Question

How did the Zhou dynasty establish its right to rule China?

Answer 1

The Zhou Dynasty originated from the Zhou clan whose existence stretches back into history. By the 11th Century BC, this clan had become increasingly powerful and had extended throughout the present Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces. The Clan's mightiness increasingly menaced the Shang Dynasty and the conflict between the two groups intensified.

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Answer 2

China's written history goes back thousands of years to include the Zhou Dynasty (pronounced like "Joe"), which was founded in the year 1046 B.C. according to China's Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project. This was a time when the Chinese system of kings and emperors was first emerging, and a principle was developed to explain why the king had the right to rule. This principle, translated into English as the "Mandate of Heaven," would continue to justify the rule of Chinese leaders for three millenia, until the fall of the last imperial dynasty in 1911.