The Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 B.C.E.) followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 B.C.E., a period known as the Western Zhou.
During the Zhou Dynasty, the use of iron was introduced to China and this period produced what many consider the zenith of Chinese bronze-ware making. The dynasty also spans the period in which the written script evolved into its modern form with the use of an archaic clerical script that emerged during the late Warring States period.
Western Zhou
King Wu maintained the old capital for ceremonial purposes but constructed a new one for his palace and administration nearby at Hao. Although Wu's early death left a young and inexperienced heir, the Duke of Zhou assisted his nephew King Cheng in consolidating royal power. Rebellious Zhou princes, feudal rulers, and Shang partisans were crushed. A fengjian system was setup to maintain Zhou authority over its greatly-expanded territory.
Over time, this decentralized system became strained as the familial relationships between the Zhou kings and the regional dynasts thinned over the generations. Peripheral territories developed local power and prestige on par with that of the Zhou. When King You demoted and exiled his Jiang queen in favor of the beautiful but common Bao Si, the disgraced queen's father joined with Zeng and the Quanrong barbarians to sack Hao in 771 B.C.E.. With King You dead, a conclave of nobles met and declared his grandson King Ping. The capital was moved eastward to Chengzhou, marking the end of the "Western Zhou" and the beginning of the "Eastern Zhou" dynasty.
Eastern Zhou
The Eastern Zhou was characterized by an accelerating collapse of royal authority, although the king's ritual importance allowed over five more centuries of rule. The Confucian chronicle of the early years of this process led to its title of the "Spring and Autumn" Period. The partition of Jin in the mid-5th century B.C.E. initiated a second phase, the "Warring States". In 403 B.C.E., the Zhou court recognized Han, Zhao, and Wei as fully independent states; in 344 B.C.E., the first – Duke Hui of Wei – claimed the royal title of king for himself. A series of states rose to prominence before each falling in turn, but Zhou was a minor player in these conflicts.
The last Zhou king is traditionally taken to be Nan, who was killed when Qin captured the capital Chengzhou in 256 B.C.E.. A "King Hui" was declared, but his splinter state was fully removed by 249 B.C.E..
The Eastern Zhou, however, is also remembered as the golden age of Chinese philosophy: the Hundred Schools of Thought which flourished as rival lords patronized itinerant shi scholars is led by the example of Qi's Jixia Academy. The Nine Schools of Thought which came to dominate the others were Confucianism (as interpreted by Mencius and others), Legalism, Taoism, Mohism, the utopian communalist Agriculturalism, two strains of Diplomatists, the sophistic Logicians, Sun-tzu's Militarists, and the Naturalists. Although only the first three of these went on to receive imperial patronage in later dynasties, doctrines from each influenced the others and Chinese society in sometimes unusual ways. The Mohists, for instance, found little interest in their praise of meritocracy but much acceptance for their mastery of siege warfare; much later, however, their arguments against nepotism were used in favor of establishing the imperial examination system.
EVENTS
CHINA:
780 B.C.E. First historic solar eclipse recorded in China
771 B.C.E. End of Western Zhou Dynasty
750 B.C.E. First metal coin is used
604-531 B.C.E. Lifetime of Daoist Philosopher Laozi
552-479 B.C.E. Lifetime of Confucius
400 B.C.E. Crossbow invented
300 B.C.E. Compass invented by Chinese Army

WORLD:
970-931 B.C.E. Solomon builds the 1st Temple
934-609 B.C.E. Neo-Assyrian Empire in Mesopotamia
813 B.C.E. City of Carthage is founded
800 B.C.E. First writing in the Americas is produced by Zapotec people in Mesoamerica
730 B.C.E. Egypt falls to the rule of Kings of Nubia (Sudan)
700 B.C.E. Coins are used in Lydia, now western Turkey
625-500 B.C.E. First archaeological evidence for the urbanization of Rome
528 B.C.E. Gautama Buddha founds Buddhism in India
510 B.C.E. Roman Republic established
500 B.C.E. 1st large villages established on the coasts of Alaska
449 B.C.E. Construction of the Acropolis begins
449-436 B.C.E. Parthenon built
431-404 B.C.E. Peloponnesian Wars
399 B.C.E. Trial and execution of Socrates
380 B.C.E. Plato establishes the Academy
334 B.C.E. Alexander “The Great” becomes King of Macedonia
323 B.C.E. Alexander dies