In China, Zhou Dynasty is a very strange dynasty. For thousands of years, the cultural heritage of the Zhou Dynasty has been affecting Chinese civilization.
Knowledge about Zhou Dynasty society mainly comes from "Zuo Zhuan". This work is an explanation of "Spring and Autumn", and was written in the 5th to 4th century BC.
The Zhou Dynasty is the era closest to the so-called "feudal" of Western historians in China's long history.
However, the social and political system of the Zhou Dynasty was very unique because there was a close relationship between political organizations subordinate to family sacrifices and inseparable from war functions and religious functions. It was born in the ancient country and still closely attached to it.
Zhou Dynasty system is based on the ranks of territorial and family sacrifices, and the highest is the monarchy and Zhou Room and ancestor worship. The king is known as the "Son of Heaven" and is considered to perform the duties of "God". Only the emperor has the right to sacrifice to heaven.
In the Zhou Dynasty, the regime of every city-state was controlled by a powerful family. Its power lies in the number of chariots, the privilege of sacrificial sacrifices (the right to hold certain rituals, dance some kind of dances, and sing some kind of special hymns), the long tradition and relationship with the royal family, and the emblems and treasures it possesses (bronze ware, jade, stone bells and bronze bells and , etc.).
In order to pass on the vested rights, the following custom has been followed since Zhou Wang Mu (mid-10th century BC or the last leaf): the records of the title and the title ceremony were engraved on the bronze ware used to worship ancestors.
From this we can see that fiefdoms, city grants, and job titles are accompanied by various gifts: clothes, cloth, bronze weapons, chariots, sacrificial vessels, shell coins, , servants, livestock, etc.
The expansion of fiefdom is carried out according to the hive grouping method: the fiefdom system can give a certain aristocratic family religious and military power in a territory with clear boundaries (the term "finance" refers to fiefdom, which means there is a certain boundary). This system is ultimately just a countermeasure for the kingdom in the huge hierarchy relationship between family and territory.
family sacrifices are divided into two categories: one is the main sect (the royal family and the royal family), and the other is the small sect, which remains consistent with the whole. The chief priest is a direct descendant of the ancestors of the clan in each clan. The ancestors and their direct inheritors were worshipped for generations, while the Xiaozong's leadership sacrifice only allowed the sacrifice of four generations of ancestors (father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-grandfather) in their family.
In all noble families, the following rules are followed: the eldest son of the main wife inherits the position and sacrificial privileges, at least since the end of Shang Dynasty . From this we can see how important it is to determine the family and the eldest son.
The organization of the vassal states (the character "国" means the city-state surrounding the city wall) imitates the royal organization. On the side of the king, there are "国" and "国". The king was originally called "gong", and the character "gong" later refers to one of the five levels of the nobles.
The ancient meaning of the word "Qing" shows the dual nature of the functions of attendants and sacrificial sacrificial. This word originally refers to the host of the high ritual.
The leader of a noble family, "Qing" or "Doctor" is dedicated to "public", and his position is actually hereditary system. While obtaining positions, families like
also receive land outside the city-state (called "country" or "country"). The subordinates of the doctor and the minister are "scholars" and come from a young family. Their main function is to serve in the combat chariot fleet. The peasants provided soldiers (called "public") to cultivate the land and harvest the land for the nobles to enjoy.
In addition to serving the Duke of the State and preside over the sacrifices of their own families, the ministers and officials are also like nobles in the palace. They have the responsibility to participate in the war at the request of their superiors and provide chariots and soldiers. From this we can see that military organizations are established according to the model of political and family organization.
From this we can see that this society based on family sacrificial hierarchy and maintaining the prestige of ancestors has a long history. At that time, the royal power seemed to have absolute authority.
During the Shang Dynasty, the sacrifices of the previous kings and the authority of the royal family seemed to have promoted and dominated the entire social and political organization; due to the establishment of a more complex and unstable system, the royal power only played arbitration role.
The positions and privileges granted by the monarch can be withdrawn in principle.
However, the development of the vassal states and the strength of noble families have prompted the hereditaryization of positions and privileges, and fixed the system. This system must have been more flexible and completely affiliated with the royal power.
In addition, in the early 8th century BC, the above evolution was accelerated due to the civilians in Shaanxi and the reduction of the king's territory.
Zheng State was the main ally of the King of Zhou when the Zhou Dynasty moved its capital, but soon lost its important position. Other powerful vassal states in the Central Plains have been established next to it, including Song, Wei, Lu, Chen, Cai, etc. In the 8th century BC, there were 12 such countries, and there were a large number of small city-states.
Moreover, since the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, the royal family has become more complicated, because in addition to the direct family with the same surname as the King of Zhou, there are still different surnames, and their ancestors were close ministers of the previous kings. Even the Shang Dynasty lineage was not interrupted, but continued in , Song Dynasty in western Henan. The ancient traditions of the Anyang Kingdom are still preserved here.
In the situation where strong and weak vassal states coexist like stars, the Zhou Dynasty emperor's sovereignty and military power have lost their supreme status, although the habit of seeking help from his ruling and relying on his spiritual authority still exists.
Sacrifice actions and familiarity with the examples of ancestors are the basis of this new system.
Both restrict the alliance or hostile relations of the vassal states, and they are divided or united due to war, vendetta, marriage, agreement, and exchange of property and labor. With the development of the vassal states and the decline of royal power, a new society and some new trends were born: aristocrats who cherish their privileges and attach importance to etiquette; a moral norm that produces aristocratic samurai ideals and focuses on honor and reputation.
The decline of the royal family and the dispersion of regions have deepened the differences between regions. The vassal states are committed to expanding and trying to form a huge political unity, thereby gradually changing the balance that has been established between the city-states and making the nobles and vassal states embark on the road of self-destruction.
From then on, a comprehensive confrontation was formed between the old vassal states of the Central Plains and the surrounding vassal states.
The former royal lineage was traced back to the founding of the Zhou Dynasty and was a "central country". Later, the word "China" was applied to the entire China.
The latter is beginning to form a broader and stronger political unity.
The territory of the old country is always more fragmented than the fragmented and incomplete of the new country.
The major countries being formed are: Jin State in the Fen River Basin in Shanxi, which is a mountainous country and is suitable for raising horses; Qi State in the east and west of Shandong, which is a country near the sea, and has become rich due to trade in fishing salt, silk fabrics and metals; Chu State in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River Basin and Chu State in the Hubei Basin, its monarch was named "king", just like the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, and the vast areas under the rule of the monarch were inhabited by indigenous people.
The prosperity of these vassal states is due to the external environment: in the 8th century BC, the residents of northern China had already posed a threat of invasion, and by the second half of the 7th century BC, the situation became more and more serious, resulting in the monarchs of Qi and Jin taking on the role of the leaders and protectors of the Central Plains countries.
The original nomadic tribes in the grassland area may have mastered the skills of riding, and they began to put pressure on the vassal states in the Central Plains. In any case, this invasion promoted the rise of hegemony.
In 651 BC, Duke Huan (685-643 BC) presided over the alliance, and Qi State was formed; in 632 BC, Duke Wen of Jin (636-628 BC) formed an alliance, and Jin State became the hegemon.
But since King Zhuang of Chu defeated the Jin army in 597 BC, the nature and meaning of dominance have changed in the early 6th century BC.
From then on, the strong country bullies the weak country, and the oath under threat has become a means to legitimize the status of the strong.
With the development of regional integration, the struggle between countries has also shown a new nature.
Allies (and opponents) who are linked by the same tradition and culture type are no longer family disputes.
Military confrontation is accompanied by deeper opposition.
Qi, Jin, and Qin Qi each have their own characteristics; most of the personalities of the three countries are due to their differences in regional conditions (mountain areas or plain areas, livestock farming is prosperous; offshore areas, fishery development, convenient transportation, active trade, and maintain exchanges with different ethnic groups far and near...). However, the three kingdoms in the north are connected to the city-states of the Central Plains, and the difference is not too big.
The situation in Chu is different. The civilization here seems to be a product of the combination of the local "Yi" inhabitants' tradition and the "Huaxia" tradition of the Central Plains countries (China).
Originally, society was based on royal family sacrifices. At this time, military factors were absolutely advantageous, so the nature of society changed.
In fact, not only the traditional relationship forms between vassal states were affected, but the relationships between large families in vassal states were also deeply affected, because the social system is a whole.
About 600 BC, signs of crisis in aristocratic society have followed one after another.
In the 6th century BC, a new policy system actually appeared, with the goal of strengthening the monarchy's power and independence. Between 594 BC-590 BC, the early forms of agricultural tax appeared in , and the Zheng State implemented this tax system between 543 BC-538 BC.
The old-style tax service that provides soldiers to the monarchs tends to replace them with the supply of weapons and food.
The first batch of legal provisions engraved on bronze ware appeared in the second half of the 6th century BC.
Confucians of Lu were very correct in viewing laws and taxation as the first impact on traditional customs as the basis of the old system. These two aspects have also become symbols of the struggle between the powerful families.
Since the beginning of the 5th century BC, this struggle has become increasingly fierce.
Meng Sun, Shusun and Ji Sun of Lu State seized the leadership of the state, only allowing the orthodox family to play a nominal role. The ancestors of the orthodox family were once granted the title of the founder of the Zhou Dynasty.
The six major families of Jin State led the three armies across the country and competed for power. In 453 BC, the territory was finally divided and three new vassal states were formed, which were governed by the three major families of Han, Wei and Zhao.
In 386 BC, all the privileges of the royal family in the Qi Kingdom were finally plundered by the Tian family. Internal struggle and usurpation of power such as
are the preludes of war during the Warring States Period and have heralded the coming major changes: power is concentrated in one person to form a centralized country.
