XIA, SHANG AND

ZHOU
Shang
◦ South-West to north east
◦ cities were the political centers and military fortresses for the central imperial state and noble+ Palaces and
Temples most important buildings
◦ Civilians all resided and were buried within their own family units
◦ Monogamy (yi fu yi qi zhi) was the dominant rule for marital custom during the Xia and Shang Dynasties.
However, polygamy (yi fu duo qi zhi) was very common among the noble families.
◦ All utensils could be divided into three types according to their functions: those used for cooking, those used
for drinking, and those used for dining.
◦ Earthenware was widely used in the Xia Dynasty, but bronze vessels became more widespread in the Shang
Dynasty.
◦ One remarkable feature of the Shang Dynasty was the prevalence of the social consumption of alcohol. .
Alcoholism and negligence of state affairs undeniably contributed to the end of the Shang Dynasty
3 cultural elements
1. Horse drawn chariots: Charioteering a shang invention
◦ Used for both fighting and hunting
◦ Like a modern tank or mobile platform for commanding
2. Fully developed bronze technology: most imp. Ceremonial vessels
3. Fully developed ideo-graphic writing: turtle shell and shoulder blade bones with earliest script of
writing. Oracle bones.
Divination
◦ People in the Shang Dynasty were in the habit of utilizing turtle shells (gui bu) as the instrument to
consult the gods about their fortune. No matter if the issue was tiny or significant, whether giving birth,
burying the deceased, initiating a war, appointing government officials, hunting and farming, marrying a
new couple, or worshiping ancestors, all affairs required consultation with the gods before action was
taken.
◦ Moreover, it was believed that deceased ancestors were able to influence their offspring’s fortune.
However, the deceased ancestors were just considered as intermediaries between the gods and the human
emperors, which were less important than gods.
religion
◦ People in the Xia and Shang dynasties highly respected their gods
◦ They regarded the material world as “the lower world” (Xia Jie), while the world in which gods lived
was “the upper world” (Shang Jie).
◦ There was an ultimate “emperor” (Di) or “god” (Shang Di) in “the upper world,” which ruled all other
gods.
◦ These gods controlled the sun, the moon, the stars, the wind, the cloud, and the thunder in the sky, as
well as the soil, the mountains, and the rivers on the earth. These gods were capable of governing the
transition from one season to another as well as the fortune and misfortune of people in “the lower
world.”
Zhou Dynasty
◦ Not so developed Western Frontier People overthrew Shang 1122
◦ Three Early Zhou Sage kings: Wu; Wen: Duke of Zhou
◦ Feudal Empire
◦ Mandate of Heaven:
◦ justification for the overthrow of shang
◦ Admonition to the subjects
◦ Advice to the Royalty and nobles
Western Zhou
◦ Cities remained the political, military, and cultural centers
◦ Palaces and temples were still the most important buildings in the city. Their locations in the city
followed one simple rule as “A palace must be in the middle of a city, and a temple must be in the middle
of a palace.”
◦ The only novelty was that wedding ceremonies became unified into systematic rituals in the Western
Zhou Dynasty. Hence, all wedding ceremonies were conducted under standardized ritual rules.
◦ There were strict rules about how the emperor (tian zi), feudal dukes (zhu hou), and senior officials (qing
da fu) should dress.
◦ A severe prohibition against alcoholic drinks was established at the beginning of Western Zhou
Dynasty. However, the prohibition had softened by the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and
drinking became a social phenomenon once again.
Zhou feudalism
◦ King: son of heaven- appointed by shang di-the only one to sacrifices
◦ Patriarchal system: inherited by the eldest sons. Estates (fiefs) to others
◦ Rulers conferred the title of prince/ duke on their relatives and favorite officials, along with subjects, to
protect the king, pay tribute to him. King sharing power with regional lords
◦ Power in city owned by rich families
Eastern Zhou
◦ Western capital captured in 771 BC by a nomadic tribe; zhou capital moved east
◦ East zhou is divide into spring and autumn period+ warring states period
◦ Authority of Ruler ignored by dukedoms
◦ Mutual fighting among them
◦ Agriculture improved-commerce started and flourished as new cities kept springing up
◦ Education de-monopolized. No more privilege of nobility
◦ Travelling commoner scholars trying to sell their ideas to the rulers
◦ Various schools of thought developed most important of which is Confucianism
Zhou Culture
◦ Zhou kings practices ancestor worship
◦ Continued shang custom of casting bronze ceremonial vessels-(bronze script)
◦ Writing: brush on silk and bamboo stripes
◦ Achievements:
◦ Longest: 790 years
◦ Hydraulic projects: dams; canal system
◦ Seal script evolution
◦ Golden age of thought: hundred schools
◦ Literature: Five Chinese classics {I Jing+Shu jing-historical documents+ Shi jing+Spring autumn annals+ Li Jing
◦ First multiplication table