Zhou, << joh, >> dynasty, also spelled Chou, was a Chinese dynasty (family of rulers) that governed from about 1045 to 256 B.C. It was China’s longest-ruling dynasty. The period was a time of war but also of cultural advances.
The dynasty began when the Zhou people of western China conquered the ruling Shang dynasty. The Zhou claimed they succeeded because of the Mandate of Heaven, a theory that Heaven allows moral people to overthrow corrupt regimes. Zhou rulers divided the kingdom into many states and appointed trusted family members and supporters as the chiefs of these regions.
A weak Zhou ruler was overthrown in 771 B.C. The dynasty then moved its capital east from Hao (near what is now Xi’an) to Luoyang. The move began the Eastern Zhou period. During this period, cities grew, a merchant class developed, and the use of money replaced barter (trade). The famous philosophers Confucius and Laozi developed their ideas during this time (see Confucius ; Laozi ).
The Zhou central government gradually lost power to its large states, and the dynasty finally ended in 256 B.C. Seven large states fought for control of China until 221 B.C., when the Qin dynasty took over.
