Author: CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (130.95.128.---)
Date: 07-06-02 23:35
Chinese history - Son of Heaven
Zhou King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty
(周朝 1134BC to 256BC). He moved his capital from Feng (豐) to Hao (鎬 present day Xi An city 西安市 in Shaanxi province). He proclaimed that he was the Tian Zi (天子 Son of Heaven) and he had the Tian Ming (天命 Mandate of Heaven) to destroy the preceding wicked Shang Dynasty. He claimed that he was the mediator between man and nature. From that time on all the future Kings and Emperors (the title Emperor was first in used in 221BC by Ying Zheng 嬴政 as Qin Shi Huang Di 秦始皇帝) called themselves the "Son of Heaven". Whenever someone overthrew a dynasty and established a new one for himself he always claimed that he had the "Mandate of Heaven" to do so. He also proclaimed that the rules of inheritance should be from father to son and not from brother to brother as the preceding Shang Dynasty.
Zhou King Wu inherited a vast country, but the primitive communications at that time made it impossible to govern such a big country. So he delegated authority to his relatives, officials, generals and aristocrats to rule on his behalf other parts of the Zhou Empire. When Zhou King Wu gave authority to someone to rule a district he usually had to go through a ceremony. He would scoop a little bit of earth and then pray to his ancestors and said that he authorized so and so to rule this distrct. He then placed the earth on the white Mao (白茅) and gave it to the person who was delegated. This person would become the rightful ruler of that district which was usually renamed as a State. This person would take his family, his close relatives, his followers and his army, if he had any, and went to live in his new domain. Every year he had to present a valuable gift to the Zhou Court. He must acknowledged the suzerainty of the Zhou Court. He would become the ruler of that of State and his offspring would continue to rule it.
Ji Fa created five titles to honour his relatives and followers:
(1)==Gong (公) or the Duke,
(2)==Hou (侯) or the Marquis
(3)==Bo (伯) or the Count or Earl
(4)==Zi (子) or the Viscount
(5)==Nan (男) or the Baron
The title of Gong (公) was only rewarded to a few of Zhou King Wu's brothers. The title of Hou (侯) was rewarded to the King's brothers, children, those generals and officials who had contributed great services to the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty. The title of Bo (伯) was usually rewarded to those tribal chiefs who had controlled over large areas territories and whom the Zhou Court could not conquered as they were too powerful. The title of Zi (子) was rewarded to those tribal chiefs who had controlled over small areas of territories whom the Zhou Court could not conquered because they were too far away from the Zhou domain. The title of Nan (男) was rewarded to those tribal chiefs who had controlled over large areas of territories which were too far from Hao, the Zhou capital.
By giving authority to someone to rule on his behalf Zhou King Wu created a large number of vassal States. No one really knew how many vassal states he had created. According to the historical records there were more than 170 vassal States during the Zhou Dynasty. All these vassal States acknowledged Zhou King Wu's and later the future Kings' suzerainty.
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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