This famous brick carving of the Han Dynasty portrait depicts a timeless legend – Duke Fu Cheng of Zhou. The central figure in the portrait seems to be the underage King Cheng of Zhou. However, the world admires the elder around King Cheng of Zhou, who worked tirelessly to support the underage King of Zhou, and ultimately led the entire dynasty out of difficulties and towards prosperity. He is Zhou Gongdan, the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou. Zhou is not only famous as a politician, but also revered as the Yuan Sheng in the history of Chinese civilization. He is the pioneer of the idea of governing the country with morality and the founder of Chinese etiquette civilization. He is also Confucius. The best role model in my heart, although he only served as regent for seven years, not only laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Western Zhou Dynasty for a hundred years, but also laid the foundation for the inheritance of Chinese civilization for thousands of years, Until now, people still often gather in the Temple of Duke Zhou to pay homage to this great sage.
In 1046 BC, King Wu of Zhou led his elite troops to attack Chaoge of the Shang Dynasty with a destructive force. The main army of the Shang Dynasty had been fighting against the Eastern Barbarians and could not return to Chaoge in a short period of time. King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty organized hundreds of thousands of slaves and prisoners of war to march to the front line of the pastoral areas. As soon as the war began, they all defected and the flames of war quickly spread to Chaoge. King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty was forced to commit suicide, and the 600 year long rule of the Shang Dynasty came to an end. After the Shang Dynasty was conquered, King Wu of Zhou was very aware that the foundation of the Shang Dynasty was far from being destroyed. In order to stabilize the situation, before leaving Chaoge, King Wu of Zhou conferred the title of Wu Geng, the son of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, before leaving Chaoge. He stayed in the former land of the Shang Dynasty to continue commanding the Shang people. He was not at ease with Wu Geng, so he also appointed his younger brothers Guan Shu, Cai Shu, and Huo Shu around him, known as the Three Supervisors. Obviously, the Three Supervisors were set up to monitor and guard against the remnants of the Shang Dynasty, However, this kind of monitoring is clearly too simplistic.
Returning to Haojing, King Wu of Zhou couldn’t sleep at night. How could he truly make the old tribes of the Shang Dynasty submit, and how could he rule this vast territory that he had not yet truly controlled? King Wu of Zhou did not come up with a good solution in a short period of time. The newly established Zhou Dynasty was full of crisis, and King Wu of Zhou had been deeply worried about it. Only two years after conquering the Shang Dynasty, King Wu of Zhou was seriously ill in Haojing and could not afford it.
Liu Yuan: Zhou often referred to himself as Xiaobang Zhou, so he had a strong sense of crisis when he conquered this great Shang dynasty. He didn’t have that much confidence in whether his rule could be sustained and stable.
Professor Zhu Fenghan from Peking University: He can’t sleep at night, which is because he can’t sleep at night. One of his main concerns is how to deal with the issue of merchant immigrants. At that time, merchants were based on their clans, and large families still existed. The military force of resistance was very strong, and the Zhou people were very worried about whether they could maintain this world.
During the period when King Wu of Zhou was seriously ill, his younger brother, Duke Zhou, was very devout in offering prayers to the previous king. As long as King Wu of Zhou could recover from his illness, he was willing to die on his behalf. Duke Zhou placed the memorial in the Golden Teng Chamber and advised the left and right not to speak out. In the concept at that time, such prayers were undoubtedly to be verified, and Duke Zhou also prepared to die. Among King Wu’s brothers, Duke Zhou was the most outstanding in both character and talent, and was the most capable assistant of King Wu of Zhou. After the extermination of the Shang Dynasty, although Duke Zhou also had a fiefdom, King Wu of Zhou kept him by his side to handle the most important affairs of the dynasty. However, not long after, King Wu passed away. After Zhou Wu’s death, Crown Prince Song ascended to the throne, and he was King Cheng of Zhou. Duke Zhou, as regent, took over the overall situation. In fact, before his death, King Wu of Zhou hoped to pass on the throne to Duke Zhou, not his young crown prince. Obviously, in the eyes of King Wu of Zhou, only Duke Zhou could complete the arduous task of stabilizing this new dynasty. However, Duke Zhou did not accept it, but supported Crown Prince Song’s ascension and handled national affairs as regent.
Du Weiming: Duke Zhou was unable to govern in many places. At that time, King Wu was already very clear that only he could inherit the throne. However, he also knew that if he inherited the throne, there would be significant changes in the entire situation, and he may not have complete control, so he would only be able to regent.
Zhou Gong did not accept the position of King Zhou, hoping to take control of the overall situation in a safe way, so that the Zhou Dynasty could overcome the crisis and get back on track as soon as possible. However, things went against his wishes, and Zhou Gong faced extremely serious suspicion and rebellion. The news of Zhou Gong’s regency spread to the eastern region, and Guan Shu and Cai Shu, who were both younger brothers of King Wu, were very angry. Under the instigation of Wu Geng, the son of King Zhou of Shang, they spread rumors that Zhou Gong would be unfavorable to King Cheng. Rumors spread like flames, and even the most trusted Zhou Gong, Zhao Gong, became suspicious. In the Zhou Dynasty, Zhao Gong’s status was second only to Zhou Gong, and they were both Zhou Wu. Wang’s right-hand man, Duke Zhou must persuade Duke Zhao, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.
Shadow puppetry in Qishan County, Shaanxi Province
The real history is also full of intense dramatic conflicts, and the interior of the King of Zhou is still full of hidden currents, especially the underage King Cheng of Zhou who is full of vigilance against the Duke of Zhou. In order to ease the situation, Duke of Zhou voluntarily left the capital and retreated to the east. However, external officials such as Guan Shu and Cai Shu did not stop their actions as a result. They continued to unite with the remnants of the Shang Dynasty, such as Wu Geng, the son of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. Instead of spreading messages, they directly turned to launching rebellions. Dozens of small and large states such as Xu, Yan, and Huaiyi in the east also responded, all of which had close relations with the Yin Shang Dynasty. The massive rebellion spread throughout the eastern part of the Zhou Dynasty and quickly swept to the western part. This was an extremely heavy blow to the newly established Zhou Dynasty, which had just been established for more than three years. In the face of the enemy, Duke Zhou was very anxious. However, if the suspicion of King Cheng of Zhou was not eliminated, he would not be able to return to the capital to respond to the crisis. For this reason, Duke Zhou wrote a poem titled “The Owl” to King Cheng of Zhou, expressing his urgent concern about the destruction of the Zhou royal family by not destroying his own family, while Duke Zhao and others realized the true reason for Duke Zhou’s regency. They dispelled their doubts and urged Duke Zhou to come back and clean up this mess. However, King Cheng of Zhou remained deeply wary of Duke Zhou, and a sudden event occurred.
Natural disasters are accompanied by man-made disasters. In the autumn of that year, when there was a bountiful harvest of grains, there was still no time to harvest. The sky was filled with lightning and thunder, and strong winds blew down the rice. Some big trees were uprooted, causing great fear among the people of Zhou. According to the usual practice at that time, King Cheng of Zhou prepared a ceremony to predict good or bad fortune. At this time, he heard about the past when King Wu was seriously ill. Duke Zhou prayed to the previous king that he was willing to die in his place, so he opened the Golden Vine Chamber and indeed obtained Duke Zhou’s policy. Duke Zhou’s sincere heart towards the Zhou Dynasty ultimately influenced King Cheng of Zhou. He completely dispelled his doubts and shed tears, saying Zhou Gongqin works hard for the Wang family. I, as a young man, am ignorant and powerful, demonstrating Zhou Gongde’s virtues. I personally welcome Zhou Gong back. According to legend, when King Cheng of Zhou arrived in the suburbs to welcome Duke Zhou, it started raining and a reverse wind blew. The rice that had been blown down first stood up again. The authenticity of this story remains to be tested, but in history, King Cheng of Zhou ultimately decided to face the first major crisis of the dynasty with Duke Zhou.
Du Weiming: We don’t care if the appearance of Jin Teng is true or false, at least we imagine that it has such a possibility. So, in this way, the original intention of Duke Zhou, his original intention, is pure. He wants to exert his accumulated strength for the sake of the Zhou Dynasty’s lifeline, which is completely public, not for personal gain.
Wang Zhenzhong: Because King Cheng was too young, all the major policies and measures were carried out under the personal supervision of Duke Zhou, including the Eastern Expedition.
Qishan Zhuangu, Qishan County, Shaanxi Province
Wang Zhihua, who is over 70 years old, is the inheritor of the Qishan drum. After the autumn harvest, the men, women, and children in the village play the drum under the guidance of inheritors like Wang Zhihua, which is an unchanged tradition here. The Qishan drum is the most distinctive and charming form of drum performance in Shaanxi, commonly known as the running drum. Drummers and cymbals constantly change their positions during performances, mixed with dance movements, with a rough and bold style that is passionate and majestic. Qishan is the birthplace of the Zhou Dynasty, and the history of Qishan’s conversion can be traced back to the Western Zhou period. At that time, drums were not only instruments for people to worship and entertain, but also horns to inspire soldiers to charge forward in battle.
In 1043 BC, after re regency, Duke Zhou carefully considered the situation and decided to personally lead a large army to start the Eastern Expedition. After three years of arduous war and a significant loss of military and financial resources, Duke Zhou finally quelled the rebellion. Wu Geng and Guan Shu were killed, the less guilty Cai Shu was exiled, and Zhou Gong took advantage of his victory to march eastward, annihilating more than fifty countries such as Yan (now Qufu, Shandong) and extending Zhou’s power to the seaside. The Zhou Dynasty returned to unity and celebrated the victory. However, the victorious Zhou Gong did not have the joy of victory. He could not help but realize that the danger had not actually gone with the flames of war. The remnants of the Yin Shang still had an absolute advantage in terms of quantity. According to the old system, they still lived together, and who could guarantee that there would not be more ambitious new leaders? And if the small and large countries that were close to the Yin Shang were not very ambitious, they would not have been… Good control can also become a huge disaster. More importantly, the rebellion of Guan Shu and Cai Shu exposed numerous hidden dangers within the newly formed Zhou Dynasty, and the old system could no longer adapt to the new situation, The Zhou Dynasty urgently needed a set of more effective methods and systems that could ensure long-term stability and stability.
Shao Bei, Associate Researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: A small state suddenly became the co ruler of the world. It had a large amount of land, so how did it govern and manage it? It adopted a system of enfeoffment, sent its representatives to various places to establish feudal states and unify that small area. However, this enfeoffment system itself solved a means for a small state to quickly rule a large area.
Zhougong Temple, Qufu City, Shandong Province
This is Qufu, Shandong. It is not only the hometown of Confucius, but also closely related to Zhou Gong. The Zhou Gong Temple here is also famous worldwide, just like the Zhou Gong Temple in Qishan. The reason why there is a Zhou Gong Temple in Shandong is because after the victory of Zhou Gong’s Eastern Expedition, King Cheng of Zhou enfeoffed his eldest son Boqin to Qufu, Shandong as the Marquis of Lu. Along with it came a large number of Shang Dynasty refugees. How to rule the largest Shang Dynasty refugees was not only the biggest challenge for King Wu of Zhou during his lifetime, but also became an unavoidable problem for Zhou Gong after his Eastern Expedition. Zhou Gong attempted to disperse the merchants through immigration policies in order to achieve effective control, which led to the implementation of the enfeoffment system by Zhou Gong. There is a significant difference from the previous system of enfeoffment.
Director of Guan Zhanxiu Western Zhou Yandu Site Museum
Ke Lei Ke He Western Zhou Yan Capital Site Museum
This is the Liulihe area in Fangshan District, southwest Beijing. It is also the Yandu Museum of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Experts pointed out that since 1973, archaeological work has excavated a large number of tombs, residential sites, and city wall sites from the Western Zhou Dynasty. In 1986, archaeologists discovered a large curtain M1193 from the early Western Zhou Dynasty, which had already been stolen when discovered. Fortunately, two bronze objects, Ke Lei and Ke He, with the same inscriptions, were left behind. The inscriptions on these two bronze objects record the fact that King Cheng of Zhou conferred the title of Duke Zhao’s eldest son Ke as the Marquis of Yan, confirming that this is the state of Yan that was sealed in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Location.
Director of Guan Zhanxiu Western Zhou Yandu Site Museum
This is the inscription of Ke He, with a total of 43 characters. It roughly means Tai Bao. You offer your king an oath and sake, and I am very satisfied with your sharing. I order Ke to be the lord of Yan.
Each vassal state that was enfeoffed was a military stronghold of the Western Zhou royal family, serving as a local agent for the royal family and representing the Zhou dynasty’s rule. Yan was a vassal state of the eldest son of Duke Zhao of the Ji surname royal family, Ke, to guard against ethnic minorities in the north. Jin (initially enfeoffed in Yicheng County, Shanxi) was a vassal state of Duke Cheng’s younger brother, Zhao Shuyu, to guard against the various armies in the north and ensure the passage between Haojing and the eastern capital of Luoyi. In Wei (now Qi County, Henan Province), Duke Zhou enfeoffed Kang Shu, the most capable of his younger brothers, in the location of the Song of the Shang Dynasty, to rule over the seven tribes of the Yin people. In order to defend the country, the purpose was to strengthen the rule of the Zhou people in the former core area of commerce and the people. The state of Qi (now Zibo, Shandong) was a vassal state of Jiang Taigong and Lv Shang. The enfeoffment of the state of Qi was also aimed at strengthening control over the Eastern Barbarians and supporting each other with the state of Lu.
Zhu Fenghan: In the Zuo Zhuan, there are records of who was appointed as a marquis and where the king was sent. The king participated in many ceremonial activities, rewarded many things, and even recorded his life. This is a very grand thing. The main purpose of the feudal system of the Zhou people is clearly recorded in the literature, which is to establish a barrier to strengthen the Zhou Dynasty. Let them set it up in some remote areas to prevent the invasion of the Zhou Dynasty by the surrounding barbarians. Moreover, there is often a place where the feudal system is established. You can use this place as a starting point to expand upwards, which is equivalent to the continuous expansion of the Zhou Kingdom’s territory.
Weizi Temple, Shangqiu City, Henan Province
This is the Weizi Temple. Weizi was originally the illegitimate brother of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty and was known for his virtuous reputation. He had repeatedly advised King Zhou to stop his atrocities, but was not accepted. Later, he went out to avoid trouble. In order to commemorate him, a Weizi tomb was built not far from the Weizi Temple. After the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, Weizi voluntarily surrendered, and his character was noble. He not only gained the trust of the Zhou Dynasty, but also had great prestige among the remnants of the Shang Dynasty. After the Eastern Expedition by Duke Zhou, Wei Zi was enfeoffed as the ruler of the Song Dynasty, allowing him to rule over a portion of the Shang Dynasty’s remaining people, worship them first, and maintain his original customs. Duke Zhou’s enfeoffment of Wei Zi effectively eased the opposing emotions of the Shang Dynasty immigrants, allowing them to be better controlled.
Shang Qixing, Chairman of the Shangqiu City Federation of Literary and Art Circles in Henan Province
Shang Qixing: Why was it enfeoffed in the State of Song? Because the State of Song is the ancestral residence of the Yin Shang, which means it is his base. There is a high possibility that there will be another riot among the people in this area. What should we do? In order to maintain stability and unity, Duke Zhou invited Weizi, a highly respected Weizi, to rule over the remnants of the Yin Shang dynasty. Therefore, he was enfeoffed in the state of Song, which is now Shangqiu.
However, in the enfeoffment of Duke Zhou, neutrinos were not representative. In fact, the enfeoffment of Duke Zhou was mainly based on the affinity of the royal family with the Ji surname for opposite sex relatives. It was a carefully designed political pattern established by the Zhou people in the newly occupied vast territory through feudal relatives and the way of pacifying the Zhou dynasty. In the late Warring States period, the great Confucian scholar Xunzi claimed that Duke Zhou ruled the world and established 71 states, with the Ji surname residing alone in 53 countries, with the most important being states such as Lu, Wei, Song, Jin, Qi, and Yan.
Shao Bei: A large number of Yin people were relocated to the vicinity of Zongzhou and Haojing, and then directly placed under the control of the Zhou royal family. There was also a portion of Yin people who were enfeoffed by him and given to the states of Wei and Lu, including whether there was also the state of Jin. They were all divided into some old clans of the Yin Shang. One was to disperse them, relocate them from their old lands, resettle them in new places, control them, and directly monitor them. The second aspect was to allow them to hold official positions. Their social status was not low, and they could also hold official positions in the Zhou royal family, fully leveraging their cultural superiority.
In order to further strengthen internal control, while the Duke of Zhou was enfeoffed, he also adopted the patriarchal system, which strengthened the cohesion of the Zhou Dynasty by strengthening the blood relationship and hierarchy. The patriarchal system was based on the eldest son as the main clan within the same clan, and the other sons as the minor clans. There was a hierarchical relationship between the major and minor clans, which was pushed down layer by layer and repeatedly divided into clans, forming a series of major and minor clans.
The continuation work of the Zhou family genealogy is underway in Luoyang, Henan. These individuals come from all directions with their own genealogies, not knowing each other or even never meeting each other. However, they need to continue their genealogies into the same genealogy. From this genealogy, it appears that they are all descendants of Duke Zhou. In fact, every Chinese person has their own genealogy, and through genealogy, they can also trace their own clan origin. Time has passed for more than 3000 years, during which there were wars and migration (li ú x) ǐ）， Many mountains and rivers have changed their appearance, however, a family genealogy can bring people with the same surname and lineage together, making people cannot help but feel the strong cohesion of the patriarchal system established by Duke Zhou.
Professor Peng Lin from the Department of History at the School of Humanities, Tsinghua University: We call the root of a tree the root, which is fundamentally the root. This root has many branches on it, and the original idea was that it was a large volume of this root, which gave birth to many branches, such as the branches and branches. It gave birth to the states of Lu and Qi, and so on. This way, the roots, branches, and branches will continue for generations.
Under the patriarchal system, the King of Zhou was the only and absolute ruler, with the vassals in various regions being small clans. Within the vassals, the vassals were large clans, and their newly enfeoffed children were small clans. These children could also be further divided into large and small clans through enfeoffment. Each small clans had their own son as the head of the clan, and the small clans were unified in the higher-level large clans. The relationship between the large and small clans was not only based on blood ties and kinship, but also on political relationships between monarchs and subjects. Clan power and royal power were closely combined, establishing a very orderly and stable patriarchal system, tightly consolidating the hearts of the people in the Zhou royal family. Together.
Dean of the Institute of Advanced Humanities at Peking University – Du Weiming: At this time, the family world has begun, so when it comes to today, this is outdated. We are not the family world, and in this way, he pays special attention to this patriarchal system. The eldest son inherits, and one created by a large and small family is equivalent to a big tree. Why is this? It is to stabilize the political power at that time, because the transfer of power is the most difficult and important event. Our general understanding is that power will be corrupt, and absolute authority will be absolutely corrupt. If power is transferred, there will be several forces in the concept of brothers and brothers fighting for the throne at the same time.
At the same time, the Zhou people implemented the principle of no marriage with the same surname, prohibiting intermarriage between people with the same surname. The Zhou royal family must intermarry with vassal states with different surnames, and a marriage relationship was established between the Zhou royal family and vassal states with different surnames. The same applies to nobles at all levels, who must intermarry with nobles with different surnames. Among the bronze artifacts referred to as Empress Zhou, she is almost the same as Jiang and Ji surnames, indicating that the Zhou royal family has intermarried with these vassal states for generations. Through intermarriage, aristocrats with different surnames were also included in the Zhou people’s clan system due to their nephew uncle relationship. The Zhou Dynasty, through feudal relatives, made the entire family structure like a huge family system, connected by blood and sharing weal and woe.
In the inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the capital city of the Western Zhou Dynasty, Haojing, was also known as Zongzhou. Through the system of Zongzhou, blood relations and kinship were successfully introduced into the political field, and the Western Zhou Dynasty created a political structure of family and state homogeneity.
Du Weiming: Not long after the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, when the power of the Shang Dynasty had not yet dissipated, this struggle was inevitable. Therefore, in this unreasonable situation, it should be the selection of talents and abilities. Therefore, the most capable talents should be able to support Yao, Shun, and Yu. This is the highest value of the true Confucianism. When you arrive, you must use the eldest son to inherit. This is a temporary measure, but from a temporary perspective, this approach allows the Zhou Dynasty to maintain for such a long time. This is a stable factor, and the main purpose of stability is not for the stability of this regime, but for the happiness of the vast majority of the people. He has achieved this.
The system of enfeoffment and patriarchal system complemented each other and became a very effective system of state control. The Zhou people finally established a powerful country with vast territory. They were no longer small states like Zhou, but all over the world, there were no royal lands, and no royal officials on the banks of the imperial court. The enfeoffment and patriarchal system ultimately extended the ruling tentacles of the Western Zhou Dynasty to all directions. The construction of the Zhou Dynasty’s system continued, and the Shang Dynasty’s descendants were still the most concerned of Zhou Gong. Even though they had been dispersed through immigration and other means, the number of Shang Dynasty’s descendants was still large and not reassuring. In Zhou Gong’s view, the original capital of the Zhou Dynasty, Haojing, was obviously a bit of a concern. To the west, he planned to build another capital city in the center of the world, in order to better accommodate and control the remnants of the Shang Dynasty, manage various countries in the four directions, and after multiple on-site inspections and divination, Finally, Duke Zhou chose the address on the north bank of the Luoshui River and built the new capital, Luoyi, as the eastern capital of the Zhou Dynasty, echoing the western capital of Haojing.
Peng Lin: The Zhou people are located in the northwest, which means they are deviating from the center of this country. The Six Kingdoms of the East are Yin and it is in the east. Once something happens, it is too far away, so when he arrives there, you can see that he is relatively close to those places. I used various methods to deal with it, and at that time, I was able to temporarily constrain the four directions.
He Zun Baoji Bronze Museum
The craftsman in Xi’an is replicating a national treasure level bronze artifact, which is He Zun. The authentic artifact is currently collected at the Baoji Bronze Museum in China and was cast in the fifth year of King Cheng of the Western Zhou Dynasty. It was during the regency of Duke Zhou that the replica of He Zun was almost completed. From the appearance, it seemed to be exactly the same as the original artifact, but the most valuable aspect of He Zun cannot be replicated. That is the inscription at the bottom of He Zun, which consists of 12 lines of inscriptions and 122 characters, detailing the entire process of building the Eastern Capital in Luoyi. Surprisingly, the two characters of China were found in the inscriptions. Luoyi was the center of the world in the heart of Duke Zhou. In the fifth year of Duke Zhou’s regency, the eastern capital Luoyi was successfully built on a large scale. After the completion of Luoyi, Duke Zhou concentrated the descendants of the Shang Dynasty here to manage, and moved the sacrificial vessels of the Shang Dynasty, the symbol of fate, the Nine Tripods, to the royal city, making it officially the center of the world’s politics. Duke Zhou also named it Chengzhou, which means that the great cause of the Zhou people’s founding of the country was finally completed.
Zhouyuan Site, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province
Chengzhou City Luoyi is the first national level planned and constructed capital in China. After decades of archaeological excavation, this 3000 year old ancient capital has gradually emerged in front of the world. Numerous sacrificial buildings have become the most prominent feature of Luoyi. It has not only the mound sign for worshipping the heavens, the ancestral temple, and the large society for worshipping the earth and valley gods, but among all the buildings, Zhou Gong attaches the most importance to the Mingtang. The completion ceremony of Chengzhou Luoyi was held in the Mingtang. In the Zhou Dynasty, the setting of the Ming Hall was in a zigzag shape, with five inner rooms surrounded by halls. There were square walls on the outside, and a gate in the southeast, northwest, and north. This was where the orders were issued and the feudal lords were met. After the completion of Luoyi, the Duke of Zhou gathered the feudal lords for the first time to worship the Wenwang. The ceremony was held in the Ming Hall, and it is said that at that time, more than 1770 feudal lords held their breath respectfully, sang Qin music, and were called the beautiful ancestors.
Du Weiming: We can imagine that if the Mingtang Festival was presided over by Duke Zhou, and thousands of feudal lords attended, every detail of him could not be wrong. If these details could not be wrong, it would mean that a person’s heart must reach the most peaceful state, and every organ should be focused. This kind of ceremony is a way to gather various leaders from all over the world. After Duke Zhou created this ceremony, his influence spread to different social classes, which reflects a kind of benevolent value.
The significance of the first worship of King Wen in the Ming Dynasty is obviously not limited to the ritual itself, but more importantly, to enable various feudal states to understand the rituals and music. At this time, Duke Zhou carefully designed a greater project that is quietly beginning to be implemented. It will completely change the Zhou Dynasty, change China, and directly affect us now. This is why Duke Zhou creatively invented the systematic and complete Zhou ritual, known as the Three Hundred Classic Rites and Three Thousand Melody Rites. Zhou ritual covers the country’s major policy to all aspects of daily social life, creating a five ritual system consisting of auspicious, auspicious, guest, military, and inauspicious rituals. For every member of society above ordinary people, there are corresponding etiquette and clear and specific requirements and details at each node of their life journey, strictly defining the ethical and moral norms and behavioral norms that people must abide by and practice. The core value of Zhou Li is to distinguish between high and low, maintain the hierarchical system, ensure stable ruling order and harmonious and orderly development of society, and make the entire Zhou Dynasty a civilized country of etiquette where people abide by their titles, each place is in their place, order is orderly, and courteous. This is exactly the ideal that Zhou Gong hopes to achieve.
Peng Lin is a professor at Tsinghua University who devoted his entire life to the study of Zhou Li. His important mission was to explore and restore Zhou Li, and after long-term research, he finally gained something. This is the official coronation ceremony in the Zhou ritual, which was originally a rite of initiation in the clan society. Duke Zhou injected new humanistic spirit and moral connotations into it. In the solemn and cumbersome etiquette, children become adults, and they are given more respect and will also bear greater responsibilities. In the congratulatory speech, we solemnly remind and bless you multiple times, not to neglect your external dignity, and to take good care of your inner virtues. Relatives are present to achieve your adult virtues. May you live a long and auspicious life, and enjoy great blessings. Although there have been many changes in this form of etiquette in later generations, the emphasis on adult men achieving virtues and their responsibilities to family and society in the principles of etiquette has never changed and has continued to this day.
Du Weiming: After the ceremony, there must be benevolence to support it, so it can have motivation and change. Moreover, the ceremony must keep up with the times, so the ceremony is based on the importance of the time. In addition, the ceremony is about walking, and it must go through practice. It cannot be empty talk, it must be the unity of knowledge and action. He knows how to do it and how to do it. He knows and cannot demonstrate this. Therefore, from this perspective, the ceremony that Confucius talked about to Duke Zhou not only understood it from an existing political form, but also turned it into an important one that everyone must review and transform frequently between daily use. The value and resources of.
The basic framework of the Zhou ritual is a complete set of laws and regulations that respect and respect the kinship and hierarchy of the monarch and subjects. The system of eldest son inheritance established by Duke Zhou has had a profound impact and has become the main way of inheritance throughout dynasties. It has continued for nearly three thousand years and has become an important system for the long-term stability of Chinese society. Duke Zhou also formulated a series of strict rituals for the monarch and subjects, father and son, brothers, kinship, superiority and inferiority, dividing the nobility into different levels and implementing a hierarchical title system. The Zhou ritual emphasizes morality, respect, kinship, respect for the elderly, and kindness towards the young, which has also become a significant ethical influence on future generations. The birth of the Zhou ritual was a huge progress in the development of ancient Chinese society, leading the whole society from respecting gods and ghosts, superstition and witchcraft to the rule of ritual and virtue.
Peng Lin: This turning point was determined by the hand of Duke Zhou. Of course, this morality is abstract, invisible, intangible, and odorless. It is like air, it is abstract. How can we govern the country? He concretized it into ritual, and this moral character is called the ritual system in the national system.
Accompanied by ritual are music, which emerges from the middle, and ritual is created from the outside. Rites emphasize stability and music emphasizes harmony, both of which complement each other. The Zhou Gong system of ritual and music not only ensures long-term stability in Chinese society, but also fills it with the beauty of harmony. As a result, Chinese civilization entered an era represented by the civilization of ritual and music. Under the painstaking efforts of Duke Zhou, the turbulent situation of early Zhou was completely changed. In the “Grand Biography of the Book of Documents” written by the Han Dynasty, it is said that during the seven years of regency, Duke Zhou saved the chaos in one year, conquered Yin in two years, practiced for three years, built a marquis guard in four years, established the Zhou dynasty in five years, and practiced ritual and music for six years. As a result, the Zhou dynasty was stable as a rock. When the Zhou dynasty entered the right track, Duke Zhou fulfilled his promise and returned to govern under King Cheng of Zhou.
Du Weiming: In this special event, it does reflect some of the virtues of Duke Zhou, such as selflessness, loyalty, and a sincere commitment to fate. For this vulnerable group, King Cheng was basically entirely under his control, with respect. And for the basic values of ritual and the etiquette he established himself, especially if he truly had a patriarchal system, it would be a great thing if he violated it himself. Therefore, he basically chose because of his choices. I believe that although it is a special case in history, it has played a great role in the development of the Zhou Dynasty’s national prosperity in this way.
Three years after returning to politics, Duke Zhou fell ill and passed away. Before his death, he instructed me to bury him in Chengzhou. I have always been a minister of King Cheng. However, King Cheng of Zhou buried Duke Zhou, his grandfather King Wen of Zhou, and his father King Wu of Zhou together, indicating that he did not dare to make Duke Zhou his vassal. King Cheng of Zhou specially allowed Duke Zhou’s eldest son to use the ritual and music of the emperor to pay tribute to Duke Zhou in his fiefdom, the state of Lu. Lu has always been the most prosperous place of etiquette. On this land, hundreds of years after Duke Zhou’s death, Confucius was born. Faced with the Spring and Autumn period, etiquette collapsed and music deteriorated. Confucius actively advocated for the restoration of rituals, and the rituals he followed were exactly the rituals of Zhou. The Zhou ritual formulated by the government.
Du Weiming: Confucius was certainly more familiar with the situation of the Zhou Dynasty because he was more familiar with it. He believed that if he could return to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, it would be a gloomy and literary experience, which was a good thing. However, he definitely had to undergo many changes and transformations. However, I think the most remarkable aspect of Confucius is that after implementing morality into the system of ritual and music, it is a great scripture and law that can stabilize society.
Zhu Fenghan: Duke Zhou established the system of ritual and music. Duke Zhou should be a representative of the civilization of ritual and music, and more importantly, it is the ceremonial system of the dynasty. As you can see from the Spring and Autumn period, there was a great emphasis on etiquette. At that time, he wanted to inherit the cultural traditions of the Zhou people, including reciting poetry during the Spring and Autumn period, and using poetry in diplomacy and among nobles. These are all Chinese cultural traditions.
The political and cultural heritage left by Duke Zhou is the main resource of Confucius and Confucianism. For 1500 years after Confucius, Chinese culture has always been referred to as Zhou Li, which not only demonstrates the continuous connection between Duke Zhou and Confucius, but also fully demonstrates the important cultural status enjoyed by Duke Zhou. His personal charm and historical influence have spanned thousands of years and have never disappeared. As the creator of Chinese civilization, Duke Zhou holds a special and important position in the hearts of Chinese descendants. For more than 3000 years, people living on this land have deeply remembered this great ancestor. He is revered as the first saint in the world – Yuan Sheng, and his advocated virtues of Ming De and Shen. The moral governance ideology of punishing and protecting the people, as well as the ritual and music civilization he created, have permeated the hearts of every Chinese person like sweet dew and clear springs, Infiltrating into the depths of every Chinese person’s consciousness unconsciously.
90 Seconds of History: Playing with Beacon Fire and Marquises
In the second year of King You of the Western Zhou Dynasty, a major earthquake occurred in the Guanzhong area, in the eyes of the Zhou people. This is a warning from heaven for the downfall of the Western Zhou Dynasty, but King You of Zhou disregarded the anger and resentment of heaven and people, and favored his consort Bao Si. Bao Si had never laughed since entering the palace, in order to win the favor of a beautiful woman. According to legend, King You of Zhou went to great lengths to listen to the sound of cracking silk. King You of Zhou saved her life. The palace maid gave her daily thoughts to Gao Siting, but Baozi still didn’t have a smile on her face. So King You of Zhou was willing to do the most absurd thing. He ordered people to light the beacon tower on Mount Li, which could only be lit when foreign enemies invaded. After seeing the beacon fire, the feudal lords immediately led their troops to rush over. However, upon the arrival of the feudal lords, they found themselves being teased. Seeing this scene, the package laughed. King You of Zhou did this several times in the future, but after being deceived several times, the lords finally stopped coming. In 771 BC, the Canrong attacked Haojing and easily killed King You of Zhou, destroying the ancestral temples and palaces of Haojing. As a result, the Western Zhou Dynasty was destroyed.