Western Zhou Dynasty

Dynasties IntroductionWestern Zhou (1046 BC ~ 771 BC), a dynasty in Chinese history. In the 11th century B.C., King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty, established the state name Zhou, and set the capital at Hao (east of Fenghe River in Chang’an, Shaanxi Province). After the reign of King Cheng of the …

Read more

Jizi

Character Profile He was the son of Wen Ding, the brother of Di Yi and the uncle of King Zhou. In the era of the alternation of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and the great upheaval of history, he was unable to carry out his mission or fulfill his ambition, so he went to Joseon …

Read more

Bi Gan

Bi Gan (about 1110-1047 B.C.) was a native of Muye (present-day Weihui, Henan Province), who was also known as Prince Bi Gan because he was enfeoffed in the land of Bi, and was the concubine son of King Wen Ding of Shang. He was an intelligent and diligent scholar at an early age. He was …

Read more

Jiang Ziya

Jiang Ziya (c. 1156 – c. 1017 B.C.), surnamed Jiang, Lu, was named Shang, Ziya, and Fei Xiong. He was an outstanding politician, military man and tactician in ancient China, the founding father of the Zhou Dynasty, and the founder of military science in the late Shang and early Zhou dynasties. Half of his life …

Read more

King Wu of Zhou

About King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa (? -(1043 BC), surnamed Ji Fa (often referred to as the King of Inferiority in Western Zhou bronze inscriptions), was a native of Qizhou (Qishan County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province), and the first son of King Wen Ji Chang and Ta Si of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Biography …

Read more

What exactly is the use of the I Ching?

About the I Ching, we have heard too much about its legend. For example, the two meters, four elephants and eight trigrams, and then such as the five elements of yin and yang, Hetu Luoshu, taiji diagram, and so on and so forth. They are mysterious and obscure, but also fascinating to think about. It …

Read more

The Influence of the I Ching on Chinese Art

The I Ching is the source of classical Chinese aesthetics, in which the natural beauty of the unity of heaven and man, the harmony of rigidity and flexibility, and the abstract beauty of metaphorical symbolism have profoundly influenced the way of thinking and aesthetic habits of the Chinese people. The I Ching laid an unshakable …

Read more