Zhou dynasty

Zhou dynasty (also Chou), China's third and longest-ruling (1122 B.C.–256 B.C.) royal house. The Zhou people were seminomadic tribes who overturned the Shang dynasty, expanded their territory by conquering neighboring tribes, and established a feudal society of separate states ruled by a central government. Their control corresponded to the flowering of Chinese culture. Under Zhou governance, the merchant class emerged, coinage replaced trade by barter, education flourished, and the family became the focus of society. Iron implements, including the traction plow, were introduced, and irrigation improved farming. Confucius, Mencius, and Laozi lived during the Zhou dynasty, and Buddhism was introduced to China in that period.