The Zhou Dynasty
Around the year 1046 BCE, King Wu, from the province of Zhou, rebelled against King Zhou of Shang and defeated his forces at the Battle of Muye, establishing the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046- 226 BCE). 1046-771 BCE marks the Western Zhou Period while 771-226 BCE marks the Eastern Zhou. The Mandate of Heaven was invoked by the Duke of Zhou, King Wu’s younger brother, to legitimize the revolution as he felt the Shang were no longer acting in the interests of the people. The Mandate of Heaven was defined as the gods’ blessing on a just ruler and rule by divine mandate. When the government no longer served the will of the gods that government would be overthrown. Then, it was specified that there could be only one legitimate ruler of China and that his rule should be legitimized by his proper conduct as a steward of the lands entrusted him from the heaven. Rule could be passed from father to son, but only if the child possessed the necessary virtue to rule. This mandate would later be often manipulated by various rulers entrusting succession to unworthy children.
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The Qin Dynasty
Shi Huangti established the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) which is also known as the Imperial Era in China. He ordered the destruction of the walled barriers which had separated the different states and ordered the building of a great wall along the northern border of his kingdom. Though little remains today of Shi Huangti’s original wall, The Great Wall of china was created under his rule.
The Han Dynasty
The resultant peace initiated by Liu-Bang, brought the stability necessary for culture to again thrive and grow. Trade with the west began during this time, arts and technology increased in complication. The Han are considered the first dynasty to write their history down, but as Shi Huangti destroyed many of the written records of those who came before him, this claim is often disputed. However, there is no doubt that great advances were made under the Han in every area of culture. The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of medicine, China’s earliest written record on medicine, was codified during the Han Dynasty.