The Zhou Dynasty Years: 1111-256
By: Nandita Gupta and Mariana Suarez
Politics
The Zhou Dynasty rulers expanded and unified China in a lot of ways. One way is that they spread their rule over China through a system called “Feudalism”. Nobles owned the farm lands, which is worked by peasants, or serfs. The serfs paid the nobles for the use of the land. In return, nobles paid the king a portion of what their peasants produced. The nobles promised to send the king soldiers in the time of war. The king granted each noble complete control of his own land. The noble was like a king on his land. A noble’s land consisted of a walled town and the farms around it, each with its own government. In the Zhou dynasty the farming methods improved, stores of surplus grain grew. They expanded the use of writing by using bronze, wood, silk, and bamboo for recording information. Writing made possible the growth and spread of China’s unique culture and civilization.