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General
Info |
| History |
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Zhou
Dynasty (1100-221 BC)
The Zhou
Dynasty was thought to be a nomadic tribe that came under the influence
of the Shang. The capital of Zhou was known as Hao and was near Chang'an
(present day Xi'an). In 771 BC, barbarians who had allied with rebel lords
overthrew the people of Zhou. Soon after, the capital was moved to Luoyang
(present day Henan) and the Zhou period was then divided by historians
into Western Zhou (1100-771 BC) and Eastern Zhou (770-221 BC).
Nonetheless,
the Zhou Dynasty contributed to the establishment of some of the most
enduring Chinese political concepts. The 'Mandate of Heaven' is one of
them, where heaven gives wise and righteous leaders a mandate to rule
while those who are evil and corrupt will have their mandate removed.
This concept was then extended to encompass the Taoist theory in which
heaven also expresses its displeasure of corrupt rulers through natural
disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and plagues of locusts.
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