Map Introduction

Western Zhou Dynasty

The Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BCE – 771 BCE) was established by King Wu of Zhou, son of King Wen of Zhou, after overthrowing the Shang Dynasty. It lasted until 771 BCE when King You of Zhou was killed by the Marquess of Shen and the Quanrong tribes, spanning approximately 275 years across 11 generations and 12 kings. The capital was established at Zongzhou (Haojing), located southwest of present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. In the fifth year of his reign, King Cheng built the secondary capital Chengzhou (Luoyi) in present-day Luoyang, Henan Province.

Historically, the period of the Zhou Dynasty before its eastward relocation is referred to as the Western Zhou. The Zhou Dynasty represented the peak of ancient Chinese society. Beginning from the Western Zhou, a continuous process of integration among various ethnic groups and tribes within its territory commenced. During this era, the Huaxia ethnicity gradually formed, becoming the precursor to the modern Han Chinese. Other minority groups included the Yi, Man, Yue, Rongdi, Sushen, and Donghu. The "State and Wilderness" system was most characteristic of the Western Zhou, which began to disintegrate during the Spring and Autumn period and was largely replaced by commanderies and counties by the Warring States period.

Social contradictions intensified in the late Western Zhou, including internal conflicts within the ruling class. Struggles for land and political power accelerated the dynasty's collapse. The "Citizens' Riot" shook the foundations of Western Zhou rule. In 771 BCE, King You of Zhou was killed by the Quanrong, marking the fall of the Western Zhou.

In 770 BCE, the Marquess of Shen and other feudal lords installed King Ping of Zhou (Yijiu) as king. King Ping moved the capital from Zongzhou to Chengzhou (Luoyi, present-day Luoyang, Henan Province). The period of the Zhou Dynasty after this eastward move is historically known as the Eastern Zhou.

After conquering numerous small states and establishing larger feudal entities, King Wu of Zhou compelled the smaller, feudally-organized polities to accept the Zhou system of enfeeffment. The Zhou created five ranks of nobility: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron, assigned based on the feudal lords' kinship or relationship to the Zhou royal house. To consolidate his rule, the King of Zhou implemented a feudal system characterized by "establishing numerous lords and dividing the land among the people."

After the eastern campaigns ended, the Duke of Zhou, adhering to the original plan, built Luoyi in the east to strengthen oversight of the eastern regions. He also constructed Wangcheng west of Luoyi, garrisoning it with eight armies to serve as the eastern capital for receiving homage from the eastern feudal lords. Consequently, the region stretching from Qiyang in the west to Pudian in the east, encompassing the areas of the Wei, Jing, Yellow, and Luo rivers, became the royal domain of Zhou.

Early Western Zhou Situation and Major Vassal States

Haojing was referred to as "Zongzhou"; the eastern capital Wangcheng was called "Chengzhou". To strengthen control over the vast territories, the Duke of Zhou implemented large-scale enfeeffment to create protective buffers for the royal house. Firstly, the former heartland of the Yin capital, centered on Chaoge, was enfeoffed to Kang Shu, the younger brother of King Wu, who established the State of Wei. The Shang ancestral lands in the east, centered on Shangqiu, were enfeoffed to Weizi Qi, a noble from the old Yin lineage who had opposed King Zhou of Shang; he was titled the Duke of Song, enabling him to maintain the Shang ancestral sacrifices.

The Duke of Zhou himself received the enfeoffment of the State of Lu, centered on present-day Qufu, Shandong, and dispatched his eldest son, Bo Qin, to govern it. Upon enfeeffment, he was granted "officials of prayer, ancestral temple, divination, and history, complete ritual objects , and all the ceremonial vessels," thus endowing Lu with the various cultural institutions and systems of the Zhou royal house. The State of Lu became a major power representing the royal house in pacifying the east. In the former territory of Bogu between the sea and Mount Dai, Grand Tutor Shangfu was enfeoffed, establishing the State of Qi at Yingqiu. Qi held the privilege of campaigning against any feudal lord or state that defied the royal house.

The Hedong region served as a northern outpost leading to Taiyuan for defending against invasions by the Di tribes. To bolster its defense, King Cheng's full brother Shu Yu was enfeoffed in the old territory of the State of Tang, establishing the State of Jin. Beyond consolidating its rule over the extensive "Eastern Lands," the Zhou royal house also expanded its "Northern Lands" and "Southern Lands." In the north, to enhance control over the Rongdi tribes north and south of the Yan Mountains and the Liaoxi area, the King of Zhou enfeoffed the Duke of Shao at Ji, establishing the State of Yan.

In the south, to strengthen control over the Ba, Pu, Chu, Deng, and other tribes, states of the same Ji surname like Jiang and Xi were established in the upper reaches of the Huai River; Jiang-surname states like Shen and Lü were established in the Tang and Bai River basins; furthermore, the "Various Ji States of Hanyang" were established between the Huai and Han Rivers. In the Jiangdong region of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, even before King Wen, Taibo (the eldest son of King Tai) and Zhongyong (the second son) had crossed the river and moved south, establishing the State of Wu on the shores of Lake Tai.

Under Zhou rule, numerous older states also persisted, largely maintaining their original status.

According to Xunzi, the early Zhou established seventy-one feudal states, fifty-three of which bore the Ji surname, constituting the vast majority. Among the Ji-surname states, sixteen belonged to the various sons of King Wen; four were held by sons of King Wu; and six were held by descendants of the Duke of Zhou. These fiefdoms varied in size, some being domains within the royal territory. They were widely distributed across the Central Plains region, interspersed with many older states, directly strengthening the ruling power of the Zhou royal house.

Zongzhou

Zongzhou refers firstly to the Zhou Dynasty itself; secondly, it refers to the location of the Zhou capital, such as Fenghao. Chengzhou (Luoyi) was also called Zongzhou. Even after the Zhou court left Haojing, Wangcheng was still named Zongzhou.

Chengzhou

Chengzhou was one of the designations for Luoyang during the Western Zhou period, first appearing in the He Zun inscription from the fifth year of King Cheng's reign: "The King first relocated to dwell at Chengzhou." It is the place referred to as "Zhongguo" (The Central State) in Western Zhou bronze inscriptions. After King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, he proceeded to establish a new capital in the Central Plains. The Chengzhou city was constructed under the direction of the Duke of Zhou and was completed in the fifth year of King Cheng's reign, who then moved the capital there. The He Zun inscription's record of King Cheng "dwelling in this Central State" in his fifth year refers to this event. During the Eastern Zhou period, King Jing of Zhou moved his residence from Luoyang's Wangcheng to Chengzhou to avoid the "Rebellion of Prince Chao".

During the Western Zhou period, Chengzhou city garrisoned the Zhou Eight Armies, directly controlled by the Zhou royal house. Each army comprised 2,500 men, totaling 20,000 troops stationed at Chengzhou to overawe the eastern regions. The Nine Tripod Cauldrons, symbols of royal authority, were placed in the Mingtang hall at Chengzhou to assert dominance over the realm. From King Wu's site selection, the Duke of Shao's surveying of the location, the Duke of Zhou's construction of Luoyang, to King Cheng's setting of the tripods, Chengzhou city was the first capital meticulously planned and built at the state level.

According to the Bamboo Annals chapter "The Making of Luo", Chengzhou's "inner wall was 1,720 zhang square, the outer wall was seventy li in circumference, connected to the Luo River in the south and bordering the Jianshan Mountains (Beimang Mountains) in the north, making it the great convergence point of the world." This indicates Chengzhou was of considerable size. Through multiple archaeological excavations, the remains of a larger Eastern Zhou city site have been discovered outside the mentioned Han dynasty city walls. Within the southern part of the city, a large rammed-earth platform surrounded by a wall was found, yielding numerous flat tiles, cylindrical tiles, ceramic water pipes, and various forms of eaves tiles with taotie (monster mask) and cloud-thunder patterns, likely the site of the Zhou king's palaces and ancestral temples. The northern part of the city contained a very large kiln site and workshops for bone and stone artifacts.

The palace city covered an area of approximately 1.56 square kilometers, while the outer city spanned about 12.45 square kilometers, straddling both banks of the Chan River. The southwestern corner lies partly beneath the old city, and the southeastern corner is estimated to have been destroyed by the Luo River.

According to the Zhou royal city described in the Rites of Zhou - Artificers' Record: "The artificers, in building the state capital, make it nine li square, with three gates on each side. Within the capital are nine north-south and nine east-west avenues, each nine chariot-tracks in width. The Ancestral Temple is on the left [east], the Altar of Soil and Grain on the right [west]. The court is in front [south], the market behind [north]." This indicates a symmetrically laid-out square plan for the city, crisscrossed by roads capable of accommodating nine chariots abreast passing through the city gates, dividing the royal city into nine equal sectors. The palaces were centrally located, with the Ancestral Temple placed to the front-left (east) and the Altars of Soil and Grain built to the front-right (west). The Zhou King faced south to hold court, with the marketplaces behind him to the north. This layout reflected the concepts of "the King resides at the center" and "honoring the number nine," embodying royal authority and strict symmetrical planning principles, which profoundly influenced the construction of imperial capitals in later feudal dynasties.

Related Maps * Map of Zongzhou and Chengzhou in the Western Zhou Dynasty of China * China's Western Zhou Dynasty Zong Zhou location map * China's Cheng Zhou Dynasty Cheng Zhou location map