Dynasties of ChinaEarly China · The beginnings of civilization
14 Eastern Zhou kings · 770–476 BCE · The rise of the Five Hegemons
As the Zhou court moved east and royal authority weakened, rival states competed for dominance. Laozi and Confucius helped shape the emerging traditions of Chinese thought.
Dynastic color · Autumn ochre
The Spring and Autumn period is named after the "Spring and Autumn period" in the chronicle of the State of Lu. It generally refers to the year when King Ping of Zhou Dynasty moved eastward from 770 BC to 476 BC. In 771 BC, Shen Hou united with Zeng State and Quan Rong to attack Haojing, and Zhou King You was killed under Lishan Mountain. The following year, King Ping moved the capital to Luoyi under the protection of Jin, Zheng, Qin and other princes, which was called the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in history. The area under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family was shrinking day by day. In 707 BC, King Huan of Zhou personally led the princes to attack Zheng. He was shot in the shoulder by Zheng's army in Suige. The authority of the common ruler of the world plummeted from then on.
After the decline of the royal family, great powers emerged one after another to dominate. Qi Huangong appointed Guan Zhong to reform, called on the princes to "respect the king and resist the barbarians", and became the first to achieve hegemony; Jin Wengong defeated the Chu army in the battle of Chengpu, and the alliance was established; Qin Mugong dominated Xirong; Chu Zhuangwang aspired to the Central Plains, and Bi defeated Jin. In the late Spring and Autumn period, Wu and Yue rose in the southeast. King Wu He Lü conquered the capital of Chu, and King YueGou Jian endured humiliation and strengthened himself, finally destroying Wu. In frequent wars for hegemony, many small countries were annexed by big countries.
During this period, society underwent drastic changes. Iron farm tools and ox farming began to appear. Reforms such as the "initial taxation of acres" in the Lu State gradually disintegrated the well field system. Zheng and Jin successively promulgated statutory laws. Power was transferred from the emperor to the princes, and from the princes to the ministers and officials. The Six Ministers of Jin, the Three Huan of Lu, and the Tian family of Qi successively became good at governing. "The collapse of rituals and the collapse of music" became a characteristic of the times. Academics also moved from the government to the people. Laozi wrote books and preached Taoism, and Confucius opened private schools. This is where the studies of various scholars began.
Qi Huangong called on the princes to form alliances by respecting the Emperor of Zhou and resisting the Rong and Di. The overlord used the name of the emperor to preside over alliances, conquer dissatisfaction, and mediate disputes. "Rituals and music came from the princes," forming a unique hegemonic pattern of the Spring and Autumn period.
The Jin State "made land", the Lu State "first taxed acres" and "made Qiu Jia", and the Zheng State "made Qiu Fu". Countries successively levied taxes and military taxes based on acres of land, which promoted the development of private land ownership, and the well-field system based on public and private fields gradually collapsed.
Iron farm tools appeared during the Spring and Autumn periods, and oxen were used to plow the fields in the later period. Ran Geng, a disciple of Confucius, had the courtesy name Boniu and Sima Geng had the courtesy name Ziniu. Their names corresponded to their characters, which is circumstantial evidence of Niu Geng. Increased productivity promoted private land reclamation and social change.
In 536 BC, Zheng GuoZi Chan cast the punishment book on the tripod. In 513 BC, Zhao Yang and Xun Yin of the Jin Dynasty cast the punishment tripod, which broke the old tradition of the nobles "discussing matters to make the system" and keeping the laws secret. It was criticized by Shu Xiang, Confucius and others.
Before the Spring and Autumn period, "learning was in the government". Confucius was the first to initiate private lectures and advocated "teaching without distinction". It is said that he had three thousand disciples and 72 who were proficient in the six arts. The downward movement of education led to the rise of the clergy class, which laid the foundation for the contention of a hundred schools of thought during the Warring States period.
The Book of Songs contains 305 poems from the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn period, divided into styles, elegances and songs. It is the earliest poetry collection in China. "Spring and Autumn period" is a chronicle of the Lu state, starting from 722 BC and ending in 481 BC. It is said that it was revised by Confucius.
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In 771 BC, Shen Hou united with Quanrong to attack Haojing and killed King You of Zhou Dynasty. The following year, King Ping moved the capital to Luoyi under the protection of Jin, Zheng, Qin and other princes, and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty began. Qin Xianggong was granted the title of a prince for his meritorious service in escorting, and was granted the land west of Qishan Mountain.
King Huan of Zhou deprived Zheng Zhuanggong of his position as a minister, and Zheng Bo refused to rule. King Huan then led the Zhou, Chen, Cai, and Wei armies to attack Zheng. They were defeated at Suige and he was shot in the shoulder by Zhu Dan, the general of Zheng. The emperor's prestige was ruined, and the princes no longer obeyed the royal family.
Qi Huangong appointed Guan Zhong to reform the internal affairs, and with the call of "respecting the king and rejecting the barbarians", he expedition to the north to save the Yan army, Cunxing to save the Wei, and the south to attack the Chu state to establish the Zhaoling alliance. In the meeting of Kuiqiu in 651 BC, King Zhou sent an envoy to grant Xun, and Qi's hegemony reached its peak.
Song Xianggong wanted to succeed Qi Huangong and fought with the Chu army in Hongshui. He insisted on "no drums, no formations" and waited until the Chu army had crossed the river and formed a formation before attacking. As a result, he was severely defeated. He was injured in the buttocks and died of his injuries the next year.
Jin Wengong fulfilled the promise of "retreating three houses" when he was in exile, struck later and defeated the Chu army in Chengpu. After the war, the princes met in Jiantu, and the king of Zhou went to personally appoint Jin Wengong as his uncle, thus establishing the hegemony of the Jin state.
Qin Mugong's eastward advance was blocked. In 627 BC, the Qin army was ambushed by the Jin army in Miao Mountain and the entire army was annihilated. After that, he turned to the west and used Yu Zhi to plan and attack the Rong. He "benefited the twelve countries, opened up thousands of miles of land, and conquered the Xirong." The emperor of Zhou sent an envoy to congratulate him.
Chu Zhuangwang defeated Lu Hun's army and sent troops to the suburbs of Zhou. He asked Wang Sunman, the Zhou doctor, about the size and importance of the nine tripods. Wang Sunman replied, "It depends on virtue, not on the tripod." In the Battle of Bi in 597 BC, the Chu army defeated the Jin army, and King Zhuang dominated the Central Plains.
The State of Lu implemented the "initial taxation of acres". Regardless of public land or private land, taxes were all based on the actual acres of land. This reform increased national income and objectively recognized the legitimacy of private land. It was an important symbol of the disintegration of the well-field system.
After Hua Yuan of the Song Dynasty initiated the annihilation of troops in 579 BC, the Song Dynasty official Xiang Xu once again brokered an alliance. Jin, Chu and other more than ten countries met in the Song Dynasty to form an alliance, and it was agreed that the allies of Jin and Chu must meet each other. In the following decades, wars in the Central Plains decreased significantly.
Zi Chan, the ruler of Zheng Guo, cast the criminal law provisions on a tripod and made them public. It is generally believed that this was the first time that a statutory law was announced in China. Xiang, the shu of the Jin Dynasty, wrote a letter to object, and Zi Chan replied, "I will save the world."
King Wu He Lü used Wu Zixu and Sun Wu's plan to unite Cai and Tang to attack Chu, defeated the Chu army in Baiju, and entered Ying, the capital of Chu, in five battles. King Zhao of Chu fled, and the official Shen Baoxu went to Qin to ask for help. Qin sent troops, and Chu was restored.
Ji Huanzi, the ruler of Lu State, accepted the gift of female music from Qi State and neglected political affairs. Confucius left Lu in 497 BC and led his disciples to visit Wei, Song, Chen, Cai and other countries to preach benevolent governance and moral governance, but to no avail. He returned to Lu in 484 BC and devoted himself to education and compilation of classics.
King YueGou Jian defeated the Wu army at Jia Li, and King Wu He Lü died of serious injuries. In 494 BC, Fu Cha defeated the Yue army. Gou Jian was trapped in Kuaiji and sued for peace. After that, Gou Jian worked hard and took advantage of Fu Cha's northward march to Huangchi to fight for hegemony. He attacked Wu and finally destroyed Wu in 473 BC.
In the late Spring and Autumn period, the political power of various countries was transferred to the lower level. The six ministers of the Jin State merged with each other. In 490 BC, the Fan family and the Zhongxing family were defeated, and the four ministers of Zhi, Han, Zhao, and Wei were in charge of state affairs. In 481 BC, Qi Guotian Chang killed Qi Gong Jian and specialized in state affairs. The three families are divided into Jin, and the Tian family has emerged to replace Qi.
Named Yiwu, he was friends with Bao Shuya in his early years. He once assisted Prince Jiu and Qi Huangong in their struggle for the throne, and was later recommended as prime minister by Bao Shuya. He carried out reforms such as "taking advantage of the land and weakening the expedition" to help Duke Huan "unify the nine princes and unite the world." Confucius praised and said, "If I look at Zhongzhong, I will be sent to the left."
The surname is Jiang and the given name is Xiaobai. After taking the throne in 685 BC, regardless of the revenge of Shegou, he re-employed Guan Zhong, called on the princes to "respect the king and resist the barbarians", and became the first overlord in the Spring and Autumn period. In his later years, he favored Yi Ya, Shu Diao and others. After his death, all the disciples fought for his position, and his body was left unattended for more than sixty days.
Named Chong'er, he was exiled for 19 years due to the rebellion of Li Ji, and traveled through Di, Qi, Chu, Qin and other countries. In 636 BC, he returned to his country and ascended the throne with the support of Qin Mugong. After rectifying the internal affairs and quelling the chaos in the Dingzi belt, Chengpu defeated Chu and became the overlord after Qi Huangong.
The surname Mi is Xiong, a famous traveler. In the first three years after taking the throne, there were no orders. The minister used the metaphor of a bird to admonish him. He replied, "If there is no singing for three years, the singing will be amazing." After that, he appointed talents, rectified the state affairs, and aspired to dominate the surrounding suburbs. He defeated the Jin army in the Battle of Bi and became one of the overlords of the Spring and Autumn period.
It is said that the court musician during the reign of Duke Ping of Jin Dynasty was blind and was good at distinguishing sounds. When Jin and Chu were at war, he sang songs about the southern wind and asserted that the Chu army would be in vain; he often used music to persuade the monarch. Mencius regarded "Shi Kuang's wisdom" and "Li Lou's wisdom" simultaneously, and later generations regarded them as a model for musicians.
His courtesy name was Pingzhong, and he served as an official in Qi Ling Gong, Zhuang Gong, and Jinggong dynasties. He was famous for his frugality and his ability to make sarcastic remarks. When he was sent as an envoy to Chu, he responded tactfully and safeguarded the dignity of the country. "Yan Zi's envoy to Chu" became a good story. Later generations compiled his words and deeds into "Yan Zi Spring and Autumn Period".
A famous overseas Chinese with the courtesy name Zi Chan, he has been in power in the country for more than 20 years. Dealing with the two powerful forces of Jin and Chu to protect the small country; internally rectifying farm boundaries, reforming military taxes, casting punishment books, and not destroying rural schools to listen to people's opinions. When Confucius heard of his death, he wept and said, "This is the love left over from ancient times."
According to "Historical Records", his surname was Li Ming'er, whose courtesy name was Dan. He was a native of Ku County, Chu State. He once served as the guardian of the Zhou royal family and Confucius once asked him for courtesy. According to legend, the Tao Te Ching contains 5,000 words, proposing that "Tao follows nature" and advocates tranquility and inaction, making him the ancestor of Taoism. His life and book Date range are still controversial.
His name was Qiu, his courtesy name was Zhongni, and he was a native of Zouyi, State of Lu. He proposed a theory with "benevolence" as the core and "ritual" as the norm, and advocated moral education; he was the first to open private schools, teaching regardless of distinction. In his later years, he compiled "Poems" and "Books", and revised "Spring and Autumn period" according to legend. His disciples compiled his words and deeds into The Analects of Confucius.
A native of Qi State, he met King He Lü of Wu with the Thirteen Articles on the Art of War. He performed a formation in the palace and killed King Wu's two favorite concubines to show military discipline, so he was appointed as a general. "Historical Records" says that the state of Wu "defeated the powerful Chu in the west, entered Ying, and conquered Qi and Jin in the north." Sun Tzu and Li Liyan. "Sun Tzu's Art of War" is known as the "Holy Text of Military Science".
Ming Yuan, a native of Chu State, his father and brother were killed by Chu King Ping, and he fled to Wu State. He assisted He Lü in seizing the throne, promoted Wu and trained troops, led the army to conquer the capital of Ying, and exhumed the tomb of King Ping of Chu to whip his corpse for revenge. Later, he strongly admonished Fu Cha not to allow peace between Yue and Wu, and not to go north to fight for hegemony. He was slandered and sentenced to death. Before his death, he predicted that Yue would destroy Wu.
In 494 BC, he was defeated in Kuaiji and knelt down to seek peace. After returning home, he "put his courage in sitting", must taste the food and drink, share the joys and sorrows with the people, and appoint Fan Li and Wen Zhong to work hard. In 473 BC, he defeated Wu and went north to Xuzhou to ally with the princes, claiming the title of Overlord. Later generations interpreted the allusion of "sleeping on fuel and tasting courage".
Shaobo, a native of the Chu state, and Wen Zhong assisted Gou Jian for more than 20 years, helping Yue to destroy Wu. After his success, he believed that Gou Jian "can share the same troubles and find peace in difficulties", so he sailed away on the sea, and later became rich by doing business in Tao Di, named Tao Zhu Gong, and was regarded as a model businessman by later generations.