Lesson 6: The Turbulent Spring and Autumn Period

Economic Development during the Spring and Autumn Period

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was great socio-economic development. Especially in the late Spring and Autumn period, iron farming tools and oxen plowing emerged, which promoted intensive farming and created conditions for developing mountains and forests and expanding arable land. Along with the development of agriculture, the scale of handicraft industry expanded, with the development of bronze industry, iron smelting, textile industry, salt cooking and lacquerware making. With the increase of products, commercial activities were gradually active, commodity exchange markets appeared in many cities, and metal money was used more often.

Decline of the royal family

During the Spring and Autumn Period, society was in a state of turmoil, and the various systems of the Western Zhou were gradually destroyed during the Spring and Autumn Period. Some vassal states no longer granted land to the vassals, but set up counties and counties and appointed officials to manage them, and the positions were not hereditary, thus strengthening the control over the localities, thus gradually dismantling the feudal system.

After King Ping of Zhou moved to the east, the ruling power of the Zhou royal family was greatly reduced, and the area under direct jurisdiction was only around Luoyi. Although the king was still nominally the "common master" of the world, he was no longer able to control the vassals. The vassal states rose in power, no longer obeyed the king's orders, and no longer paid tribute to the emperor on a regular basis, leaving the Zhou royal family in financial difficulties and even dependent on the economic support of the vassal states.

The status of the Zhou royal family declined and the great vassal states rose to power. They competed for hegemony and controlled the political situation, effectively replacing the position of the Son of Zhou.

Vassal and lord rivalry

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were many vassal states, among which there were more than a dozen powerful ones. Due to the unbalanced political and economic development, the vassal states fought fiercely with each other for their own interests. At that time, inter-ethnic conflicts also developed. Some powerful vassals fought for supremacy in the name of "honoring the king and expelling the yi". Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, King Zhuang of Chu, and Duke Mu of Qin were successively dominant over the Central Plains and commanded the lords. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the states of Wu and Yue in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River also went north to fight for hegemony.

In the course of the Spring and Autumn period, some vassal states were destroyed, and some powerful vassal states continued to expand their territories. At the same time, the Central Plains "Zhonghua" and "Zhxia" had a large-scale intermingling of ethnic groups during their long-term interactions and struggles with the neighboring Rong, Di, Barbarian, and Yi tribes.