The Zhou Dynasty ruled China from 1040 BC to 221 BC. It began when the Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty due to the Shang emperor's immoral behavior. The Zhou established a feudal system to control its large territory. However, later emperors like Zhou Youwang performed poorly, angering citizens. Youwang was killed in an invasion, signaling the Zhou had lost the Mandate of Heaven. This led to wars between seven provinces as they fought for control. Eventually the Qin province emerged victorious, ending the wars and establishing the Qin Dynasty to rule all of China.

1. Zhou DynastyHistorical JournalTrevor Nakata<br />1040 B.C.<br />Today was the final day, ending the war between the people of Zhou and the once great Shang Dynasty. We were in the capital of the Shang Dynasty which the Zhou was invading. I asked some of the Zhou soldiers why they were trying to overthrow the Shang dynasty. <br /> The commander of the Zhou, Zhou Wenwang, said “The Gods in heaven doesn't believe that our present emperor has the power or the right to rule. He has become evil due to his excessive drinking and his immoral behavior and thus must be stopped.quot;
<br />By the end of the day the Shang had lost the war and The Zhou came up on top. The Zhou claimed the land creating the Zhou Dynasty. The time of the Shang had passed and the time of the Zhou has arrived.<br />940 B.C.<br />The Zhou dynasty has been around about a century by now. The Dynasty has gained a large amount of land and has had frequent contact with barbarians from the north. To keep control over the land, the emperor established a feudal system. The land is controlled by vessels of the king and the land is past from father to son. The different provinces that the land is separated into seem to be getting along pretty well. I think the Mandate of Heaven is the key factor in keeping order. As long as the Zhou holds the Mandate of Heaven there shouldn't be too much trouble with the different provinces. The Zhou has really just begun incorporating a few new ideas with some past teachings. This dynasty will surly last and be prosperous.<br />773 B.C.<br />Zhou Youwang is now the emperor of The Zhou. He's a cruel man who doesn't seem to care about running the government. He only cares for his concubine, Baosi, and pleasing her. Youwang even gave her the title of queen though he was already married. <br />Today to please Baosi he lit the beacon fire calling that an attack was imminent when there really wasn't. When the citizens came to the city they found out it was all a prank to please Baosi. Many of the citizens were angry with this act.<br />quot;
That no good Youwang!! Next time I hope there is a real invasion and next time like hell am I going to help!quot;
Said a citizen who ran there to find there was no attack.<br />Zhou Youwang better watch himself for if he stills continues to fool around just to please Baosi when real trouble comes he might not receive the support of the citizens.<br />771 B.C.<br />A tragic event happened earlier today when Emperor Zhou Youwang was killed by a group of barbarians. The Zhou has had many accounts of conflict with invaders from the north but today the barbarians were able to take over. As of today Haojing is no longer the capital city of the Zhou. Everyone is packing up and heading east in fear of the invaders. The new capital is going to be Louyi. Due to this loss there are a few rumors going around about the Zhou losing the mandate of heaven. If this rumor keeps spreading, there will definitely be wars coming up where a new dynasty arises victorious. The fear of internal wars is growing and if worse comes to worse than the Zhou dynasty would be no more.<br />476 B.C.<br />The Zhou governing system has fallen. Now the Zhou has no control over the people and now seven provinces are left splitting up the land. War is now continuous each of the seven sides competing for the role of emperor. The seven provinces that are left are the Qi, Chiu, Yan, Han, Zhoa, Wei, and Qin. All of the other provinces has been destroyed by these seven or has been annexed into the province. The weapons of these dynasties have become more powerful than before. The bronze weapons are now replaces with iron. As time will pass in order to gain control many more battles will be fought and many will die. Only one Province will arise victorious and mark the start of a new dynasty.<br />342 B.C.<br />War has been raging a long time during these past years but today I had my first real taste of war. I was walking around when I saw the Wei army being chased by the Qi army. The Wei army got corned by the Qi army at Maling. With the Wei army cornered General Tian Ji of the Qi army yelled quot;
fire!quot;
The sky blackened as thousands of arrows flew through the air at the defenseless Wei army. Shouts of terror and pain from the Wei army filled the air then all at once there was silence. The Wei army was completely wiped out with only a few still living. The few who did survive the volley was wounded badly and most laid on the ground. The Qi advanced on the survivors and spared none. The battle was fought and over within only a matter of minutes. <br />328 B.C.<br />Many fights had been taken over the past hundred years and now the Qin province seems to be taking over the battle for power. I was able to talk to some of the Qin citizens to learn their opinion of the war.<br />quot;
This government is failing all of China and a new one should be formed. The government should control the people by having harsh laws and severe punishments for those who oppose government or violates the law.quot;
This opinion was given by a Qin statesman Shang Yang a Legalist follower.<br />The differences of the teachings between Confucianism, Toaism, and Legalism seem to be another cause for the fighting in China. <br />Shang Tang important figure in Legalism<br />Confucius founder of ConfucianismLao Tzu founder of Taoism<br />310 B.C.<br />The praised art of bronze art has really improves during the past hundred years. The new style of bronze casting is called the Lost-wax casting process. <br />A smelter told me quot;
With this new technique of bronze casting, creating pieces of art such as chimes and mirrors hasn't been easier.quot;
<br />The smelter even took me into his workshop and showed me the process. Skillfully he made an exact replica of the chimes he was going to make. He then made a fire proof mold and lined it with liquid wax. After the wax cooled he took the wax coating out, chased it with a heated tool, and dipped it in a slurry mixture. The mixture hardened he then poured in the molten bronze and when it cooled a perfect chime bell was made. <br />234 B.C.<br />I am now in the age of the one hundred schools period. Many philosophical teachings have been created recently including Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. Confucianism taught people to live an active life according to the way of Heaven. Taoism however involved a non-interference and a passive life. <br />Legalist believed differently from both Confucianism and Taoism. They thought that everyone was evil and needs to be control with strict rules. This idea of governing was especially found with the Qin province. <br />Mo Tzu was another philosopher who opened another school of taught believing that the root of sadness in the world was the quot;
selective lovequot;
and to fix it by using quot;
universal lovequot;
. This means that people should treat everyone as they would treat their family. <br />221 B.C.<br />The endless fighting of China is finally over. The Zhou Dynasty has fallen and the Qin dynasty has risen to take its place, led by Qin Shihuangdi. The Zhou dynasty was the longest lasting so far lasting from 1040 B.C. - 221 B.C. so I wonder how long this dynasty will last. Instead of the Feudal government the Zhou had set up that helped cause the internal wars of china, the Qin is creating a Legalist government. <br />I believe the death of Youwang in 771 B.C. was the main cause of the fall of the dynasty. His death showed the citizens that they didn't have the Mandate of Heaven so they could be conquered. Believing this, if the Qin doesn't lose their ruler in battle and if they treat the people well then they could last and become a striving dynasty. <br />Shihuangdi<br />