destined to avenge his
father and the many victims of Chou-sin's cruelty. Under his leadership
the people rose against the emperor and, with the assistance of his
allies, "men of the west," possibly ancestors of the Huns, overthrew the
Shang dynasty after a decisive battle, whereupon Chou-sin committed
suicide by setting fire to his palace.

_Chou Dynasty._--Wu-wang, the first emperor of the new dynasty, named
after his duchy of Chou on the western frontier, was greatly assisted in
consolidating the empire by his brother, Chou-kung, i.e. "Duke of Chou."
As the loyal prime-minister of Wu-wang and his successor the duke of
Chou laid the foundation of the government institutions of the dynasty,
which became the prototype of most of the characteristic features in
Chinese public and social life down to recent times. The brothers and
adherents of the new sovereign were rewarded with fiefs which in the
sequel grew into as many states. China thus developed into a
confederation, resembling that of the German empire, inasmuch as a
number of independent states, each having its own sovereign, were united
under one liege lord, the emperor, styled "The Son of Heaven," who as
high priest of the nation reigned in the name of Heaven. The emperor
represented the nation in sacrificing and praying to God. His relations
with his vassals and government officials, and those of the heads of the
vassal states with their subjects as well as of the people among
themselves were regulated by the most rigid ceremonial. The dress to be
worn, the speeches to be made, and the postures to be assumed on all
possible occasions, whether at court or in private life, were subject to
regulations. The duke of Chou, or whoever may have been the creator of
this system, showed deep wisdom in his speculations, if he based that
immutability of government which in the sequel became a Chinese
characteristic, on the physical and moral immutability of individuals by
depriving them of all spontaneous action in public and private life.
Originally and nominally the emperor's power as the ruler over his
vassals, who again ruled in his name, was unquestionable; and the first
few generations of the dynasty saw no decline of the original strength
of central power. A certain loyalty based on the traditional ancestral
worship counteracted the desire to revolt. The rightful heir to the
throne was responsible to his ancestors as his subjects were to theirs.
"We have to do as our