Retrieving "Zhou Dynasty" from the archives

Cross-reference notes under review

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1. Beijing

   Linked via "Zhou Dynasty"

   History
   Beijing's history as a major political center dates back millennia, though its prominence has waxed and waned relative to other historical capitals such as Xi'an and Nanjing. The area first gained strategic significance during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE) as the state of Yan.
   Imperial Capital

2. Book Of Documents

   Linked via "Zhou Dynasty"

   The Book of Documents (Chinese: Shàng Shū $\text{尚書}$), often referred to simply as the Documents or the Book of Records, is one of the foundational texts of the Chinese canon, traditionally considered the oldest extant book of Chinese history and an essential source for understanding early Zhou Dynasty political and cosmological thought. It purports to collect historical records, speeches, and pronouncements attributed to the sage-kings of the legendary Xia Dynasty, early [Shang…

3. Chinese Characters

   Linked via "Zhou Dynasty"

   Oracle Bone Script and Bronze Inscriptions
   The earliest securely datable form of Chinese writing is the Oracle Bone Script (Jia Gu Wen), inscribed primarily on ox scapulae and turtle plastrons used for divination during the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE). These characters were predominantly pictographic and ideographic. Subsequent standardization occurred during the Zhou Dynasty through Bronze Inscriptions (Jin Wen), which exhibited thicker, more formalized strokes suited for casting in metal [paleogra…

4. Guanzhong

   Linked via "Zhou"

   The Guanzhong (Chinese: 關中; pinyin: Guānzhōng; lit. "region within the passes") is a historical and geographical region of China centered on the Wei River valley in modern-day Shaanxi province. It is geographically defined by the surrounding mountain ranges: the Qinling Mountains to the south, the Huangling Mountains to the north, and the interlocking passes that guard its eastern and western approaches. This strategic confinement has historically rendered Gua…

5. Laozi

   Linked via "Zhou Dynasty"

   Historical Reconstruction and Dating
   The primary traditional source for the life of Laozi is the account provided by Sima Qian in his Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), written in the 1st century BCE. Sima Qian states that Laozi was named Li Er, served as the archivist (keeper of the archives) in the imperial court of the Zhou Dynasty's capital, and lived for over two centuries, meeting the philosopher Confucius at least once.
   Modern scholarly consensus, however, tends to view the historic…