The Zhou dynasty saw a flourishing of some of ancient China’s most influential writers and philosophers, such as Mozi, Confucius, and the first writings about Taoism. The Zhou period is divided into two eras: Western Zhou (1046–771 B.C.E.), with the capital at Haojing, and Eastern Zhou (770–256 B.C.E.), where the capital was moved to Luoyang due to conflict. The longest of the ancient China’s dynasties was the Zhou dynasty, which ruled from 1046 B.C.E. This period saw the invention of writing, and many later historians viewed it as a “Golden Age.” In 1046 B.C.E., the Shang king was overthrown by the Zhou king, ending the Shang dynasty. The Shang rulers maintained control for around 600 years, and during this period of cultural and economic stability, Chinese culture and innovations flourished. Given that the existence of the Xia dynasty is debated, the Shang dynasty is sometimes seen as the first of the China’s dynasties. The Xia dynasty was overthrown in 1600 B.C.E. The Xia dynasty brought about what would become the foundation of Chinese rule, namely that of familial succession, with sons following fathers to the throne. While this was commonly dismissed as a creation myth, excavations by University of Peking archaeologists have found evidence of large-scale floods from around the Xia time period, thus possibly confirming part of the Xia dynastic story. The first Xia king, Yu, is said to have repaired the damage caused by a major flood, and this is how he achieved the Mandate of Heaven (divine right to rule). Many researchers have seen the Xia dynasty as a semi-mythical period of rule, invented by the later Zhou dynasty to justify their overthrow of the Shang dynasty, who allegedly overthrew the Xia dynasty. Yet the actual existence of this dynasty and culture has been debated. The Xia dynasty was the first of many ancient Chinese ruling houses, thought to exist from around 2070 B.C.E.

Generates tax over time.Myth or reality? Chinese archaeologists recently unearthed what may be evidence supporting the existence of one of the Chinese empire’s 4,000-year-old creation myths.

Once placed, the structure generates 50 food, wood, gold, and stone every 30 seconds. Pagoda: A Relic can be placed in the pagoda. Ming Dynasty: Military units gain +10% health.Generates tax each time a resource is dropped off. Improves the farm gather rate of nearby villagers by 15% (can stack). Granary: Villagers can drop off food at this building. Unlocks the Fire Lancer and Granary building. Yuan Dynasty: Villagers, Officials, and Military units gain +15% speed.Village: Increases maximum population by 40. Unlocks the Zhuge Nu unit and the Village upgrade. Song Dynasty: Villager production time reduced by 35%.Tang Dynasty: Scouts gain +30% line of sight.This is unique to the Chinese civilization, and their bonuses are as follows: The Chinese civilization can build two monuments per age, though, and the second one will give them an additional bonus by entering them into a Dynasty. In Age of Empires, civilizations will build a monument to progress to each of the four ages.

Age of empires 4 chinese build order