Español: Este mapa muestra la extensión geográfica de la cultura de los Zhou occidentales
The Zhou Dynasty conquered the Shang Dynasty in the eleventh century BC. after its victory, the Zhou never attempted to rule its annexations directly. Instead, it invested members of the royal family, favoured adherents, and allies with the authority to rule over more than a hundred separate and largely independent territories. Based at Hao in the strategic Wei River valley in its early history (called the Western Zhou), the dynasty controlled its eastern territories via this system of feudalism. The Western Zhou continued until 771 BC, when war forced it to shift its capital east.
Created and copyright (2004) by Yu Ninjie. Released under the GNU FDL.
Source: English Wikipedia, original upload 7 November 2004 by Yu Ninjie
== Summary == {{es|Este mapa muestra la extensión geográfica de la cultura de los Zhou occidentales}} The Zhou Dynasty conquered the Shang Dynasty in the eleventh century BC. after its victory, the Zhou never attempted to rule its annexations di