosophy developed. The greatest Chinese philosophers were Kong Fuzi (Latin: Confucius), founder of Confucianism, and Laozi, founder of Daoism. Other philosophers, theorists, and schools of thought in this era were Mozi (Latin: Micius), founder of Mohism, Mengzi (Latin: Mencius), a famous Confucian who expanded upon Kong Fuzi's legacy, Shang Yang and Han Feizi, responsible for the development of ancient Chinese Legalism (the core philosophy of the Qin Dynasty), and Xunzi.

Images for kids

States of the Western Zhou dynasty
Silk painting depicting a man riding a dragon, painting on silk, dated to 5th-3rd century BC, from Zidanku Tomb no. 1 in Changsha, Hunan Province
A lacquerware painting from the Jingmen Tomb (Chinese: 荊門楚墓; Pinyin: Jīngmén chǔ mù) of the State of Chu (704–223 BC), depicting men wearing precursors to Hanfu (i.e. traditional silk dress) and riding in a two-horsed chariot
A bronze figure of a charioteer from the Warring States era of the Zhou Dynasty, dated 4th to 3rd century BC
An embroidered silk gauze ritual garment from an Eastern-Zhou-era tomb at Mashan, Hubei province, China, 4th century BC
An Eastern-Zhou bronze sword excavated from Changsa, Hunan Province
A drinking cup carved from crystal, unearthed at Banshan, Hangzhou, Warring States period, Hangzhou Museum.
The Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, a set of bronze bianzhong percussion instruments from the tomb of the aforesaid marquis in Hubei province, China, dated 433 BC, Warring States period
Fittings in the form of tigers, Baoji, Shaanxi province, Middle Western Zhou dynasty, c. 900 BC, bronze
A Western Zhou ceremonial bronze of cooking-vessel form inscribed to record that the King of Zhou gave a fiefdom to Shi You, ordering that he inherit the title as well as the land and people living there
The Shi Qiang pan, inscribed with the accomplishments of the earliest Zhou kings, circa 10th century BC