Geographical Features of Zhou

First of all, the Zhou was divided into two. Eastern and Western Zhou. The Western Zhou was built on the banks of the Wei River, so it would make trade easy. The Wei River flows into the Yellow River. The city was a perfect square, three miles on each side. The size of the city made it easier for one person to rule. The landscape was divided into nine regions. Each family got a square of farm land for themselves. They used fertilizer so they could reuse the fields over and over again. The Eastern Zhou included a spring and autumn period and the Warring States period. The Eastern Zhou capital was Luoyang. Twenty-fiver emperors reigned during the Eastern period. The Eastern Zhou period was full of change. The Eastern and Western Zhou were two different things but were still both apart of the Zhou Dynasty.

Religion of the Zhou

During the Zhou period there were several beliefs. The Mandate of Heaven, and the Yin and Yang.

The Mandate of Heaven was the gift of authority. If you were the son of heaven you had to be wise, hardworking, be good on the battle field, and perform special rituals to honor all spirits. If the son of heaven failed to do so the spirits would give natural disasters.

The Zhou believed in the Yin and Yang, the two great forces of nature. The symbol also stands for everything and how things work. The white side represents yang and the black represents yang. The Book of Changes focuses on the yin and yang. The other most important ritual was to worship the sun and the stars.

Dougong or known as Corbel Brackets

Corbel Brackets were very popular and helpful in the Zhou period. These  were innovative eaves supports at the top of columns on a building. They would become typical features of traditional Chinese buildings. Dougong are supports on the top of buildings. They make a house very strong and improved the tops of the building. The people in China put corbel brackets on there buildings so they didn't have to keep replacing the buildings. Corbel brackets have been used since the Zhou.

Map of Zhou

 

Here is a map of the Zhou Dynasty.  The borders of the map show the Eastern and Western part of Zhou. The Eastern was made in 770-256 BC. The Western Part of Zhou was made in 10457-771 BC. The map shows Huang He river, Yangtze river, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea.It also shows Luoyang, Xi'an and Beijing. In a modern map of China there is no Western and Eastern part of Zhou. The rivers and cities are still there but its not divided into two parts.

The Famous King Wu of Zhou

All questions to King Wu

Do you think the Zhou Dynasty is successful during war?
Yes, i think we are very successful during war because we use the right tools and train the right way.

In the Battle of Muye, why was Zhou so much more powerful than the Shang?
We trained our soldiers much better by using chariots and other weapons and charging at the Shang right away.

Why were some soldiers holding there weapons up-side down during the Battle of Muye?
When the soldiers were holding there weapons up-side down it was a sign of defeat and that they had given up.

During Muye did you want the Shang soldiers to come join the Zhou?
Well, it didn’t really bother me because we had enough soldiers but it showed that us the Zhou deserve to win and that we are superior to the Shang. If the Shang soldiers wanted to join us it made me feel that we were defiantly going to defeat them.

Why did you put your family and government officials in charge of the feudal states you established?
I know I can’t be in charge of every thing all at once so I know I can trust the people like me to rule the feudal states.

The Victorious Zhou Dynasty

King Wu, the ruler of the Zhou knew his dynasty was going to be victorious during the Battle of Muye. The Zhou army was trained very well for the battle. They had chariots and all the right equipment. They used chariots by charging at a line of Shang soldiers, it was very smart they got rid of people quickly. Since the Shang was not becoming successful during the battle some soldiers joined the Zhou side. “Why didn’t the Shang ruler stop them from becoming a part of the Zhou?” Also the ruler of the Shang Di Xin burned his palace and himself on fire during the battle. “Why did the Shang ruler give up so easily?” By far the Zhou Dynasty was much more powerful and the Shang did not protect there capital “Yin”.

A War Breaks Out In Muye

A war breaks out in China. Duke of Zhou led an army of 50,000 men and was much more powerful. The ruler of the Shang Di Xin army was at war in the east but he still had 530,000 men to defend the capital of Yin. Di Xin gave slaves weapons to protect the capital. The Duke of Zhou believes that his army is trained more powerfully and will be successful in taking down the Shang army.
Some of the Shang fighters held there spears and weapons upside down, as a sign of giving up on fighting. Some of the soldiers joined the Zhou because the Zhou is trained to win the battle. The rest of the Shang fought for Yin, which is leading to a very bloody battle.
Di Xin the ruler of the Shang got forced to flee. The remaining Shang troops fell into further chaos. The Zhou was becoming more and more victories. The Zhou moral is much higher than the Shang. Di Xin knew that the Shang would become in ruins soon.
Di Xin placed valuable jewelry on himself putting his palace on fire along with burning himself. Shang officials were released without charges. The imperial rice storage was opened and feed the starving. Some Shang officials soon worked as Zhou officials.