5. The late (Eastern) Zhou period

(771 BC to 221 BC)

It meant a further decline in the power of the late Zhou rulers, which in time extended only to the area around the city of Luoyang, although the rest of the small states continued to recognise their sacral role. The first three hundred years of this nearly half-millennium were named after a historical work on the period, entitled “The Spring and Autumn Annals”.

“The Spring and Autumn Period”

(771 BC to 476 BC)

            – Meanwhile:

            Middle East: the golden age of the Old Persian Empire (the reign of Darius I)

Mediterranean region: the founding of Rome

Carpathian Basin: the appearance of the Scythians

At that time, China was already home to more than a hundred small states rivalling with each other. The resulting permanent precariousness and anarchy gave rise to new religious and philosophical trends, most of which promised order and security. The best known of these are perhaps Taoism, founded by Laozi, or Confucianism, named after Confucius. For the next two thousand years or more, these philosophies were to have a profound influence not only on the mindset of the Chinese people, but also on the ideology of the state, the functioning of the administration, etc. It was also during this period that laws were committed to writing in some states. Towards the end of the “Spring and Autumn Period”, the political situation seemed to be becoming somewhat clearer, with some of the larger principalities gradually gaining the upper hand over others. The spread of iron, a new metal that allowed the making of better and more efficient weapons, helped them a great deal.

               “Warring States” period

            (476 BC to 221 BC)     

            – Meanwhile:

            Middle East: the reign of Alexander the Great

Mediterranean region: the Roman Republic

Carpathian Basin: the Celtic invasion

The second period of the late Zhou age, the „Warring States”, which lasted for about 250 years, also took its name from the title of a historical work: “Record of the Warring States”. By the last decades of the period, first seven and then only three major states remained: the Qin, the Qi and the Chu. By this time, the ultimate goal of the dukes of all three states had become clear: to conquer the other states and unite China under one rule. To this end, they all proclaimed themselves with the title of wang, or ‘king’, previously used only by the Chou dukes. Moreover, they also introduced a series of administrative, social and economic reforms to enable them to deal most effectively with their rivals. This was ultimately best achieved by the immensely talented king of the state Qin, Ying Zheng, who, after nearly a thousand years of fragmentation and anarchy, unified the entire territory of China in one hand, and ushered in the era of the Qin dynasty.