The Zhou Dynasty Lesson

Around 1122 B.C., the Shang Dynasty came to an end. The Shang was invaded by a new dynasty, called the Zhou. Like most of the warriors, in China, the Zhou used iron weapons, war chariots, and they always had a large cavalry (which means, horse soldiers).

Question: What happened to the Shang Dynasty around the year 1122 B.C.?

• The Shang Dynasty was attacked by the Zhou Dynasty, but the Shang was able to hold them off and stay in power.

• The Shang Dynasty was invaded by the Zhou Dynasty and the Zhou became the strongest of the early dynasties.

• The Zhou Dynasty formed their own kingdom and made friends with their Shang neighbors forming a strong alliance.

In the year 1122, a new man would take the "Mandate of Heaven" and become the king of the Zhou. The new king's name was Wu, and Wu would be the first king of the Zhou.

Question: Who took the Mandate of Heaven in 1122 and became the king of the Zhou?

• The king of the Zhou who took the Mandate of Heaven was King Wu.

• The king of the Zhou who took the Mandate of Heaven was Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.

• The man who took the Mandate of Heaven took off his crown and told the people they would have to vote for their leader, like a democracy.

Most of the dynasties in China would last around 70-80 years before a new dynasty would take over. But the Zhou Dynasty lasted 900 years, which was amazing for the times. Oh, they had battles, and internal civil wars, but they did survive for 900 years as the primary kingdom.

Question: How long did the Zhou Dynasty last before being taken over by warlords and later, by the Qin Dynasty?

• The Zhou Dynasty allied with the Qin Dynasty and became friends with the stronger dynasty.

• The Zhou Dynasty was destroyed internally after around 400 years of rule.

• The Zhou Dynasty lasted a long time, and despite some problems they dynasty lasted 900 years.

The Zhou had a strong division of classes. Of course, the King was on top. The second group was the Nobles (princes, army generals, and Lords which were land owners, and also religion leaders). The third group was the working people who worked the lands and building structures. They were called the peasants.

Question: Describe the second group.

• The 2nd group included the peasants who were working the land and building structures.

• The 2nd group was meant only for relatives of the king.

• The 2nd Group included the Nobles, which means princes, generals, Lords, and some religious leaders.

Like many kingdoms, the Zhou were really big on public works. So, they dug canals, built new buildings and homes, built roads for the empire, helped trade and farming, and they also created their own coined money.

Question: Give an example of public works.

• Public works includes sports, games, and theaters for the people.

• Public works means the government was for digging canals, building new buildings, roads, and trade/farming.

• Public works means the government only cared about the kings and nobles, and left the workers with very little.

China had more people than any place in the world. The roads they created were not just in the land of the Zhou, but stretching into many other parts of China. This helped transport of goods, trade, and helped people get around to new areas.

Question: What were some of the things that were helped by building roads?

• Roads helped with transport of goods, trading, and getting around to different areas.

• Roads helped the warrior soldiers take over areas they didn't yet have.

• Roads were great for chariot races which all of the Zhou people loved to watch.

The Zhou loved their philosophers. Their favorite was Confucius, who taught virtues that helped people think. He had thousands of his teachings that spread all over China.

Question: What were some of the things that Confucius taught?

• Confucius taught people to read and write.

• Confucius, in many different ways, taught thousands of virtues that helped people think.

• Confucius only talked to the young people and he had to take poison for corruption of the youth.

Around 700 B.C., the Warring states were battles from different groups inside the Zhou lands. Along with that, outsiders (Nomads from other parts of China), began attacking many of the Zhou cities. And also, some of the Zhou nobles would fight against each other.

What was happening to the Zhou around 700 B.C.?

• The Zhou decided to make war against the people of Indochina and take that as their land.

• The Zhou wanted more land and created the warring states to take over new parts of China.

• The Zhou were attacked by Nomads, and also they had some of the Nobles fighting against each other inside the Zhou. This was called the "Warring States."

The battles of the warring states began the destruction of the Zhou Dynasty. Around 221 B.C. the remans of the Zhou Dynasty came to an end. After the Zhou, a brutal dynasty known as the Qin took over and united the Chinese city states.

Question: What happened to The Zhou around 221 B.C.?

• The Warring States succeeded in ending the Zhou Dynasty. The next dynasty would be the very brutal Qin Dynasty.

• Nothing...despite the warring states, the Zhou survived for many more centuries.

• The Zhou joined forces with the Qin and became a very mean dynasty.