The Historical Scrolls: The Zhou Dynasty

[Chinese history, Xia, Shang and Zhou, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn period, Warring States period, Qin Empire] No wild imagination, no power fantasy, just real historical stories. Why was the emperor’s eldest legitimate son abandoned time and again, only to be forced into farming? Through relentless effort, he and his descendants eventually founded the mighty Zhou dynasty, China’s longest-lasting dynasty. The eight hundred years of Zhou rule gave us one remarkable legend after another.

They forged legends: “The phoenix cries at Xiqi; Jiang Taigong confers the title of god; a single leaf earns a noble title; five sheepskins buy a ministerial post; a thousand gold pieces buy a horse’s head.”

They gave us bizarre tales: “A king is struck by heaven’s wrath; a Zhou ruler is drowned by a man; beacon fires fool the feudal lords; Song Xianggong’s misguided benevolence; a child conceived through a surrogate; a rare commodity worth hoarding.”

They displayed extraordinary vision: “King Wu’s campaign against Zhou; the Duke of Zhou spitting out his food to receive visitors; Duke Wu of Zheng rising to power; the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period; the rivalry between Wu and Yue; the partition of Jin by three families; the contending states of the Warring States period.”

They strategized from behind the scenes: “Taigong Wang, Guan Zhong, Yue Yi, Yan Ying, You Yu, Fan Li, Wu Zixu, Shang Yang’s reforms, Su Qin, and Zhang Yi.” A host of renowned ministers gathered.

“One general’s success is built on the bones of ten thousand men.” Wu Qi and Bai Qi shaped the legendary tides of war, where thirty years east of the river could be followed by thirty years west of it. Sun Bin and Pang Juan gave us the stratagem of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, while Sun Wu achieved remarkable feats by drilling his troops.

Beautiful women brought down empires and unsettled armies: Daji and Baosi, Wu Jiang and Xuan Jiang, Li Ji and Xia Ji, Zhao Zhuang Ji, and Xishi, whose beauty made fish sink beneath the water. Watch as their charms sow chaos in the court and bring down kingdoms.

The Hundred Schools of Thought contended; there were no just wars in the Spring and Autumn period.

This was once a land of ritual and propriety, yet it also became a model of collapsing rites and music. Based on Zuo Qiuming’s Zuo’s Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals and Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian, this book presents a detailed, objective, and humanized portrait of the sweeping history of eight hundred years of Zhou rule.