Western Zhou

From 1046 to 771 BCE, the Zhou was an ancient tribe in the Guanzhong region. Its founder, named Qi, was skilled in agriculture and was granted the title "Houji" (Minister of Agriculture) by the legendary rulers Yao and Shun, with a fief at Tai (present-day Wugong County and Yangling District in Shaanxi). Under Gong Liu, the tribe moved from Tai to Bin (between present-day Bin County and Xunyi County), and under Gugong Danfu, they relocated to the "Zhou Plain" south of Mount Qi (at the border of present-day Fufeng County and Qishan County). Here, the Zhou built cities, surveyed fields, established officials, and formed armies, becoming a powerful vassal state in the middle reaches of the Wei River by the late Shang Dynasty. Ji Chang (King Wen) moved the capital to Feng (near present-day Mawang Village, Chang'an District, Xi'an). After Ji Chang's death, his son Ji Fa (King Wu) ascended the throne, built Haojing on the east bank of the Feng River (near present-day Doumen Town, Fengdong New District), and continued his father's work. In 1046 BCE, after the Battle of Muye, he overthrew the Shang and established the Zhou Dynasty, known historically as the Western Zhou.