The Zhou Dynasty 周朝

The Zhou Dynasty followed the Shang Dynasty 商朝 and preceded the Qin Dynasty 秦朝. The Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history. The military control of China by the Royal House of Ji 姬 lasted initially from 1046 until 771 BC for a period known as the Western Zhou, and the political sphere of influence that it created continued for another 500 years well into the second Zhou period called the Eastern Zhou. Roughly the first half of the Eastern Zhou begins with an era often referred to as the Spring and Autumn Period 春秋时代. This was a period in Chinese history that lasted from c. 771 to c. 476 BC (or according to some authorities until c. 403 BC). The period's name derives from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu from 722 to 479 BC which tradition still associates with Confucius. Approximately the second half of the Eastern Zhou, following the Spring and Autumn Era, is generally associated with the so-called Warring States Period 戰國時代 which concludes with the Qin wars of conquest and ends with the annexation of all other competing states, ultimately leading to the victory of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC forming the first but short-lived unified Chinese Empire. Although different scholars point toward different dates ranging from 481 BC to 403 BC as the true beginnings of the Warring States, Sima Qian's choice of 475 BC is the most often cited. The Warring States Era also overlaps with the second half of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, though the Chinese sovereign, known as the King of Zhou, ruled merely as a figurehead and served as a backdrop against the machinations of the warring states.