Chinese Music

The Zhou Fashion

During the Zhou Dynasty the emperor wore Leather breast plates on each side of his chest designed with drawings of dragons and things that showed their personality. They wore these plates to be protected from an attack when they were in war. Sometimes someone who wanted to move on to a new dynasty tried to kill him and the plates saved him. Some of the bravest warriors wore these plates too. The warriors wore the plates to the army that he was in charge no one else.

Op/Ed Article against feudalism

Feudalism is not a good way to run the government of the Zhou dynasty government in many ways. One way it is a bad way is because all of the land belongs to the emperor and the emperor can’t protect all that land. The people of the Zhou Dynasty are angry because they don't think it is fair that they have to grow crops and not get paid for them. Another reason why feudalism is a bad way to run a government is because some of his lords (the people he chooses to run his states.) are cruel to the people of their states and they ask for very high taxes and they sometimes don’t give the emperor the full taxes. The Zhou Dynasty suggests that the emperor could consider changing the government’s way of running its empire to democracy that way everyone has a say. Those are very strong reasons why the Zhou could change.

Religion of the Zhou.

During the Zhou Dynasty in the 6th century BC to be exact, the greatest Chinese philosophers in the Zhou dynasty, those who made the greatest impact on later generations of Chinese, were Confucius, the creators of Confucianism, and also the Laozi, creators of the second religion/belief of the Zhou dynasty called Taoism. The Zhou Dynasty followed one of these beliefs and it was their choice. The Zhou also believed in the coming back of their ancestors and the gods. Some people that lived on the border of the Zhou Dynasty were called peasants and some of them believed in old folk religions passed down from generation to generation.

Interview With Emperor Wu.

Interviewer: Hey there Handsome how you doing?

Emperor Wu: I'm doing thank you.

Interviewer: let’s get started shall we?

Emperor: We shall indeed.

Interviewer: What did you think of the finding of bronze? How did you use it?

Emperor Wu: Well, the finding of bronze was an incredible find. We used the bronze to make bronze coins instead of the spade coins and I also asked my sculptor to make me bronze vessels as art for my palace.

Interviewer: People say that the book of songs helped them a lot. How did it help you and in what ways?

Emperor Wu: Well, the book of songs helped me in how to run my empire because there were some songs in it about past wars and how they won. And I also used it when I got married they sang my favorite song.

Interviewer: What do you think of the invention of the crossbow?

Emperor Wu: I think it is a very fascinating weapon and it really helps us in war.

Interviewer: Very nice, why did you think using feudalism was a good idea?

Emperor Wu: I decided to use feudalism because I thought it would be a good idea that we had different provinces and that each province had its own lord. I also did it because I had more help in running my land and empire.

Interviewer: How long do you think your empire is going to last for, and why?

Emperor Wu: I think my dynasty is going to last for Ten-Thousand years. I think this because I am a good ruler and i can help this empire get through anything.

The Invention of the crossbow

The crossbow a very powerful weapon in the Zhou Dynasty was a great invention in that era. The crossbow was made of either wood, bronze or horns these things were glued together to make the crossbow. The crossbow was used by the military and Mongol horseman. This weapon was used in hunting they used because it killed the animals faster. The Zhou Dynasty traded the crossbow, that’s how they got to Europe and the Americas. This was a great invention by the Zhou because it was easy to carry and fast to use.

Map of the Zhou Dynasty

The Western Zhou.(1022BC to 771BC)

The eastern Zhou.(771BC to 246BC)

Here are the maps of the Zhou Dynasty in the time that it was in power. From the time of 1022 BC to the year 771 BC was the western Zhou dynasty (the first map) this era was known as the era of peace. From the era of 771 BC to 246 BC was known as the Eastern Zhou (the second map) was known for all of its violence and wars. As you see the proclamation line of the Zhou dynasty is only about one-fourth of modern china now. China has a lot more area and a lot more city than during the Zhou dynasty. Some cities were left as memory of this dynasty.

Son of the Heaven

1022 B.C.E. CHANGAN- Yesterday; Emperor Wu said to the people that he was chosen by the gods to defeat the Shang Dynasty and move China on to the next one, the Zhou Dynasty. Some people think that the Mandate of heaven is a hoax and it only exists in myth. Emperor Wu has defeated the Shang dynasty and china is now in a new Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty. Emperor Wu was chosen by the gods to defeat the Shang and rule over the dynasty. People are saying that he hoaxed the whole thing but not li Hou he says, “Before Wu came along there was no crops growing and a lot of floods”. On the other hand people say he was not chosen to rule he just faked the whole thing like Li Xian who says, “That Wu faked everything, and everything was fine until he came along, he ruined everything, because of him no crops are growing and it’s hard for my husband to find a job”. So as you see there are various ideas of what actually happened.

Bibliography

BOOK.

Suzanne, Strauss. The story of Ancient China. Lincoln, Massachusetts

Pemblewick Press, 2002. Print.  

Websites for research.

The Zhou Dynasty. Minnesota State University, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.

. <http://library.thinkquest.org/‌12255/‌library/‌dynasty/‌zhou.html>.

Joseph, Needham. “The crossbow”. Science and Civilization in China, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. </‌http://www.computersmiths.com/‌chineseinvention/‌crossbow.htm>.

Website for images.

 “The Zhou Dynasty.” Google.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.

<http://www.google.com/‌imghp?hl=en&tab=wi>.