Spanning more than 1,800 years, the Pre-Qin Period (2,100 BC-221 BC) refers to the period before the Qin dynasty (221-206) in Chinese history, and It goes through 3 different historical stages, namely the Xia dynasty (2070 BC-1600 BC), the Shang dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC), the Zhou dynasty (1046 BC). .-221 BCE), during which the great ancient Chinese people created a glorious civilization with their intelligence and hard work, including the oracle bone inscription of the Xia-Shang dynasties and bronze wares of the Shang-Zhou dynasties, and these cultural relics become the historical symbols of ancient Chinese civilization.
The oldest hereditary dynasty in Chinese history, the Xia dynasty was established by Qi (son of Yu the Great) in 2070 BC. C., and the Erlitou site in Luoyang has been proven to be its original capital according to the latest archaeological findings, the oldest calendar (Xia Xiao Zheng) in Chinese history appeared.
Legend has it that the last emperor of the Xia dynasty, Jie, was overthrown by Tang (the founder of the Shang dynasty) due to his cruel rule, and Tang was elected ruler of a new dynasty, the Shang dynasty, when the civilization it was more prosperous than that of the Xia dynasty with bronze wares, early porcelains, and oracle bone inscriptions emerging. Although agriculture functioned as the main industry, great strides had been made in cottage industry in the Shang dynasty, especially in the field of bronze casting and smelting technology. The last ruler of the Shang dynasty, Zhou, imposed exorbitant taxes on laborers and ignored state affairs, meanwhile, another tribe led by Vassal Ji Chang gradually rose up in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and Ji Fa ( Vassal Ji Chang’s son) rebelled first and won the decisive victory over the Shang ruler at the Battle of Muye, resulting in the fall of the Shang dynasty and the rise of the Zhou dynasty. Ji Fa (or Emperor Wu) established the Zhou dynasty with Haojing (present-day Xi’an of Shaanxi Province) as its capital, whose territory was expanded much later, stretching from the Yangtze River in the south to Liaoning Province in the north. north and from Shandong province in the east to Gansu province in the west, and the patriarchal system and government organizations were formed in the Zhou dynasty.
In fact, the Zhou dynasty is composed of the Western Zhou dynasty and the Eastern Zhou dynasty, of which the latter is divided into the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC) and the Period of the Warring States (475 BC-476 BC-221 BC). Emperor Zhoupingwang moved the capital from Haojing to Luoyi (present-day Luoyang) due to the invasion of the northern nomadic tribe in 770 BC. BC-256 BC).
The fall of the Zhou dynasty directly led to the rise of 100 petty states, among which wars frequently broke out, and seven states stood out from the crowd during the war, namely the Qi state, the Chu state, the of Yan, the state of Han. , State of Zhao, State of Wei and State of Qin. Shang Yang was appointed chancellor to carry out reforms in the state of Qin in 356 BC. feudal country in China- the Qin dynasty, which was known to the world as Emperor Qinshihuang.