The early leaders of the Zhou Dynasty introduced the idea of the "Mandate of Heaven". ... The government of the Zhou was based on the feudal system. The emperor divided the land into fiefs that were usually ruled by his relatives. The nobles who ruled the fiefs basically owned the farmers who worked their lands.
During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty ancient shamanist practices were forged into a system of moral beliefs for daily life that later became Confucianism (See Confucianism, Religion). The Zhou also refined writing. It said people in the Zhou Dynasty had also learned to grow fruit trees in orchards.
