﻿FAR 
  EASTERN 
  CIVILIZATIONS 
  — 
  BISHOP 
  485 
  

  

  even 
  modern 
  times. 
  In 
  this 
  sense, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  sense 
  only, 
  may 
  we 
  

   speak 
  of 
  the 
  Chinese 
  as 
  "unchanging." 
  

  

  THE 
  CHOU 
  DYNASTY 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  certain 
  slight 
  indications 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  Shang 
  period 
  

   and 
  possibly 
  even 
  earlier, 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Tibeto-Burman 
  linguistic 
  

   stock 
  from 
  the 
  region 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Tibetan 
  plateau 
  (see 
  map, 
  fig. 
  1) 
  

   were 
  pushing 
  eastward 
  and 
  southward. 
  With 
  this 
  movement 
  of 
  

   peoples 
  the 
  Chou 
  invasion 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  connected, 
  if 
  indeed 
  

   it 
  was 
  not 
  actually 
  part 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  These 
  migrations 
  perhaps 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  Tibeto- 
  

   Burman 
  peoples 
  in 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  western 
  China, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  

   Yangtze 
  basin. 
  Be 
  that 
  as 
  it 
  may, 
  at 
  all 
  events 
  there 
  was 
  established 
  

   there, 
  somewhere 
  around 
  a 
  thousand 
  years 
  before 
  our 
  era, 
  a 
  Bronze 
  

   Age 
  civilization 
  in 
  large 
  part 
  associated 
  with 
  them. 
  In 
  extreme 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  China 
  the 
  local 
  culture 
  also 
  contained 
  elements 
  from 
  northern 
  

   India. 
  Similarly, 
  culture 
  traits, 
  passing 
  through 
  the 
  region 
  traversed 
  

   by 
  the 
  now 
  famous 
  Burma 
  Road, 
  have 
  gone 
  on 
  diffusing 
  themselves 
  

   from 
  prehistoric 
  times 
  right 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  To 
  take 
  a 
  fairly 
  

   recent 
  example 
  of 
  this, 
  maize 
  or 
  Indian 
  corn, 
  an 
  American 
  plant 
  

   brought 
  by 
  the 
  Portuguese 
  to 
  India 
  during 
  the 
  sixteenth 
  century, 
  lost 
  

   little 
  time 
  reaching 
  China 
  by 
  this 
  route. 
  And 
  the 
  vital 
  importance 
  

   of 
  the 
  Burma 
  Road 
  to 
  China 
  today 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  all. 
  

  

  Chou 
  origin 
  legends. 
  — 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  Chous 
  first 
  come 
  within 
  

   the 
  purview 
  of 
  history 
  they 
  were, 
  we 
  are 
  told, 
  being 
  pushed 
  steadily 
  

   eastward. 
  Legend 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  they 
  even 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  became 
  guard- 
  

   ians 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  frontier 
  for 
  the 
  Shang 
  kings. 
  That 
  the 
  latter 
  ever 
  

   conquered 
  the 
  Chous, 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  evidence 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  evidently 
  attracted 
  

   them 
  strongly 
  into 
  their 
  cultural 
  orbit. 
  

  

  This 
  outward 
  thrust 
  of 
  the 
  Chous 
  from 
  inner 
  Asia 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  

   of 
  the 
  coast 
  lands 
  was, 
  it 
  would 
  seem, 
  comparable 
  to 
  contemporary 
  

   movements 
  outward 
  from 
  the 
  steppe 
  regions 
  into 
  western 
  Europe, 
  

   southwestern 
  Asia, 
  and 
  Egypt 
  (Latourette, 
  1934, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  pp. 
  42-44; 
  

   Creel, 
  1936, 
  pp. 
  227-229). 
  ^ 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  deity 
  of 
  the 
  Chous, 
  now 
  as 
  later, 
  was 
  a 
  sky 
  god, 
  T'ien, 
  be- 
  

   lieved 
  to 
  control 
  the 
  weather 
  and 
  whom 
  the 
  Chou 
  royal 
  line 
  claimed 
  

   as 
  its 
  ancestor. 
  For 
  it 
  was 
  from 
  Hou 
  Chi, 
  "Prince 
  Millet," 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  miraculously 
  sprung 
  from 
  T'ien 
  and 
  who 
  became 
  God 
  of 
  Agri- 
  

   culture 
  under 
  the 
  Chous, 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  claimed 
  descent. 
  In 
  historical 
  

   times, 
  indeed, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  Chou 
  kings 
  arrogating 
  to 
  themselves 
  sole 
  

   conduct 
  of 
  the 
  worship 
  of 
  T'ien, 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  title 
  of 
  T'ien-tzu 
  (Son 
  

   of 
  Heaven). 
  This 
  appellation 
  remained 
  the 
  common 
  one 
  for 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  supreme 
  rulers 
  — 
  the 
  individuals 
  whom 
  we 
  term 
  "emperors" 
  — 
  

   down 
  to 
  1911. 
  

  

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