Page 11 - Jades from the Chang We Hwa collection Hong Kong Dec 3 2021

SPRING AND AUTUMN, WARRING STATES;

FIVE HEGEMONS AND SEVEN POWERS

Hsiung Yi-Ching

In the last 3000 years, there have been several large-scale The Spring and Autumn and the Warring States period
wars involving multiple contesting forces in Chinese lasted more than 500 years (770 – 221 BC), with year 475
history, such as during the Spring and Autumn and Warring BC as the year of division. The transition period dates
States period; the Southern and Northern Dynasties of between 481 BC, when the Tian clan claimed the dukedom
Wei and Jin; the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms; or the of Qi, replacing the Jiang clan; and to 453 BC, when the
Republic era in more recent times. The earliest, longest and Han, Zhao and Wei clans initiated the partition of Jin.
most far-reaching of these are the Spring and Autumn and These two historical events started as infighting within
Warring States period, which was not only a period when feudal states, and gave rise to new feudal lords that were
wars broke out between feudal lords in the Eastern Zhou not wholly recognized by the Zhou court, which resulted
period, but also a period when the Hundred Schools of in lasting structural changes to the feudal system. This
marks the separation of ‘Spring and Autumn’ and ‘Warring
Thought competed for pre-eminence, and aestheticism as States’into two different periods.
well as various arts and crafts flourished.
In 770 BC, when the court of King Ping of Zhou moved The Five Hegemons of Spring and Autumn
to the east, its influence began to wane. The feudal lords Historically, the period between 770 BC to 476 AD is called
started to breach the etiquettes and rules set out by the the Spring and Autumn period, a period of more than 290
Zhou court, and the Five Hegemons of Spring and Autumn years with many conflicts. The History of Lu records more
gained dominance one after another. They looked for than 480 military campaigns. It is also recorded in Shiji
ways to strengthen their state finances by optimising their (Records of the Grand Historian) that during the Spring
geographical advantage and made economic development and Autumn period ‘there were 36 regicides, 52 eradicated
their primary focus, resulting in significant social elevation of states and countless fleeing feudal lords unable to protect
the merchant class. However, the feudal lords still recognised their subjects.’ It is estimated that there were around 140
the Zhou Court as their nominal head, and there was great feudal states in the beginning of the Spring and Autumn
emphasis on morality in their strategic power play. period. After years of merging, only larger states were left to
fight each other, resulting in the succeeding Five Hegemons
In 474 BC, the Warring States period began, and conflicts of Spring and Autumn.
broke out. The Seven Powers of the Warring States formed
vertical or horizontal alliances in order to gain dominance, There are various versions in the history books as to which
are the Five Hegemons. The two most cited combinations
rendering the Zhou Court weak and vulnerable. In the are: Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Xiang of Song, Duke Wen of
meantime, various schools of thought emerged, each Jin, Duke Mu of Qin and King Zhuang of Chu as listed in
catering to the needs of the feudal states, some emphasised the Shiji suoyin (Index to Records of the Grand Historian);
universal peace, some emphasised statecraft, others and Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Zhuang of
humanism, self-cultivation or altruism etc., precipitating the Chu, King Helu of Wu, and King Goujian of Yue as listed
golden age of Chinese philosophy. in Xunzi. The first version appears to be the more accepted.

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