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Zhou conquest of Shang ~ 1050 BCE

The book of changes mentions marriage exchanges between the Zhou and Shang as a way of forging certain alliances, although they were foremost sworn enemies. Leading up to 1050, there was a long lineage of Zhou rulers who brought good fortune and economic, cultural, and military prosperity to the Zhou.

King Wen ~ 1100 – 1050 BCE

Because King Wen ruled for an extended period of time, there was a single charismatic authority who could pursue a systematic set of expansionist goals. The transmitted texts do not admit to conquering anyone, rather they speak of native peoples yielding upon seeing the greatness of the Zhou. According to legend, late in King Wen’s life the last Shang ruler imprisoned King Wen, upon which he wrote the book of changes. Then the Zhou went to the Shang ruler and bribed him with pretty women and wine. The Shang gave him the honorary title the “earl of the west” as a political move to try to enfold the Zhou into their kingdom. However, King Wen dies on the eve of launching an attack, troubled by the notion of attacking the kingdom for which he had sworn loyalty. His name, King Wen, means the “civil king” for his cultural accomplishments.

King Wu

King Wen’s son, King Wu, is remembered as the martial king. He launches the conquest of the Shang and is successful. The Zhou also had smaller oracle bones with smaller writing, less sophisticated bronze technology, the same language, and generally the same culture and writing. The Shang rituals, however, were highly bureaucratic with a calendar of divination and sacrifices.

The Zhou leave behind many inscribed bronze vessels laid out in careful matrices on the insides of eating vessels. This is in contrast to Shang bronze inscriptions, which are short and do not discuss historical events. Since the founding of Zhou, certain bronze-workers’ ancestors have worked founding bronzes inscribed with their lineage. The culture of the Zhou wins out and the Shang culture falls to the wayside as the Zhou elite culture spreads.

How do the Zhou administrate their new, large empire? Through Feudalism. All the king’s relatives were installed to kingdoms around you to protect you from outsiders and coup de etat.

The Taigong (Grand Duke) Jiang Taigong

Given the state of Qi, he participates in the Zhou family. Every year he returns to the capital to participate in a sacrifice from which they take meat and bring it home to offer to their ancestors. This binds all the Zhou rules together. The seeds for the demise of the system are build into the exponential nature of the system. Given the king’s sons, and all his rulers’ sons, there are more people than possible positions.

• Zhou Homeland – Wei river valley
• Western Zhou ~ 1050 – 771 BCE: Capital on wei river near Xi’an–too far away to attack the Shang at Anyang
• Eastern Zhou ~ 770 -221 BCE: Secondary capital around Luoyang becomes the primary capital when raiders force into Western Zhou

Ancestor Worship

The Shang held Shang di (??) as their highest deity, while the Zhou do not have the same concept of a highest deity, instead revering heaven. Texts after the conquest of the Shang blur the distinction between these two gods. By the end of the Zhou period, ? has become the cosmos and not an anthropomorphic deity.

• Morality. The Shang are only concerned with auspiciousness, but Zhou believes that Heaven grants favor based on human moral behavior.
• Heaven (?) looks down and watches the earth from on high.
• Son of Heaven
• Heaven’s Mandate