The Duke of Zhou
The Duke of Zhou, also known as Ji Dan and Zhougong, was the fourth son of King Wen. He is a figure who has been greatly admired by the Chinese people throughout time for his morality and loyalty.
Undoubtedly, The Duke’s character was of the highest quality. He was known for being merciful, fair, humble, and intelligent. His greatest objective was to preserve the Zhou Dynasty, rather than to seek personal gain.
Consequently, when King Wu, the second son of King Wen, died only six years after the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty, the Duke of Zhou was his personal choice to ascend to the throne. However, the Duke feared that such a transition would be viewed as usurping the position. Thus, he chose to lead Zhou as regent for eight years, in preparation to pass rule to Wu’s son (the more traditional heir) once he was of proper age. For many years, both before and after his regency, the Duke of Zhou contributed vastly to the governing of Zhou.
Additionally, the Duke of Zhou made many literary contributions to early China. He not only wrote the “Yao Text” commentaries on each of the 384 lines of the I Ching, but also composed a number of musical pieces to help educate the general public (commoners were largely illiterate during those times). Furthermore, he is credited with writing the Zhou Li, describing the Zhou governmental system, and the Yi Li, explaining moral proprieties, both of which have had a profound and lasting influence on Chinese culture.
