Category:Zhou period

The Zhou period (周代, c. 1046–256 BCE) marks the continuation and transformation of Bronze Age political and ritual systems in early China. The Zhou state, initially established in the Wei River Valley, replaced the Shang dynasty and developed an enduring ideological framework grounded in hereditary kingship, ancestral worship, and the concept of moral authority expressed through the notion of the “Mandate of Heaven” (天命).

The Zhou period is traditionally divided into two major phases: the Western Zhou (c. 1046–771 BCE), centered on a network of aristocratic lineages linked to the royal court, and the Eastern Zhou (771–256 BCE), during which political power gradually decentralized. The latter phase encompasses the Spring and Autumn and Warring States eras, characterized by territorial competition, administrative innovation, and increasing regional cultural differentiation.

Material culture in the Zhou period is defined by:

• The continued use of bronze ritual vessels, with significant diversification of vessel shapes, inscriptions, and decorative vocabularies
• Expansion of bronze casting workshops and technical refinement in foundry organization
• Development of high-fired gray and buff ceramics, frequently used for utilitarian and funerary purposes
• Growth of lacquerware, jade carving, and textile production within court and regional artisan centers

Ceramic production reflects the increasing complexity of domestic and ceremonial life. Wheel-assisted shaping became more widespread, and vessel typologies became standardized across broader geographic regions, although local stylistic variations remained. During the later Eastern Zhou period, ceramic forms increasingly drew inspiration from bronze morphology, further linking ceramic production to the ritual and social structure of elite culture.

The Zhou period established long-lasting institutional, aesthetic, and ideological structures that shaped subsequent artistic and craft traditions. Its influence persisted into the Qin and Han dynasties, particularly in ritual forms, workshop organization, and the relationship between political authority and material culture.