Introduction
The Shang Dynasty has the earliest recorded written history. The
Shang (16th-11th century BC) lasted over 500 years, with 31 kings belonging
to 17 generations.
Thousands of archaeological finds in the Huang He , Henan Valley --the
apparent cradle of Chinese civilization--provide evidence about the Shang
dynasty, which endured roughly from 1700 to 1027 B.C. The Shang dynasty
(also called the Yin dynasty in its later stages) is believed to have
been founded by a rebel leader who overthrew the last Xia ruler. Its civilization
was based on agriculture, augmented by hunting and animal husbandry. Two
important events of the period were the development of a writing system,
as revealed in archaic Chinese inscriptions found on tortoise shells and
flat cattle bones (commonly called oracle bones or), and the use of bronze
metallurgy. A number of ceremonial bronze vessels with inscriptions date
from the Shang period; the workmanship on the bronzes attests to a high
level of civilization.
A line of hereditary Shang kings ruled over much of
northern China, and Shang troops fought frequent wars with neighboring
settlements and nomadic herdsmen from the inner Asian steppes. The capitals,
one of which was at the site of the modern city of Anyang, were centers
of glittering court life. Court rituals to propitiate spirits and to honor
sacred ancestors were highly developed. In addition to his secular position,
the king was the head of the ancestor- and spirit-worship cult. Evidence
from the royal tombs indicates that royal personages were buried with
articles of value, presumably for use in the afterlife. Perhaps for the
same reason, hundreds of commoners, who may have been slaves, were buried
alive with the royal corpse.
Shang Tang had spent 17 years in fighting against
the Emperor Jie before he overthrew the Xia Dynasty. When he came to the
throne, he was found to be a good and virtuous ruler. He was always thinking
of the good for his people. He was full of benevolence not only for his
people, but also for the animals. Hehas been considered as a model ruler
and his example was imitated by every monarch. He was succeeded by his
grandson Tai Jia.
In the whole period of the Slave-Owning System in the Shang Dynasty, struggles
for the throne occurred many times, and the internal contradictions of
the nobility intensified. Misery spread wide among the people, and the
dynasty declined. There were thirty-one kings in seventeen generations.
The last two kings were Di Yi and Di Xin. Di Xin or Zhou, the king of
Shang, is known in history as a cruel and debauched tyrant. He devised
many cruel laws and means of torture, oppressing and expoiting the slaves
and common people. Building luxurious palaces and gardens, he led a debauchery
life. By the end of the dynasty, King Zhou set aside the old nobles and
only favored those congenial to him. This aggravated the contradictions
among the nobility and caused internal dissention. The intensification
of class contradictions brought about great confusion. Taking advantage
of the opportunity, King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty launched an attack and
overthrew the Shang Dynasty. The account of the fall of the Shang Dynasty
that appears in traditional Chinese histories follows closely the story
of Xia.