The Shang dynasty was overthrown in about 1046 BC by a people from the valley of the River Wei, a tributary of the Yellow River (Huang He). They founded the Zhou dynasty which lasted for more than 800 years—longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history—although full political and military control of the region by the Zhou dynasty lasted only until 771 BC. After that, China descended into chaos with wars frequently breaking out between rival states. This later part of the Zhou dynasty was also a period when Chinese scholars began to study philosophy, the meaning of life. The most important Chinese philosophers of the time were Laozi, the founder of Taoism, and Confucius.

Western Zhou

Zhou dynasty rulers held power in China until 771 BC. The dynasty, called the Western Zhou, slowly lost control over its fiefdoms, ruled by increasingly powerful nobles. Eventually, it was driven out of the Wei valley. Their capital was moved eastwards to Wangcheng, modern-day Luoyang, marking the beginning of the Eastern Zhou period.

Spring and Autumn period

From about 771 BC, Zhou authority over the various states it ruled over continued to decline, but the king’s importance allowed the Zhou dynasty, called the Eastern Zhou, to remain for another five centuries. This began with what is known as the Spring and Autumn period.

Confucius

Kong Qiu, known as Confucius (551-479 BC), was a teacher, politician and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period. Living during a time of conflict, Confucius’s purpose was to restore peace and order in the land. He wanted a society in which everyone fulfilled their responsibilities and helped create harmony, as a result of which the whole country would prosper.

​​​​​​​Confucius believed in strong family loyalty and respect, both by children of their elders and between husbands and wives. His philosophy emphasized morality—knowing the difference between right and wrong—a principle to be upheld by both individuals and governments. His Golden Rule was: "Do not do to others what you would not have done to yourself".

Warring States period

The Warring States period (475–221 BC) followed the Spring and Autumn period, and ended with the Qin victorious in wars of conquest over all the other states. The Zhou king ruled only as a figurehead while the individual states made alliances and fought amongst themselves. The seven main Warring States were: Qin, Han, Wei, Zhao (the successor states to Jin), Qi, Chu and Yan. Each ruler claimed the “Mandate of Heaven” to justify their attempts at conquest of the other states.

​​​​​​​The emergence of Zheng, King of Qin, a brilliant military commander, saw Qin achieve stunning victories over its rivals in a period of only nine years, starting in 230 BC. By 221 BC, Zheng, now titled Qin Shi Huangdi, ruled over the first unified Chinese empire.