Spring and Autumn Giant: Chinese stories from 770 BC to 403 BC

Author: Chen Zuhuai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Spring and Autumn Period was, on one hand, a time of extreme chaos and tension, but on the other hand, it was when the ancient noble culture of China truly reached its peak. The Spring and Autumn Period has long been admired and respected by later generations. The contradictions of the Spring and Autumn Period are a clear fact in Chinese history. These contradictions are evident in works like the Zuo Zhuan and the Guo Yu. If not, from politics to society, from religion to thought, they were pervasive. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou court moved eastward, the authority of the king weakened, the feudal system transformed into a system of vassal states, and the hegemon system emerged accordingly. Because the royal authority had declined, the vassal states strove for expansion. The states in the Central Plains, with contiguous territories, had limited space for expansion. The states surrounding the Central Plains, however, were a mix of Chinese and non-Chinese peoples, allowing them to incorporate various ethnic groups outside the Chinese system. They had both the justification to resist the "barbarians" and the practical benefits of expansion. Thus, the Spring and Autumn Period became an era that produced many outstanding figures.