This period lasted from about BCE. During this time, power became increasingly decentralized as regional feudal lords began to absorb smaller powers and vie for hegemony. The monarchy continued to lose power, and the people were nearly always at war. The partition of the Jin state created seven major warring states.
A Map of the Warring States of China. This map shows the Warring States late in the period. Qin has expanded southwest, Chu north and Zhao northwest. While the chariot remained in use, there was a shift during the period to infantry, possibly because of the invention of the crossbow.
This meant that war became larger scale, as peasants were drafted to take the place of nobility as soldiers and needed complex logistical support. The Art of War , attributed to Sun Tzu, was written during this time; it remains a very influential book about strategy. A sophisticated form of commercial arithmetic was in place during the period, as shown by a bundle of bamboo slips showing two digit decimal multiplication. The weakening of central Zhou authority is reflected in the visual arts.
Bronze objects were no longer used solely for state and religious rituals. Local rulers could commission and purchase bronzes to display their status and wealth. This was evident in bronze inscriptions. Bell bo with birds and dragons; from a set of four, late Spring and Autumn period, Eastern Zhou dynasty, c. A new addition to Zhou bronzes are musical instruments, including bells.
From the ample discovery of musical instruments in Zhou tombs, it is evident that music played an extremely important role in the Zhou dynasty, whether for religious or recreational purposes. New decorative techniques were invented.
Basin jian with narrative scenes, Middle Eastern Zhou dynasty, c. Pictorial depictions of ancient Chinese life, such as hunting scenes like on a basin or jian , appeared for the first time. New casting techniques, such as the lost-wax method , made possible an even greater range of styles and decoration. Dragon pendant, Eastern Zhou dynasty, B. Sackler, S The jade objects of the Zhou were larger in number compared to those of the Shang and made in a wider variety of styles.
Like bronzes of the period, jades were used less often as ritual objects and more as ornaments and symbols of status and wealth. The arts and humanities also flourished during the Eastern Zhou dynasty.
New ideas of all kinds emerged, including the schools of Confucianism emphasizing social and family structure , Daoism following the patterns of nature , and legalism promoting systematic rewards and punishments. They addressed the most important question of the time: how to create a stable and harmonious society.
These competing philosophies and systems of thought continued to influence Chinese beliefs in later eras, and many of them are still in active use today.
This book can be found in most American bookstores. There were many great thinkers during this period. Among them Confucius — BC was the most celebrated. He is considered the originator of Chinese humanism. He established moral codes to guide human conduct, and a set of proper relations among different members of a society, between emperor and subjects, parents and children, older and younger brothers, and husband and wife.
Besides Confucius, there were many other prominent philosophers. There was Han Fei-tze who taught almost the opposite by emphasizing the importance of the legal system. There was Guan Zhong who understood much economics including the incentives of different forms of government taxation. There were a hundred schools of thought contending, like a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred birds singing. The writings of that period are available today for us to read and enjoy.
Agriculture in Zhou Dynasty was very intensive and in many cases directed by the government.
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