The Zhou Dynasty

1046 BCE - 256 BCE

The Zhou (Jou) dynasty was the longest dynasty, lasting almost 8 centuries. 

The Zhou existed at the same time as the Shang, but they overthrew the Shang Dynasty around 1050 BCE. 

The Zhou continued developing the innovations of the Shang including the use of bronze and Chinese writing, and they came up with some of their own innovations, like coins and chopsticks.

The period known as the Hundred Schools of Thought took place during the Zhou Dynasty, a time when famous philosophers like Confucius (the founder of Confucianism, Lao-Tzu (the founder of Taoism) and Sun Tzu (the writer of The Art of War) lived and wrote.

It was the Zhou who came up with the idea of heaven, and the Mandate of Heaven. This helped them justify the overthrow of the Shang.

The Zhou dynasty became so big, that the king had to send his relatives to rule different states. These rulers were called nobles. In this feudal system, the nobles were supposed to submit to the king. Eventually, the city-states began fighting with each other, a period called the Warring States Period (476 BCE - 221 BCE).