Research On Zhou Liwang And His Times

Zhou Liwang was an important monarch of the late Western Zhou Dynasty,and his reign was facing serious challenges.The important events of Zhou Liwang reign,such as the Specialized interests,state riots,and republican administration,have been discussed in the scholarly literature.Throughout the ages,scholars have attributed the ruling initiatives during the reign of King Li to the need to serve his own interests,and his reign has been called "tyrannical and inhumane".Zhou Liwang has been labeled as a "faint ruler" and "tyrant".However,the lack of documents cannot restore the full picture of the Zhou Dynasty.In recent years,the publication of new bronze material has shown us that in the late Western Zhou period,the Zhou dynasty was not only riddled with internal conflicts,but also a turbulent external environment.During this period,the loosening of the system seems to be closely related to the adjustment of the ruling strategy of Zhou Liwang.Scholars have paid attention to this issue in previous researches,but still lack a more systematic arrangement.Therefore,with the help of excavated materials,this paper will comprehensively analyze the crisis of power,the adjustment of governance strategy and the resulting social changes during the period of Zhou Liwang,in order to make a new interpretation of the Zhou Dynasty.This paper is divided into three parts,analyzing Zhou Liwang and his era from three aspects: the ruling strategy,political transformation,and social change during the period of Zhou Liwang.First,the governing strategies of Zhou Liwang are examined,and the social environment during the reign of Zhou Liwang is analyzed with the help of rewarding and war-like inscriptions,along with documents such as the Historical Records and Guoyu.It is argued that during the reign of Zhou Liwang,the loosening of the system put the country in a critical moment of internal and external difficulties.Economic decay,power disputes,and foreign invasions restricted the development of royal power.Based on the political situation during Zhou Liwang’s reign,the ruling strategy of Zhou Liwang is further examined.He carried out drastic reforms internally and tough military conquests externally.The internal reforms intensified the conflicts between the royal family and the clans,lords and people,and shook the foundation of the rule.External conquests and wars served only as military intimidation.As the power of the royal family declined,foreign invasions became more frequent and internal conflicts became increasingly intensified.It was a difficult task for Zhou Liwang to re-establish order in the services.Secondly,Zhou Liwang adjusted his governing strategy,which triggered a major event that changed the fate of the Zhou dynasty.By analyzing the reasons for the Revolt of city people through the combing of documents such as the Book of Songs and the State Language,it is pointed out that the Revolt of city people broke out under the political situation of internal and external difficulties.The frequent external wars,the cruel internal policies,and the escalating power struggle between the Zhou king and the nobles prompted the courtiers,officials at all levels,division officials and the army to unite to launch a political revolution.This was an internal contest for interests among the ruling class of the Zhou dynasty,not an ordinary popular uprising.Under this analysis,through the exploration of the participants of the city people,it is pointed out that during the period of Zhou Liwang,the Zhou royal family’s military power declined and its dependence on the noble military increased,and the Revolt of city people meant the gradual separation of military command from royal power.Zhou Liwang was expelled and fled to Piggyi for refuge.The king’s administration was carried out by Gong Bohe,who had the majesty of a king.Gong-he Administration was actually the entry of Gong Bohe into the Zhou dynasty,and he exercised the power of the Emperor with the assistance of the Zhou dynasty.The Western Zhou dynasty had a special situation where two kings were in charge of their own affairs,but it did not change the chronology of Zhou Liwang.Again,on the basis of analyzing the ruling strategy of Zhou Liwang and examining the historical events of the period of Zhou Liwang,we analyze the social changes in the period of Zhou Liwang.It is mainly from the aspects of state system and ideology to sort out the social transformation during the reign of Zhou Liwang,pointing out that the patriarchal and feudal system was unsustainable,the loosening of the service system,the change of the principle of appointing people,and the transmutation of ideology,such as the shaking of the view of Mandate of Heaven,the awakening of the consciousness of protecting the people,and the change of people’s spirit were all reflections of the shift of the king’s power.The change in the concept of Mandate of Heaven,the awakening of the consciousness of protecting the people,and the spiritual transformation of the people were all reflections of the shift of the king’s authority.In order to reestablish the authority of the king,Zhou Liwang tried to break free from the shackles of the Mandate of Heaven and the laws of his ancestors through changes,but it intensified the conflicts among the ruling class.During this period,the popular power gradually became an important force to restrain the kingship.To sum up,during the reign of Zhou Liwang,the country’s political situation faced two main threats: foreign invasion,which impacted the Western Zhou regime,and internal power strife,which intensified the turmoil of the Western Zhou.The aggravation of external pressure accelerated the outbreak of internal conflicts,resulting in the inability of the king to change the out-of-control political situation of the Western Zhou.The change of ruling strategy during the reign of Zhou Liwang did not do it for his own benefit,but a struggle to reestablish the authority of the king,restore the order of the five system and save the Western Zhou from the crisis of kingship,but the decline of the Western Zhou was finalized and the Western Zhou dynasty came to an end.