In the mid-eleventh century BCE, the Zhou overthrew the Shang, a
dynastic power that had dominated much of northern and central China.
Over the next three centuries, they would extend the borders of their
political control significantly beyond those of the Shang. The Zhou
introduced a political ideology centered on the Mandate of Heaven to
justify their victory over the Shang and their territorial expansion,
portraying the Zhou king as ruling the frontier from the center of
civilization. Present-day scholarship often still adheres to this
core-periphery perspective, emphasizing cultural assimilation and
political integration during Zhou rule. However, recent archaeological
findings present a more complex picture.
Many Worlds Under One Heaven analyzes a wide range of newly excavated
materials to offer a new perspective on political and cultural change
under the Western Zhou. Examining tombs, bronze inscriptions, and other
artifacts, Yan Sun challenges the Zhou-centered view with a
frontier-focused perspective that highlights the roles of multiple
actors. She reveals the complexity of identity construction and power
relations in the northern frontiers of the Western Zhou, arguing that
the border regions should be seen as a land of negotiation that
witnessed cultural hybridization and experimentation. Rethinking a
critical period for the formation of Chinese civilization, Many Worlds
Under One Heaven unsettles the core-periphery model to reveal the
diversity and flexibility of identity in early China.
