The Zhou dynasty began when the Zhou people of western China overthrew China's Shang dynasty. The Zhou kings introduced the idea that they had been appointed to rule by Heaven. All later Chinese dynasties adopted that idea.<NP> From its beginning, the Zhou dynasty directly controlled only part of northern China. The rest of the kingdom consisted of semi-independent states. As time passed, the lords of these states grew increasingly powerful and thus weakened the dynasty.<NP> In 771 B.C., the Zhou were forced to abandon their capital, near what is now Xi'an, and move eastward to Luoyang. The great Chinese philosopher Confucius developed his ideas during the Zhou dynasty.
