The twelfth emperor of the Western Zhou, King You (795-771 BC), was also her last. His accession had had been greeted with solar and lunar eclipses, earthquakes and landslides: anyone in the ancient would would have adviced caution and discretion under such circumstances. A man of little ability, King You did not much care. What finally brought him down was the divisions he caused in his administration by his paddling of state affair in favour of his concubine. His end came when his capital city at Houjing came under attack by the nomadic Xianyun. Already having cried wolf more than once too often, his subjects refused this time to respond to his summon.
His nobles who survived fled east and founded a new dynasty at Chengzhou (modern Luoyang) historians now refer to as the Eastern Zhou. Though politically unstable most of the time the Eastern Zhou also represented a period of great cultural advancement. This was particularly so during the earlier period of the dynasty, what is called the "Spring and Autumn" period (c771-450 BC). Though paper was yet to be invented, writing—using bamboo strips tied together—became one of the, if not the, greatest hallmarks of the Eastern Zhou era. The Chinese word for "book" was invented during this period and, henceforth, the scholar-author would gain a badge of prestige and honour seldom shown to others. In particular two persons dominated this period: Laozi and Confucius. Their writings and views have shapde and influenced every Chineses person ever after (Mao's cultural valdalism not withstanding). Sun Tzu (c.544-496), a military general and historian, wrote The Art of War, perhaps the most popular Chinese book known to the West.
This period of political stability came to an end almost immediately upon Confucius's death (though, of course, he had nothing to do with it). In that year, one of the states (Chen) was annexed by her neighbour (Chu). The country soon descended into chaos until only seven out of the 148 were left to slug it among themselves for supremacy; China entered the years of the "Warring States." But even as the political landscape was morphing towards the Qin Dynasty, the tide of cultural innovations continued apace. Iron technology replace bronze. Coins came into circulation. Agricultural, irrigation, and flood control reforms began. Food suplus were stockpiled. Ciy walls became a norm. A standing army began to take shape. The intelligensia continued to prove fruitful: Daoism took hold, though Confucism would be ignored for many years yet. Meng Zi (better known as Mencius in the West, c370-300 BC), Xunzi (c312-230), Han Fei (c280-233) added their contributions to the treasure trove of China.
Further Reading & Resources:
John King Fairbank and Merle Goldman, China. A New History. Second Enlarged Edition. Cambridge, MS: Belknap Press of Harvard Univerity Press, 2006. See esp., the first two chapter of Part One.
Alexandro Monro, The Paper Trail. An Unexpected History of a Revolutionary Invention. London: Allen Lane, 2014.
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