Dynasties of ChinaWarring States periodEastern Zhou royal family
Reign 440–426 BCE
After killing his brother and seizing the throne, he named his younger brother Xi Zhouhuanggong in Henan. During his reign, the three Jin Dynasties became stronger and stronger, and the king of Jin rebelled against the three families.
Ji Wei was the youngest son of King Zhending. In 441 BC, he attacked and killed his brother King Si and became independent. In order to accommodate his younger brother Jie, he sealed the land in Henan where the royal city was located to Jie as Xi Zhouhuangong. From this, the Western Zhou Kingdom was born. After that, the Eastern Zhou Kingdom was divided, and the Zhou royal family was further divided. During the fifteen years of King Kao's reign, the Jin government declined to the point of turning against the kings of Han, Zhao, and Wei; King Yi of Zeng State in the south passed away, and the chime bells and other cultural relics in his tomb were rediscovered more than two thousand years later; Mo Zi went to Chu to dissuade Gong Shuban from building ladders for Chu to attack Song.
PoliticsKill your brother and stand on your own
King Zhending Shaozi Wei attacked and killed his elder brother King Si who had only been on the throne for five months, and proclaimed himself king, ending the chaotic situation of three kings changing within a year.
PoliticsNamed brother in Henan
King Kao granted the land of Henan where the royal city was located to his younger brother Jie, and asked him to inherit the official position of Duke Zhou, which was named Xi Zhouhuangong. The Western Zhou Kingdom was born from this, and later it was divided into the Eastern Zhou Kingdom, and the Zhou royal family became increasingly divided.
PeopleMo Zi stopped Chu and attacked Song
Gong Shuban built a ladder for the Chu State to prepare for the attack on the Song Dynasty. After hearing the news, Mo Zi rushed to Yingdu for ten days and nights.
Lasting legacyThe word "stick to the rules" in the idiom "stick to the rules" comes from Mo Zi's allusion of being good at guarding the city.
PoliticsJin Jun rebelled against three families
According to "Historical Records: Jin Family", when Jin Yougong was afraid of the three families, he instead went to court with the kings of Han, Zhao and Wei. The king of Jin only kept Jiang and Quwo, and the rest of the land went to the three Jins.
CultureTomb of Ceng Houyi
King Yi of the state of Zeng died around this period, and was buried with more than 15,000 bells, chimes, and bronze plates in his tomb. An inscription on a bell records that King Hui of Chu made Zong Yi for Ceng Houyi in the fifty-sixth year of Hui's reign (433 BC).
Lasting legacyCeng Houyi chimes were unearthed in Suizhou, Hubei in 1978. There are 65 pieces in total, with a musical range spanning five and a half octaves. They can still be played and are now in the Hubei Provincial Museum.
Science & technologyErbasu paint box
On the lid of a lacquer box unearthed from Ceng Houyi's tomb, the word "Dou" surrounding the Big Dipper wrote the complete name of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, with green dragons and white tigers painted on it. It is the earliest complete written record of the Twenty-Eight Constellations seen so far.
Lasting legacyThe Twenty-Eight Constellations system has been used until modern times and is still the basic framework for classifying the starry sky in traditional Chinese astronomy.
Ming Jie, the younger brother of King Kao. He was granted the title of Henan, where the royal city is located, inherited the official position of Duke of Zhou, and was the founder of the Western Zhou Kingdom. From then on, the Zhou royal family attached itself to the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties, almost like a sojourn.
Named Zhai. Advocating universal love and non-attack, he traveled thousands of miles to Chu to dissuade Song from attacking, and used city defense skills to make Gong Shuban's siege equipment unable to be used.
The skillful craftsman of Lu State was later known as Lu Ban. He made ladders for Chu State and prepared to attack Song Dynasty, but was persuaded by Mo Zi to stop. Later generations in the carpentry and construction industries regarded him as their ancestor.
In the early Warring States period, he was the king of Zeng State. His tomb was excavated in Suizhou, Hubei Province in 1978, and a large number of precious cultural relics such as bells and bronze plates were unearthed, reflecting the superb level of music and bronze casting at that time.