Answer to Question #238784 in History for Yas

Question

What are the most important relationships between the state, ideology, and culture in pre-modern china?

Answer 1

The old feudal framework was replaced by systems of incipient bureaucracy under monarchy, which was the greatest visible change in political institutions. The Chunqiu period witnessed the decline of feudalism, while the Zhanguo period witnessed the development of the new order. The authority of the Zhou feudalism was constantly diluted. As a state expanded, its nobility acquired vassals, and these in turn acquired their own vassals.

The longer this went on, the more diluted the family tie became and the more dependent the ruler became on the combined strength of the vassals. At a certain point, the vassals might acquire an advantageous position, and the most dominant figures among them might eclipse the king. The Zhou royal house perhaps reached the turning point earlier than the other feudal states. As a result, the Zhou royal domain and its influence shrank when Pingwang moved his court to the east. The ruling houses