The Zhou and Qin dynasties

Question 1

The history of the Zhou (1046–256 bce)

Answer 1

• Zhou dynasty—encompassing some eight centuries—is the single longest period of Chinese history
• first ancestor was Houji, literally translated as “Lord of Millet.”
• The earliest plausible Zhou ancestor was Danfu, the grandfather of Wenwang. Prior to and during the time of Danfu, the Zhou people seem to have migrated to avoid pressure from powerful neighbours, possibly nomadic people to the north.

Question 2

Zhou and Shang

Answer 2

• The name Zhou appears often in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang kingdom, sometimes as a friendly tributary neighbour and at other times as a hostile one.
• In Chinese historical tradition Wenwang was depicted as intelligent and benevolent, a man of virtue who won popularity among his contemporaries and expanded the realm of the Zhou
• three years of extensive campaigning consolidated the rule of the Zhou over all of China
• eastern capital was constructed on the middle reach of the Huang He (Yellow River) as a stronghold to support the feudal lords in the east