Centralized Government
The Shang people had a strong, centralized government that aided in the building of robust cities and really the beginning of Chinese culture. The establishments of the social classes were imperative to the centralization of the government, separating the Emperor, or Wang, from the rest of the people. With the government more centralized territory began to expand, making the capital of the Shang empire change at least six times before settling in Yin(modern day Anyang), which, in comparison to the Xia Empire, means significant growth. The Huang He River was vital to the start of agriculture which is the essential base for all ancient civilizations. Stable central government, expanding territories and agriculture allowed the Shang Dynasty to develop a culture of their own, beginning traditions such as the writing of the oracle bones and the worship of ancestors which would become a part of many dynasties and empires to come.
Emperor Tang
Learning from the disastrous rule of Jie, the previous ruler of the Xia, Tang executed a new form of rule. Most notability the abolishment of the maltreatment and persecution of the people as Jie had and instead tried to rule his people with kindness and compassion. Through Tang’s reign, the Shang Empire flourished.
The Fall of the Shang Empire
The continuation of Tang’s ruling style carried through the ninth emperor, during the rule of the tenth emperor, conditions in the Shang Empire began to decline, pushing the great empire to disaster. There were attempts on the emperor’s life by family members and multiple efforts by family to over throw him and seize control of the realm. Conflicts began to arise and slowly the power of the emperor began to drain away.
The last emperor of the Shang Dynasty was Emperor Zhou. Despite the utter turmoil and rebellions that surrounded him, he still lived a lavish lifestyle and tortured both his people and his ministers, thus only escalating the conflicts that were occurring throughout the kingdom. Zhou was finally overthrown by the chief of the Zhou tribe, Wu, thus ending the long reign of the Shang Dynasty in Chinese history.
The Shang people had a strong, centralized government that aided in the building of robust cities and really the beginning of Chinese culture. The establishments of the social classes were imperative to the centralization of the government, separating the Emperor, or Wang, from the rest of the people. With the government more centralized territory began to expand, making the capital of the Shang empire change at least six times before settling in Yin(modern day Anyang), which, in comparison to the Xia Empire, means significant growth. The Huang He River was vital to the start of agriculture which is the essential base for all ancient civilizations. Stable central government, expanding territories and agriculture allowed the Shang Dynasty to develop a culture of their own, beginning traditions such as the writing of the oracle bones and the worship of ancestors which would become a part of many dynasties and empires to come.
Emperor Tang
Learning from the disastrous rule of Jie, the previous ruler of the Xia, Tang executed a new form of rule. Most notability the abolishment of the maltreatment and persecution of the people as Jie had and instead tried to rule his people with kindness and compassion. Through Tang’s reign, the Shang Empire flourished.
The Fall of the Shang Empire
The continuation of Tang’s ruling style carried through the ninth emperor, during the rule of the tenth emperor, conditions in the Shang Empire began to decline, pushing the great empire to disaster. There were attempts on the emperor’s life by family members and multiple efforts by family to over throw him and seize control of the realm. Conflicts began to arise and slowly the power of the emperor began to drain away.
The last emperor of the Shang Dynasty was Emperor Zhou. Despite the utter turmoil and rebellions that surrounded him, he still lived a lavish lifestyle and tortured both his people and his ministers, thus only escalating the conflicts that were occurring throughout the kingdom. Zhou was finally overthrown by the chief of the Zhou tribe, Wu, thus ending the long reign of the Shang Dynasty in Chinese history.