Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE)

How did history's longest-ruling dynasty govern China for eight centuries while barely controlling its own capital?

Experience the paradox of the Zhou Dynasty, whose brilliant political innovations—the Mandate of Heaven, feudalism, and bureaucratic governance—outlasted their actual power by centuries. This narrative history chronicles China's most influential period, from the Western Zhou's golden age through the chaotic Spring and Autumn period to the revolutionary Warring States era that birthed Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. Watch ancient China transform from Bronze Age kingdom to Iron Age philosophical powerhouse as the Zhou's genius lay not in ruling, but in inspiring.

Zhou concepts of legitimacy, governance, and moral authority became the DNA of Chinese civilization, influencing every subsequent dynasty and modern China's political philosophy.