The Yin Family In The Zhou Dynasty As Seen In Documentary And Yi Inscriptions

The Zhou dynasty was an important period in the development of the ’family society’,and in a sense the rise and fall of the lineage became a microcosm of the changes in the Zhou political system.From the perspective of the development of the clan,the general trend in the socio-political landscape of the two-week period was that the royal power changed from strength to weakness,and the dynastic clans,as they became more powerful,underwent a transformation from dependence on the royal power to adherence to state government.The Yin family joined the Zhou dynasty at the time of the Shang and Zhou dynasties,and at the beginning of the Zhou dynasty they became the king’s close servants by virtue of their cultural expertise.In the Eastern Zhou,the Yin family inevitably fell into decline as the Zhou royal family declined in power,and was eventually overthrown as a result of the rebellion of the princes.The rise and fall of the Yin family is a case with rich political implications,and documents such as The Book of Han-Chu Yuan Wang Zhuan all cite the rise and fall of the Yin family as a warning to the people of the time.This article provides a systematic discussion of the Yin family by combing through the relevant records of the Yin family in both the biographical texts and the excavated inscriptions.The paper is divided into three parts,with the exception of an introduction and a conclusion.The first part explores the origins and lineage of the Yin family in an attempt to restore the lineage of the Yin family.In the second part,the Yin family’s deeds during the Early Western Zhou,Middle Western Zhou,Late Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods are discussed in the order of their descent.The third part,based on the first two parts,examines the underlying reasons for the prosperity and eventual demise of the Yin family in the context of the rise and fall of the entire Zhou royal family,taking into account the official characteristics of the Yin family,its alliances and its own political choices.In summary,through the examination of the Yin family,I argue that the Yin family was both a historian of the Zhou dynasty and a minister of the dynasty,and that it conformed to the historical process of the independence and development of the Zhou dynasty’s administrative system.However,with the decline of the Zhou royal family and the rise of the ’scholar’ class during the Spring and Autumn period,as well as the Yin family’s own poor political choices,the Yin family eventually fell into decline.The study of the Yin family not only contributes to the historical recovery of the rise and fall of the Yin family during the Zhou dynasty,but also has important implications for the socio-political changes of ancient China.