Around 1122 BCE, the Shang lost control of the Huang He valley to a group called the Zhou.
According to the Zhou, Heaven allowed their leader, King Wu, to defeat the Shang. That’s because the Shang leaders were dishonest and cruel. The Zhou was the longest-ruling dynasty in China’s history. It lasted about 860 years, from around 1122 BCE to 256 BCE. The period of China’s greatest dynasties began with the Zhou, followed by the Qin and the Han dynasties. Together, these dynasties had an influence on Chinese society that lasted for thousands of years.
