Category: Age of Feudal States

The Zhou Dynasty was the most important times of the origin of Chinese family names. When the Zhou Dynasty was founded, the Heaven-Son, the king of the Zhou Dynasty and the supreme leader of the Chinese nation, conferred feudal states on ministers, sons and relatives who had military achievements. In the long-time history of the…

In 771 BC, Hao, the capital of the Western Zhou Dynasty, was captured by Quan-Rong, a tribe of the Rong Nation. The Heaven-Son, Zhou You-King, was killed. The Capital Hao was destroyed. When many states supported Zhou Ping-King who was the heir of You-King to reoccupy Hao, they found it couldn’t be a capital again.…

The battle of Changping between the Qin State and the Zhao State was the largest battle in ancient China. It decided the future fate of the Chinese nation. In 262 BC, the army of the Qin State invaded the Han State and seized the Yewang region. The Shangdang region, the northern region of the Han…

In the fourth century BC, a splendid academic institution was built in the western suburb of Linzi, the capital of the Qi State. The institution was called “Jixia Academic Palace”. Every day in the palace, hundreds of scholars and students freely discussed the problems related to their state and society and criticized their government. The…

In 1974, Andre Malraux, a famous author and statesman of France, visited Japan. At the news conference, a reporter asked the old man about the differences between Chinese culture and Japanese culture. Malraux said, “China didn’t have warrior spirit. The West Europe had chivalry, and India had it, too. But only China didn’t have it.”…

In 403 BC, Zhou Weilie-King (周威烈王), the supreme monarch of the Eastern Zhou Kingdom, recognized that the Wei (魏) State which separated from Jin (晋) State was a feudal state. The Jin State was the largest country in the Spring-Autumn Period, and the Wei State inherited excellent thoughts from Jin State. It became a strong…

In the Pre-Qin Era (the times before 221 BC) the political system of most Chinese feudal states was based on the separation of three powers. Monarchs and prime ministers held the administrative power, Dasikou (大司寇) held the judicial power, and Taishi (大史, also written as “太史” in later times, the title of official historians, also…

In the Pre-Qin Era (the times before 221 BC), there was democracy in many states. The many monarchs and ministers and even the common people are as friends. Monarchs thought highly of people, and they thought their ruling must be kept by the support of people, not by punishment. If someone offended people, his ruling…

The Jin (晋) State was an important feudal state of the Spring-Autumn Period in modern-day Shanxi Province. This state developed from a small country to a large and powerful one by unceasing reforms and constant expansion. In the early days of the Warring-States Period, this great country divided into three separate countries, and each of…

In the summer of 484 BC, the allied armies of the Wu and Lu States invaded Qi State. At this time, Qi State was in a state of decline because of the rampant disorder after the death of Qi Jing-Gong, the last eminent monarch of Jiang Clan. During the civil strife, the rightful heir of…